The two spectacular tries of captain Stuart Hogg were not enough to overthrow the world champions who capitalized on the penalties of Elton Jantjies, author of 11 points, and Handre Pollard.
A bit like the promising, but uneven Six Nations Tournament, Scotland alternated between good and bad from one week to the next.
Hogg's first try (10-8, 35), a true ode to improvisation and "scottish flair", had allowed the locals to take the lead at the break and dream of a first success since 2010 against the South- Africans, Scotland having won 25 of the last 27 matches where they led halfway.
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But this score was a sham, as the statistics were favorable to the Springboks at this point in the match.
Stuart Hogg, who had reduced the deficit to 6 points (15-21, 58) in the middle of the second period, had maintained the hope of a prestigious success and especially brought to 24 the number of flattened balls in the in -but by the captain, allowing him to join Ian Smith and Tony Stanger as the best Scottish try scorer in history.
But after taming the Welsh (23-18) last week, South Africa once again proved its ability to reverse the match, as it had done twice this summer against the British Lions and the Irish. , but also against the New Zealanders this year and the Welsh.
The two tries of Makazole Mapimpi, served with a line along his touchline by captain Siya Kolisi (3-8, 29th) and Damian De Allende (10-15, 44th), had responded to the Scottish offensives.
And for a generous match in large-scale movements, it was at the foot that the difference was made, the Scots sometimes using expedients to interrupt the South African sequences.
Blessed bread for Jantjies (24th, 51st, 56th), replaced by Pollard (69, 78th) and François Steyn (71st) who enforced the hierarchy before a highly anticipated meeting in Twickenham next week, while the Scotland will have a much more affordable opponent with Japan.
© 2021 AFP