The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Fightback falls short as Irish win again
Scotland’s dire record against Ireland continued with another errorstrewn performance and a fifth successive defeat to their bogey team at Murrayfield.
The Scots’ faint hopes of a share of the Guinness Six Nations should have been extinguished long before Jonny Sexton landed a penalty wide out to finally clinch it with four minutes remaining.
Scotland had shown incredible fight coming back from a 14-point deficit with tries from Huw Jones and Hamish Watson in a thrilling final quarter.
This was despite first half try scorer Finn Russell going off with a head knock and playing their reserve scrum-half Scott Steele in the pack after injuries to both starting locks.
But the damage had been done long before then, with Scotland’s lineout a complete mess and Ireland causing all sorts of problems with their kicking game in the first hour.
Neither side really covered themselves in much glory in all performance, but Ireland will surely wonder how it ever got to the stage that they needed Sexton’s final kick.
For the Scots, after the high of victory at Twickenham it’s been a rapid decline to the ineptitude of the first hour here. They badly need a confidence-restoring romp over Italy next week before meeting France in Paris, but it could be without key casualties from this mess of a match.
Scotland sleep-walked through the first 10 minutes and found themselves eight points in arrears before they’d even got their hands on the ball.
Ireland went wide early and James Lowe nearly sprung Sexton. But,
although Ireland’s driving game at the line brought no rewards, Russell didn’t roll away at a tackle and Sexton kicked Ireland into the lead.
James Ryan then made the first of a series of steals of the Scottish lineout to set up a high bomb that Stuart Hogg couldn’t gather. Ireland secured the ball and Sexton’s cross kick into the in-goal area wasn’t dealt with by either the captain or Duhan van der Merwe, falling for Robbie Henshaw to get the touch down.
Sexton’s conversion missed and that was a small mercy as the Scots finally put together something with the ball, Watson and Turner making good ground before Ireland infringed. Russell kicked the easy penalty for 3-8.
The stand-off lost the ball on a promising counterattack but it was the setpiece that was stifling the home side’s efforts. A penalty at the scrum and two more lost lineouts cost them chances in Irish territory.
When Scotland’s try did come, it was bizarre. Ireland had turned over ball on their own 10-metre line but Hogg charged down Ringrose’s kick, hacked forward and couldn’t regather, but Russell got his boot to the ball into the 22.
James Lowe came across to gather but couldn’t hold it, and the ball fell into the hands of Russell for the easiest, if strangest, of tries. Repeated TMO checks showed Hogg hadn’t knocked on and the standoff converted his own score.
A fourth lost Scottish lineout allowed Ireland to clear their lines and win a penalty as van der Merwe retreated.
Sexton landed the three points to put Ireland back in front, while Russell couldn’t match him from long-range.
The veteran Irish 10 booted a third penalty right on half-time for a 14-10 advantage Ireland clearly deserved.
The third quarter was a disaster for Scotland, as they continued to lose the aerial game and surrendered a further 10 points without firing a shot.
A fifth lost lineout and a penalty against Jamie Ritchie set up Ireland in the 22 seven minutes into the half and their forwards did their usual powerful and efficient work, eventually working it for
Beirne to drive over, Sexton converting.
Ireland’s ball retention in phase play was in contrast to the Scots, and Ritchie was penalised again allowing Sexton to stretch the greens out to a two converted try lead.
Scotland’s response was winning a penalty but Russell kicked out ingoal.
But Ireland went too early at the scrum and Price’s quick tap released Johnson on a great run. Swift hands allowed sub Jones to brush off a poor Lowe tackle and slide over for the try.
Hogg converted as Russell went off with a head knock, and then the Scots lost second row Scott Cummings, with only reserve scrum-half Steele left to replace him.
But it was now the Scots showing proper fight, forcing their way into the Irish 22 and tapping two penalties before Watson eventually wriggled over for the third try. Hogg’s conversion tying the scores.
But Ali Price’s clearance from the restart was charged down by Irish replacement Ryan Baird, Scotland infringed trying to regather and Sexton’s fifth penalty from wide out won it for Ireland.