AGONISING AND JAWDROPPING
Scots perform valiantly but captain suffers a calamity as Irish hold out for victory
LEAVING a crowd of over 50,000 people speechless takes some doing. All the more so in Dublin, where the local Liffey water tends to lend itself to some well-oiled revellers never short of something to say.
But Stuart Hogg managed it last night and it’s safe to say that his first outing as Scotland’s new captain won’t be an experience he will look back on with any great fondness.
There are some things in sport which truly beggar belief. Moments which leave us all scratching our heads as we try to explain the inexplicable.
Like Tiger Woods stepping up on the 18th green at Augusta and missing a little six-inch tiddler when another Green Jacket was his for the taking.
Or like Lionel Messi fluffing his lines from barely two yards out and having a fresh-air swipe when he has an open goal at his mercy.
These things just don’t happen. Yet, for Hogg, it did happen. With 51 minutes on the clock and with his team trailing 13-6 at the time, his worst nightmare became a realisation.
After a sustained period of pressure from the Scots, the ball was fed out wide to Hogg. He was no more than a couple of yards out from the try-line, so close he could probably smell it.
Yet, as he reached out to dot the ball down, he fumbled and dropped it. It was a jaw-dropping moment which produced the loudest cheer of the day when it was highlighted by the TMO.
It was painful to watch for a man who has so often been his country’s talisman. Not to mention the difficult nature of his first week in the job, with the Finn Russell saga overshadowing Scotland’s preparations.
Adam Hastings performed admirably in Russell’s absence, kicking all 12 of his team’s points, and deserves to keep his place for next week’s Calcutta Cup clash with England, regardless of whether Russell can resolve his differences with Gregor Townsend.
For Townsend, his third championship as head coach began with defeat. But Scotland were much improved from the mess they looked to have become in the World Cup.
They pushed Ireland right to the limit in what became something close to warfare and were only repelled by a ferocious defensive effort from the men in green, most notably the colossal CJ Stander.
Scotland’s wait for a first win in Dublin since 2010 will continue but this was at least a restoration of some self-respect and belief, which has looked shattered in recent times.
For Ireland, the newspapers yesterday morning spoke of a bold new dawn under new head coach Andy Farrell and new captain Johnny Sexton. The cheers would have carried from the Aviva all the way to the shores of Dublin Bay when Sexton opened the scoring.
The former World Player of the Year and boy wonder of Irish rugby is now the father figure of the team Farrell leads, following the departure of Joe Schmidt.
From Scotland’s perspective, the World Cup debacle would still have been fresh in the memory. In their Pool A opener last September, three Irish tries inside the opening 25 minutes effectively killed the contest stone dead.
It was imperative for the Scots to start with greater purpose and tempo. With the opening five minutes last night played almost exclusively in Irish territory, it was a box they ticked. They were unrecognisable from the rabble in Yokohama.
They had a tangible reward to show for their efforts when Hastings slotted a penalty at the climax of that opening passage of play, duly settling any nerves he may have been feeling on what was his first start in the Six Nations.
The incident which led to the penalty stemmed from some powerful work by Zander Fagerson and also led to the premature departure of Ireland’s debutant No 8 Caelan Doris due to injury.
Ireland’s response, though, was swift. With just 10 minutes on the clock, they notched their first try of the Farrell era and it was fitting that the new skipper got it.
After Cian Healy and Conor Murray worked an opening, the ball was fed to Sexton to scurry through a gap in the Scottish defence. The fly-half duly converted his own try.
The Aviva roared its approval but another penalty from Hastings on 16 minutes trimmed the deficit to just one point.
Hogg has been Scotland’s star man for many a year now, but he is not averse to being the pantomime villain when necessary. A chorus of boos rang out into the night sky when the full-back cheekily tripped his opposite number Jordan Larmour, who was set to turn on the gas and give chase to his own kick.
It was a day late and a dollar short. The ball was long gone by the time Hogg stretched full-length and made contact. He was perhaps fortunate to escape further punishment.
Another Sexton penalty extended Ireland’s lead but the Scots could have been ahead at the break had they not butchered a glorious chance on the cusp of half-time.
Sam Johnson intercepted a pass in midfield. He still had fully 60 metres to cover and didn’t quite have the legs for the line.
But Scotland had multiple chances to recycle the ball properly and set a solid attacking platform from which to build. Their failure to take it must have been a source of immense frustration for Townsend, whose side arguably had the better of the play during the opening 40 minutes.
It was becoming a compelling contest. Bundee Aki looked a force of nature any time he got up a head of steam, with Larmour and Garry Ringrose running some great lines and piercing the Scottish defence.
The fact that Ringrose did not reappear after half-time must have been a relief for the Scots. The Leinster man has been in great form this season with six tries in six games in the Heineken Champions Cup.
There was a lot to like about Scotland, so many signs of encouragement. Staying in the game and showing stomach for the fight is
one thing, but you couldn’t help but wonder if they would live to regret their first-half profligacy.
Six points felt like scant reward, given that they had demonstrated just as much — if not more — attacking intent as the Irish and had generally given as good as they got in every area.
As the clock ticked towards the hourmark, there was a sense that Scotland were beginning to run out of ideas.
Hogg’s blunder was a soul-destroying moment for all those who had made the journey across the Irish Sea, but with a penalty advantage in their favour, three points from Hastings offered some consolation.
Sexton then traded penalties with Hastings to make it 16-12, before the Irishman added another on 73 minutes as the Scots ran out of steam despite some valiant efforts.
Whether the outcome would have been different with Russell in their ranks, nobody will ever know. For Hogg, the only consolation will be that his pain was shared by a nation.