“We have a good manager but we have players who abdicate their responsibilities. For the last eight years we have said we are a good team but we have nothing to show for it.”
Former Scotland prop Peter Wright was scathing in his criticism after Italy's first come-from-behind Six Nations win at home in 11 years.
In a spectacular collapse, Scotland completely lost discipline and composure, conceding 21 unanswered points. The 22-10 lead quickly turned into a 31-22 deficit.
Yes, Italy were good and Sam Skinner's late try gave Gregor Townsend's side a chance, but it wasn't supposed to happen.
A seemingly unstoppable flow of penalties went to Italy, giving them both territory and points.
“There are good players on the Scottish park, but no real leaders,” Wright added.
You can have the best game plan in the world, but it means little if the players succumb to the pressure.
It's not that the players aren't aware of the problem. “It was a close call,” co-captain Rory Darge said.
“We need to get better at finishing teams off when we're in the lead, but credit to Italy. We can only focus on what we can work on and that's discipline and defense.”
“Why is everyone playing as individuals?”
However, this is not a one-off for Scotland. These issues have taken their toll many times in recent years.
Scotland's 27-point lead against Wales in this tournament was reduced to just one point. In the match against France, the match was allowed to flow before a controversial non-decision at the time of death.
For some time this group of players has been talked about as some of Scotland's best ever, but in the big moments that really matter, Scotland tend to fall short.
Great teams get the job done. Scotland is not like that.
“Why is everyone playing individually when the chips are down?'' former Scotland Sevens captain Colin Gregor asked on Full Time.
“This is a sign of a lack of leadership. Scotland needs to weather the storm and shut down its transport base in the process.”
Scotland had another clear chance after handing the initiative to Italy, but squandered it.
Duane van der Merwe, who had a very bad experience in the last game against England, chose not to pass to Ali Price when his substitute scrum-half ran all the way to the line.
Pull the last defender and pass – it's like elementary school. However, the chance disappeared when Van der Merwe made contact.
Many people will point out how coaching works. It's not a positive reflection on Townsend and his team for a team to consistently make the same errors, but center Huw Jones insists his players have to do more.
“We all support the coach and we all support Gregor,” he said. “We love the style we like to play, we have a good plan and when we execute it it’s great and we play good rugby.
“I think today it wasn't about Gregor, it was about the players. We didn't execute our plan well enough, but Italy played well and in the second half they controlled the game better.”
Scotland could and should go to Dublin next week for a Grand Slam. However, if they perform like they did against Roma, this year's championship will end with three losses.
