But other problems arose. In that jaw-dropping opening quarter they lost the plot in defence and carried out a kicking strategy that was akin to loading a gun and handing it over to a crazed assassin. In those moments, had England even bore a passing resemblance to a clinical side then the game would have been over and a massacre would have been in train.
Scotland survived and grew and played wonderfully in the second quarter. So many good things and so much hope at half-time. The hope that kills.
Every so often in this Six Nations the sun has broken through the clouds and shone on Cotter’s team, but the problem is that it doesn’t last.
Scotland were in contention in Paris but didn’t score in the second half. In the game against Italy, there was a 40-minute chunk either side of the break when they failed to trouble the scoreboard. And at Twickenham on Saturday there was another entire half where Scotland failed to register a point.
The progression under Cotter is obvious, but the improvements are not sufficient to paper over the weaknesses.
The coach says he’s excited about some of the things he has seen in the Championship, but he hasn’t reached the tipping point where good outweighs bad. That can’t be a surprise to anybody. Scotland have been irrelevant to the business end of the Six Nations for 15 years and turning it around is not a one-season job.
Vast tracts of games go by where Scotland don’t score and don’t play with accuracy. In rugby at the highest level if all you are doing is playing in fits and starts then it doesn’t matter how decent the decent stuff is. If it only exists in fleeting bursts then it’s never going to be enough.
Scotland have gone from losers last season to gallant losers this season. It’s not exactly a leap forward but, then, this journey was always going to be about baby steps rather than giant bounds.
The hope is tormenting, though. There is quality in this team. Stuart Hogg is a thrilling full-back. Tommy Seymour is a dangerous individual on the wing. Mark Bennett is, very possibly, a superstar in waiting. Until he was struck down, Alex Dunbar had caught the eye of not just Scots but pretty much everybody who’s in tune with the Championship. Dunbar is a player of real substance. As good as Matt Scott is – and he can be extremely good – Dunbar’s loss has come as a kick to the solar plexus of Scottish rugby.