Nobody coming to Murrayfield expected any other outcome, though the scale of Scotland’s victory – their third-biggest ever – was impressive.
With both sides shorn of some of their players due to the game being played outside of the Test window, it was a chance for others to shine.
Edinburgh back row Liam McConnell was one of those, having been pitched in for his debut after only a handful of club games, and his intensity was clear to see.
His blistering run and basketball delivery set up Van der Merwe for his first, and then his lineout steal eventually ended with Graham collecting Rowe’s wonderful pass to score his second.
The 21-year-old made three other scintillating breaks and, had he kept his composure for one of them, would have teed up George Horne for a further score. It was a performance which hinted at great potential.
Dobie also excelled with a typically busy display, starting at scrum-half but then moving out to the wing when Graham was replaced after his hat-trick score.
His silky chip over the top allowed Graham to collect and return the ball to him to sprint under the posts, and his clever support line meant he profted again from McDowall’s line break.
Dobie also had a hand in Rowe’s second-half try before collecting Van der Merwe’s pass off the floor to sprint in for a well-deserved hat-trick.
Graham and Van der Merwe’s continuing battle to end their respective careers as Scotland’s all-time top try scorer is another entertaining sideshow.
However, while Scotland have every right to take all the positives from a blistering display they know next week against the All Blacks will be a whole different level of Test match than against a USA team missing players and with a club game in crisis.
But with Finn Russell, Sione Tuipulotu, and other cavalry to come back into their side, too, Scotland will face the Haka next week with more confidence of a win than ever before.
