THEY came, they saw, they drank copious amounts of Belhaven Best while wearing  ‘See you Jimmy’ hats and kilts. They left disappointed, but will return again on Saturday as their side attempt to take their final chance to secure a place in the World Cup quarter-finals. As one late-night reveller, somewhat the worse for wear, observed as he stumbled towards Central Station, “You Geordies should all be in Scotland anyway – at least you’d still have a team to support.”

This was the day when Newcastle adopted the Saltire, returning to Scottish hands for the first time in almost nine centuries. Most estimates suggest there were almost 30,000 Scotland supporters inside St James’ Park for the stadium’s first Rugby World Cup experience, but there were at least as many again in the pubs and fan zone area as the game kicked off.

The skirl of the bagpipes could be heard as early as 9am and was still providing the late-night soundtrack as Newcastle began to fall asleep. Judging by the state of some fans, they might just about be sobering up by the time the Scots return to the field against Samoa this weekend.

The Scottish invasion had been planned from the moment it was confirmed that Vern Cotter’s side would be playing two of their games 50 miles or so south of the border, but what was rather more of a surprise was the weight of support that also followed South Africa to the North-East.

Any thought of this being a home game for the Scots was dispelled by the throng of green and gold that made Saturday such a remarkable day for a city that prides itself on being a sporting powerhouse, but which had still seen little to match this.

There were Springbok fans everywhere you looked, with Biltong stalls springing up around St James’ Park to make it more like Gauteng than Gallowgate. Inside St James’ Park, the cries of ‘Bokke, Bokke’ that swirled around the stadium were more than a match for the strains of ‘Flower of Scotland’ that sporadically burst out.

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The most recent census suggests that around 600,000 South Africans live and work in the UK. On Saturday, it felt like a fair proportion had decamped to Tyneside.

“We’ve got to support our boys,” said Henry Rousseau, who had travelled north from London to watch the game. “Our one defeat (against Japan) is out of the way – now it’s a one-way ticket to Twickenham.”

He could be right. The afternoon felt like it was going to be a notable one from a South African perspective from the moment an emotional pre-match ceremony inducted Nelson Mandela into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.

Mandela used the 1995 Rugby World Cup to help construct his Rainbow Nation, and while a nod in his direction some 20 years later could have felt mawkish, an inspirational speech from former captain Francois Pienaar ensured it struck the perfect tone. A capacity crowd rose as one to acknowledge as much.

Then, it was on to the rugby, and the kind of bone-juddering encounter that has to be witnessed at close quarters to appreciate the brute physicality that has driven this sport forward in the era of professionalism.

When the World Cup organisers made the decision to host a large number of matches in football grounds to increase attendances, it was feared the ploy might backfire. Would football supporters understand how rugby works? They needn’t have worried at Newcastle. Seasoned observers of the Magpies know all about the ball going backwards. The sight of Springbok fly-half Handre Pollard successfully claiming three points, however, was rather more of a shock to the system.

Having lost their opening pool game to Japan, South Africa resolved to go ‘back to basics’ in an attempt to get their campaign back on track. In their case, that meant picking a team of man mountains and instructing them to charge headlong into their opponents. Repeatedly. For 80 minutes.

Prop Tendai Mtawarira, nicknamed ‘The Beast’ for obvious reasons given that his shoulders are broad enough to resemble a pair of wardrobe doors, led the charge, tearing into the Scottish forwards from the off.

Lodewjk de Jager, a towering second row who makes Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic look like a pussy cat, punched a series of holes in his opponents’ defence, while Schalk Burger, a touselled-haired flanker whose energy was almost as remarkable as his inability to experience pain, proved a master at the breakdown.

South Africa’s ascendance was obvious from the moment Burger powered over to claim the game’s first try, and the sight of a rolling maul driving the Scots back fully 30 yards to secure the penalty that made it 10-0 suggested it would be a long night for the team in blue.

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It proved as much, although Scotland rallied either side of half-time to at least ensure they were not embarrassed by the final outcome. They generated the biggest cheer of the day when they scored a try, with Duncan Weir embarking on a mazy 80-yard charge after intercepting Pollard’s pass, and former Newcastle Falcon Tim Visser eventually setting up Tommy Seymour to score.

Some better decision making might have kept them in the game for longer, and they will have to sharpen up when they take on Samoa on Saturday. Win, and they are guaranteed a place in the last eight. On this evidence, they certainly won’t be lacking support.