SCOTS OFF TO A FLIER
SCOTLAND 27 IRELAND 22
THIS was the game in which Scotland showed they’d finally turned a corner.
Having sprinted out of the traps and stunned Ireland with three tries in the opening half-hour, they simply fell out of the game.
Scotland didn’t trouble the scoreboard for another 40- odd minutes as Ireland gathered themselves and steadily clawed their way back.
So, when the visitors finally took the lead on the hour mark, it looked game over for Scotland who simply couldn’t get out of their own half.
But this Scotland squad is made of sterner stuff than previous incarnations and, when an Irish infringement let Russell thump the ball deep into enemy territory, they pounced.
Paddy Jackson coughed up another penalty and Greig Laidlaw banged the ball between the posts to put Scotland back ahead with seven minutes to play.
And, when Ireland infringed again, Laidlaw ran out the clock by taking his time with the penalty, which he stroked over for good measure.
But this win was built on Scotland’s attack in the first 30 minutes which was simply sensational, with Man- of- the- Match Stuart Hogg helping himself to a brace of tries.
His first came when Finn Russell’s flung pass didn’t reach him but the bounce was kind and the full-back gathered the ball, twirled like Anthea Redfern in her pomp and scampered over.
Then, from a lineout, Laidlaw fed Hogg, who set off up the left-hand touchline with Maitland in support and, as he reached the final defender, a cute dummy to the winger took him past and over.
Ireland got themselves off the mark with a Keith Earls try but then came one of the strangest tries you’ll see. Having worked an attacking lineout on the Irish five-metre line, no one noticed Alex Dunbar, a centre, take an unusual spot near the front of the Scots line.
Ireland concentrated on defending the two pods of Scottish forwards, allowing Ross Ford to deliver the ball to the unmarked Dunbar, who simply crashed over the whitewash. Ireland were rattled, as you could tell when they opted to kick a long- range offside penalty to reduce the deficit instead of putting it in the corner in search of a try as they had done twice earlier.
They were forcing things, as Scotland have done in the past, whereas the hosts in contrast were the more clinical and accurate side.
That said, the Scottish scrum was mostly a shambles, coughing up penalties and going backwards, though that was balanced by Ireland’s lineout having a truly awful day at the office. Centre Huw Jones, despite not having played a minute of rugby since injuring his ankle in the autumn Test series, was immense for Scotland. He was involved in everything and displayed a complete skill set, so it was a bit baffling to see him hooked on the hour.
And Richie Gray got through a power of work, carrying a lot of ball, but he couldn’t match his brother Johnny’s 28 tackles, a Scotland record that set the tone for a sterling defensive effort.
The sides switched ends with Scotland 21-8 to the good but they were on the back foot for almost all of the second 40 as Ireland sorted themselves out. No doubt on the receiving end of a few stern words from coach Joe Schmidt at half-time, they hammered away at the Scots’ line and Iain Henderson finally crashed over for the try which Jackson converted. Then, Jackson ran a superb line, pocketed Murray’s pop pass and reached over the whitewash despite Strauss’ despairing tackle. His own conversion put Ireland ahead for the first time after an hour’s play and you got the
distinct impression that was that.
But it wasn’t.
Scotland – Hogg; Maitland, Jones ( Bennett 60),
Dunbar, Seymour; Russell ( Weir 45- 52), Laidlaw (Capt.); Dell (Reid 56), Brown (Ford 5-10, 26), Fagerson, R. Gray, J. Gray, Wilson, Watson (Barclay 49), Strauss (Swinson 66). Unused replacements – Berghan, Price. Ireland – Kearney; Earls ( Bowe 68), Ringrose, Henshaw, Zebo; Jackson, Murray; McGrath (Healey 56), Best (Capt.), Furlong (Ryan 69), Henderson (Dillane 64), Toner, Stander, O’Brien (van der Flier 66), Heaslip. Unused replacements – Scannell, Marmion, Keatley.