Logan's lament over Murrayfield draw

Later, backs coach John Rutherford escorted the Wasps winger from changing room to team dinner with all the care and attention of a counsellor in charge of a suicide candidate.

Protection was accompanied by much massaging of ego. 'I think Kenny has just played his best all-round game for Scotland,' coach Ian McGeechan commented.

Although Logan ran and tackled as never before for his 51st cap, it is a curious interpretation of 'all-round' which excludes goalkicking, as vital now in the era of high scoring as it was when games were won or lost by three penalties to two.

'Goalkicking has let Scotland down for 30 years,' McGeechan reckoned, repeating a familiar refrain which might have provoked some disagreement from Gavin Hastings and/or Andy Irvine had they and their squillion Scottish points been in the room.

If there was madness in McGeechan's despair, then there was also method. Even when Hastings and Irvine were around, there were better kickers in other home countries. People like Ollie Campbell, Rob Andrew and Paul Thorburn, to name but a few, regularly kicked Scotland into sub-mission.

Logan would not make you think twice about conceding a penalty. So fragile was his confidence that the Scottish camp constructed an elaborate web of deception last week designed to reduce the pressure on their kicker.

'We'll have to give the situation some thought,' McGeechan said about kicking duties at Twickenham. They can ponder day and night but there is no solution. Scotland possess no-one good enough even to lick the left boot of Wilkinson, either in the squad or in the country.

Wales have Jenkins. But even his 23 points, including three first-quarter dropped goals, were not enough to secure a victory and disguise the many alarming deficiencies in Graham Henry's side.

Try as the spin doctors did to accent the positive with talk of emerging from two difficult weeks of post-Millennium Stadium humiliation, Jenkins told it how it was.

'We're absolutely shell-shocked,' he said. 'Once again we let ourselves down defensively and let Scotland, like England, split us apart out wide.'

Wales were out on their feet at the end, yet again casting doubts on their endurance fitness. The longer the game progressed the more a terrific Scottish back row of Martin Leslie, Jon Petrie and Budge Pountney threatened to tear the opposition to shreds.

'Let's be positive,' Henry insisted. 'There is enough negative in the game in Wales and I'm trying to make sure that the guys have their heads up and are pleased with their performance generally speaking.

'If we're continually down in the dumps and kicking each other we'll never get anywhere.'

Scotland, despite great second-half tries for Chris Paterson, James McLaren and a Tom Smith in Lions form, must fear a hiding at Twickenham.

Do they have any chance? 'They have certainly the heart and the character but England, on their day, can probably beat anyone in the world,' Mark Taylor, the scorer of Wales' interception try, said. 'So it's going to be a massive ask for Scotland. But they have pride on their side and that's always a very important aspect.'

At least there will not be an English referee. McGeechan described Steve Lander's performance as 'uneven' - code for one-eyed.