Dan's excellent kicking display kept France pinned back and almost helped Scotland to a surprise win in Paris.
The "almost" is what counts, though, for Dan. Having played well is little or no consolation to him. "Obviously there were things in my game I was happy with, but there were also things I wasn't," Dan tells today's Scotsman.
"We didn't run the ball as much as we'd have liked to, and we'll have to change that this time. We want to be scoring tries.
"We had to put our best foot forward, and the way we defended put them off their game. But if you've lost it doesn't matter how you've played individually. We tried so hard and just fell short at the last. It was gut-wrenching."
Dan will win his 13th cap this afternoon, and is again alongside Chris Cusiter, the Borders scrum-half. "Chris is a joy to play with," was his verdict on the favourite to don the Lions No9 jersey this summer. "His passing game is brilliant, and he’s a tough little bugger in the tackle."
Despite the national team's recent run of poor results, Dan also seems able to regard playing for and in Scotland as a joy. "In any situation there are times when you think it would be nice to be at home with your family and friends, but I've been here about two years now and I've pretty much enjoyed every minute of it.
"Scotland has been really good for me. I've been given a huge opportunity to play at the top level of the sport that I love."
You can read the Scotsman article here