McDermott starts in Ireland win
intercept was on our quick girls could go for that intercept and Beibhinn had the confidence to do it and the legs to go all the way,” marvelled Ireland number eight Anna Caplice.
The strategy which worked a treat had worked against the Irish for much of the second-half as they reeled backwards in contact and over-compensated by getting off the line too quickly for the referee Aurelie Groizeleau’s opinion.
“With the defensive system we’re working in, to get off the line quickly we have to take the extra step to make sure we’re not coming offside,” said Caplice.
“We’re disappointed with (the offside penalties), but I was saying inside I’d prefer to win ugly and have a list of things to work on.
“You train all through January and, yes we had a warm-up game, but nothing tests you like a Test. We’ve so much to work on so we’ll take the win.
“We knew Scotland weren’t coming to mess around. We weren’t expecting a wash-out, they have some brilliant players.”
Ireland will not get to rest on their laurels as Wales will be in town next Sunday, same place, same time in what is quite the atmosphere.
“The crowd were just buzzing,” added the number eight.
“I was almost thinking to myself, thinking of my friends ‘why aren’t they here, why aren’t my whole extended family here, why isn’t everyone here!’
“This is unbelievable, just as entertaining as the men’s game and good quality too.
“That’s my plea to everyone to come out, get into the stands and sell it out completely.”
With drama like this, stranger things have happened.
IRELAND: L Delany; A Doyle, S Naoupu, M Claffey, B Parsons; E Murphy (C Keohane 67) K Dane (N Cronin 59); L Peat (L Feely 60), C Moloney (V Dabanovich-O’Mahony 26), L Djougang (L Lyons 54), A McDermott (C Cooney 67), N Fryday, C Griffin (capt, D Wall ht), E McMahon, A Caplice.
SCOTLAND: C Rollie; R Lloyd, H Smith, L Thomson, M Gaffney (E Tonkin 72); H Nelson (S Law 50), M McDonald; L Bartlett (L Cockburn 62), L Skeldon, M Forsyth, E Wassell, S Bonar, R Malcolm (capt, L McMillan), R McLachlan (S Cattigan 59), J Konkel (M Wright 76).
REFEREE: A Groizeleau, France.