The 22 men Andy Robinson sent into the field offered the lead with the sort of rearguard action that inspires awe in both friend and foe. The Scots who made up the vast majority of the 44,762 in the stands offered the sort of vocal support that raises the hairs on the back of the necks of their heroes as well as their energy levels to get up and make that first, second . . . 10th extra tackle.

Many more of their countrymen will, in years to come, tell tales of where they were on November 21, 2009, because this was not an occasion that any true rugby supporter will want to admit to having missed.

It was an effort rather than a performance that should, once and for all, kill off any notion that there is a requirement for style if there is to be excitement in sport.

“I’ve said to the team that was the most courageous performance I’ve been involved in,” said Robinson.

Those words must be taken in the context of coming from a man who saw his Bath side become the first British team to win the Heineken Cup by beating French opposition on French soil; who saw the England pack he drilled overcome the disadvantage of being reduced at one stage to 13 men against the All Blacks in New Zealand and win; whose same England team were then taken into extra time by Australia in Australia in the World Cup final and win.

His passion for winning has been stoked by the experience of repeatedly failing to do so when he was England’s head coach, just as it has been for several members of this Scotland team who, on Saturday, won a second successive Test for the first time since the 2007 World Cup.

“Please . . . lots of people talk to me about performance and style but you don’t get a better feeling than you have now by winning. International sport, whether we like it or not, is about winning,” Robinson added.

“If we can perform with that same courage every time we go on the pitch then we can grow a team.”

Since taking over as Scotland’s head coach, Robinson has now selected six teams. Four of them have been Scotland A teams, but three of their outings have been against full international sides in Russia, Uruguay and Tonga, matches that would, in World Cups, have caps awarded.

All six of those matches have been won and to the IRB Nations Cup, secured when France A were beaten in the final match in Bucharest last June, the Hopetoun Cup has been added, having been won for the first time since it was introduced for matches between Scotland and Australia. At this rate, the Scottish Rugby Union may even have to do something there has never been a need for at Murrayfield and build a trophy cabinet.

Not that anyone should get carried away with the manner of the victory on a day when the home team got pretty much all the breaks.

In technical terms, there were so many areas that could be improved. In particular the pack, which drew so much praise for its demolition of Fiji the previous week, lost two scrums against the head, while what hard-won possession was gained was too frequently kicked aimlessly away.

Matt Giteau, scorer of 546 previous points for the Wallabies, meanwhile had a horror of a day. He had missed two very kickable chances even before the conversion attempt that sailed wide with the last kick of the ball to hand Scotland victory.

Phil Godman, meanwhile, made up for his miss from wide on the right by making the most minute of adjustments a few minutes later to knock his next attempt in off the left upright.

That was his third shot at goal and put his side ahead for the first time 55 minutes into the game. His first, registered 26 minutes into the opening half had created a travesty of a scoreline of 3-3 since the match had been dominated so much by Australia to that point that Scotland had spent two- thirds of the game in their own half and had managed to secure little more than a quarter of the possession.

The Australians pounded the Scottish try-line for long periods, too. They crossed it twice. On the first occasion, Chris Cusiter set the tone for what was to come with his last act of the day as captain before being taken off because of a head knock suffered a couple of minutes earlier, by holding up Stephen Moore midway through the first half.

Rocky Elsom, Australia’s captain, felt sure he had scored during the second, but prop Allan Jacobsen’s commitment had been sufficient to place doubt in the TV replay official’s mind and it was not awarded. Yet that should only add to the sense of satisfaction.

“I’d like us to play with a little bit more ball and want to keep hold of it, but that’s the levels we have to improve. We have a platform now to do that,” Robinson explained, with a characteristic chuckle.

Even when Australia did get the last-ditch try, to come within a point of Chris Paterson’s late drop goal, that could have snatched the win, the Scots earned their lifeline by throwing body after body on to the defensive battlements to prevent them registering it under the posts.

The massed rush towards Giteau as he attempted what would have been the match- winning conversion also testified to their commitment.

As Rory Lamont observed: “I knew something strange was happening when Chunk [Jacobsen] raced past me in attempting to charge Giteau’s kick down.”

It was an extraordinary day.