FROM VILLAIN TO HERO BUT SEXTON FEAR
in the Six Nations opener to England a week earlier, when boss Schmidt highlighted his concern over a lacklustre dressing-room beforehand.
“It’s not even something that you want to be able to say, but there definitely was a rise in temperature and an increase in energy today,” he said.
“It’s hard to put your finger on why we just lacked a bit of energy last week but you’ve got to have a lot of energy when you make as many tackles as we did in the first half. We’ve got to make sure we kick on from here.”
Needing to bounce back after last week’s loss to England, Ireland’s injury problems were compounded when they lost world player of the year Johnny Sexton to a failed HIA in the 23rd minute.
Sexton had earlier suffered ankle trouble from an accidental stamp from one of his team-mates but despite the head injury, Schmidt (left) is hopeful the veteran will be fit for the clash with Italy in a fortnight. His replacement Carbery cost Ireland a try just moments after coming on when Finn Russell intercepted his pass.
But ultimately the 23-year-old won the game when he made a searing 57th minute break to release Keith Earls to put the contest beyond Scotland.
“I think he’s benefiting greatly from being down in Munster,” said Ireland skipper Rory Best.
“You can just see him growing into the game. Some of the things you see him doing – when that ball was scrappy, he went down, picked it up and made something out of nothing.
“That’s what Joey can do. He bossed the forwards well in a game that’s very, very difficult because it was really a game of inches.
“I think Joey did super because that’s ultimately what we need – when you lose a world class player like Johnny early on, for it not to go badly and for Joey to step in there and to recover from that intercept...
“On that slower ball, we should have taken responsibility and set a bit tighter to him. Finn Russell is a poacher and sniffed it out but Joey bounced back.
“He’s a cool customer.”