If you were to watch Ireland flanker Peter O’Mahony’s post-match interview – where he looked like he’d just been hit by a bus (several times) – you wouldn’t think Ireland came away from their encounter against Scotland with a seven point victory.
Beneath a bloodied nose and a course of steam rising from his head O’Mahony puffed his lips and described the match, in which Scotland broke into the Irish twenty-two seven times, as “borderline warfare”.
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Scotland encamp themselves in Irish territory but can’t finish it off
Scotland entered the Irish twenty-two four times in the first half and three times in the second including encamping themselves within five yards of the Irish touchline for nearly the entire final five minutes of the match.
But the majority of the game was a bogged down affair dominated by two forward lines that neutralised the backs and made it difficult to find any penetration beyond the middle of the park.
Scotland start on the front foot
From the moment the game kicked-off Scotland had their tales up.
The Scots found themselves inside the Irish 22 within a minute – in comparison it took the Irish eight minutes to break into the Scotland red zone.
Scotland’s dominant start was rewarded with an Adam Hasting’s penalty that put them three up within four minutes.
But while Ireland were stuttering, when they kicked into gear their rugby was electric.
Conor Murray played it to Jonny Sexton who offloaded it to the impressive Jared Larmour. Larmour burst through the Scotland ranks and handed it back to Murray and within ten seconds Ireland were in Scottish territory.
This play was the bedrock that set-up the only try of the game when Conor Murray played a reverse pass to Jonny Sexton who motored into the end zone.
Couldn’t finish it off
The early Ireland lead didn’t deter the Scots who would get to touching distance of the Irish line three times without reply only to fall short on every occasion.
The first time Scotland were penalised for a knock-on, the second Peter O’Mahony – who replaced the unfortunate debutant Caelan Doris after only four minutes – turned the ball over on the ground, and in the third attack the ball popped out of Scotland’s grasp at the Irish five yard line.
Captain’s ‘baws-up’
It’s a cruel Scottish term but what new Scotland captain Stuart Hogg did at the corner of the Irish try line was inexplicable.
With Scotland trailing 13-6 at the start of the second half, Blair Kinghorn found Hogg in the corner who merely had to reach down and place the ball on the ground to score.
But the ball slipped from Hogg’s grasp and even though he celebrated with the fury of any man who finds themselves embattled in trench warfare, as soon as it was announced the decision was going to the TMO Hogg knew the try would be ruled out.
Slug-fest
From then on the game continued as it were – a brutal fight between two laboured sides unsure of the changes around them.
Scotland scored to make it 13-9 then Ireland replied to make it 16-9.
The exciting prospect of Ulster’s mercurial playmaker John Cooney coming on for Ireland couldn’t raise the affair above a slug-fest which saw Hastings bring Scotland within four before Sexton kicked the final score of the day after Scotland centre Sam Johnson inexplicably wiped out Ireland winger Andrew Conway off the ball.
Scotland almost tie the game with dominance in last five minutes
Scotland pitched the tent and ground their studs into the turf in the last five minutes of the game playing over fifteen phases in Ireland’s twenty-two only for Ireland to win a penalty when the excellent CJ Sander smothered Hamish Watson on the ground preventing the Scotland back-row releasing the ball.
From the resulting penalty Ireland kicked it into touch just outside their twenty-two then lost the line-out but when replacement stand-off George Horne passed it to Allan Dell the hefty prop dropped the ball and Ireland kicked it into touch to seal the game.
FT Score: Ireland 19-12 Scotland
Ireland: (Backs); Larmour, Conway, Ringrose, Aki, Stockdale, Sexton (capt), Murray, (Forwards); Healy, Herring, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, Stander, Van der Flier, Doris
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Porter, Toner, O’Mahony, Cooney, Byrne, Henshaw
Scotland: (Backs); Hogg (capt), Maitland, Jones, Johnson, Kinghorn, Hastings, Price, (Forwards); Sutherland, Brown, Fagerson, Cummings, Gray, Ritchie, Watson, Haining
Replacements: McInally, Dell, Berghan, Toolis, Du Preez, Horne, Hutchinson, Harris
Harry Jamshid Reporter Sports Pages 