Scotland v England: It was sorcerer vs apprentice, flair against flair and Finn Russell won it, just

The first thing Marcus Smith did was dash like a hare and zig-zag crazily and that was just him arriving on the pitch as he showed his eagerness to get on with his big Six Nations test and meet the boss around these parts.

The first thing Finn Russell – the boss – did was, well, what was the first thing? The man was playing the occasion, and the challenge, very coolly.

This was billed as sorcerer versus apprentice. President of the Magic Circle facing the threat of the brightest young conjurer around. Flair against flair, flash taking on flash, and a contest within a contest likely deciding which of these two teams could be on for a memorable tournament.

Murrayfield is proud of having, every year around this time, one of the great entertainers in world rugby pulling rabbits from hats and popped passes from nowhere – and the sell-out crowd was intrigued to see how Russell would handle the exciting England 10.

But could Smith, 22 and winning just his sixth cap, perform on what was his Six Nations debut? Could he do it away from Twickenham where he plays for his club and in a rumbustious atmosphere far from that comfort zone, with the wind swirling and the rain lashing?

This wasn’t polite pit-pat with the Duchess of Cambridge, the new patron of England Rugby, for the benefit of the Royal presspack. This was Scotland on a dark and stormy night.

Amid all the noise coming from the big bowl in EH12, Smith might have ventured: “Go on, then, let’s see your famous no-look offload.”

And Russell might have bit back: “I dare you to try your goose step up here.”

But it was a subdued opening for these two, and for everyone else. The first scrum took an age to satisfy the referee and there are only so many times you can boo “Swing Low,