Lies, damned lies and statistics. And then this. If you were to take a perusal over all the match stats – aside from the score of course – even Alistair Campbell and a glamorous assistant would have difficulty in convincing you that Scotland were the victors. Ireland had 71% of the possession, 77% of the territory, made 5 line breaks to Scotland’s 0, beat 13 more defenders and made over 3 times more metres with the metres with the ball in hand. But the only stat that matters, as the pundits say, is the one on the scoreboard – and at the end of 80 minutes at Murrayfield on Sunday, that read 12 – 8 in favour of Scotland.
The big question that the Irish would be asking by the end
of the game was ‘How?’, but they might have been better off asking
‘where?’. Where was the clinical edge
we’d seen in the opening half against Wales? Where was the aggression that was
on show at the Millennium Stadium and even against England in parts? Where were the leaders when that feeling of
dread began to set in? Unfortunately for
the Irish, it was the Scots who had the answers as they delivered a performance
that was as gritty, physical and resilient as it was unimaginative.
From the off, it looked like we were going to be treated to
an Irish blitz as they ripped through the Scottish defence in the first moments
of the game. All the pre match pressure
had been on young Ulster debutant fly half Paddy Jackson, but it was another
Ulster debutant, Luke Marshall, who caught the eye, breaking clean through the
Scotland defence on 2 separate occasions – firstly giving Keith Earls a dart
for the line on the left, and then scything through but fluffing his pass to
winger Craig Gilroy on the right. Then
it was Earls’ chance to squander an opportunity, as he blasted up the pitch
following a simple switch with Jackson, but ignored the open Brian O’Driscoll
on his right, instead attempting to take on Stuart Hogg on the outside –
possibly not the smartest move given that Hogg was probably the quickest man on
the pitch.
And so, despite all their dominance and golden
opportunities, the closest the Irish had come to scoring was a shanked penalty
from young Jackson before he finally got them on the board with a simple kick
on 35 minutes. Halftime came, and the
Scots could barely believe they were only 3 points down. They hadn’t had the ball in the Irish half –
understandable considering they were living off 20% possession – and yet
instead of being dead and buried, they were very much alive in the
contest.
Following the break, it looked as if the Irish may have
finally found their clinical edge as Sean O’Brien became the latest Irishman to
make a clean break, taking play close to the Scottish line before the ball was
recycled and Craig Gilroy pirouetted his way over the line. Some handbags ensued which led to the
normally irritating Wayne Barnes coming out with a classic reprieve for any of
the backs who had waded in – “Don’t get involved when the forwards are doing
that. You’ll just end up getting hurt
and probably sinbinned” – but the end result was that Ireland were 8 – 0 up
(Jackson missing the conversion) and seemingly safe, given how little Scotland
had created.
But instead, Scotland somehow clawed their way back into the
contest. A couple of rare forays into
Scottish territory gave Greg Laidlaw two pots at goal, which he duly slotted,
and then a lineout in a promising position – marshalled by the superb Jim
Hamilton – got Scotland chugging forward in a maul towards the Irish line
before it was eventually hauled down by Peter O’Mahony. Laidlaw again added the 3 points, and all of
a sudden the home side were 1 point ahead.
But instead of regrouping and realising all they had to do was sustain
the pressure, the Irish panicked, and none more spectacularly than veteran
Ronan O’Gara – on for Paddy Jackson to ‘steady the ship’. The Munster man scuffed a bizarre cross-chip-kick
in his own half into no-man’s land, with Tim Visser hacking on and from there
the Irish conceded another penalty, effectively handing Scotland the game.
O’Gara then threw an impossible pass to Marshall in the
final play of the game when the Irish were pressurising and, to the disbelief
of the Scottish crowd, the end result said Scotland 12 – Ireland 8. Lies, damned lies and statistics – it’s just
the score that counts.
Scotland Player
Ratings
Hogg – 6 – No open space and no ball for him this week, but was decent under the high ball whenever he was tested. Just came up short with a monster penalty, too
Maitland – 6 – The flying Kiwi covered well in defence on Earls’ break in the first half, but that was about his most significant contribution
Lamont – 5 – Made his tackles but had next to no involvement with the ball in hand, although that was hardly his fault
Scott – 5 – Like his centre partner, was a solid presence in the middle but had no ball with which to impress.
Visser – 5 – Saw very little of him, but good awareness to hack through on the build up to the final penalty.
Jackson – 6 – Generally defended his channel well, although he was caught out by Luke Marshall early on
Laidlaw – 8 – Another impressive performance from the scrum-half. Controlled his forwards well and hit his kicks.
Grant – 7 – Part of a decent scrummaging effort and gave a full account of his mobility in defence, making a superb 15 tackles, missing none
Ford – 7 – Partly responsible for an impressively solid lineout and tackled well in general, although he will be disappointed he let Gilroy wriggle through
Cross – 6 – Quiet game for the man in for Euan Murray. Impressed in the scrum but didn’t offer too much elsewhere.
Gray – 7 – Another gut busting defensive effort by the giant blonde beanpole, making 11 tackles and contributing a dominant lineout.
Hamilton – 8 – A much better performance by Big Jim. Led the lineout superbly and got in the Irish faces, never letting them settle
Harley – 6 – I’m still yet to be convinced. Got around the park well but didn’t make as big an impact in the contact as you would hope with a blindside flanker
Brown – 8 – A phenomenal defensive display from the skipper. 20 tackles made and none missed tells a story. Man of the Match.
Beattie – 7 – Got through his share of the defensive duties and also made some yards when Scotland started getting the ball more later on.
Subs:
Hall – 7 – Aggressive carries from the hooker caught the
eye, strong work in the loose
Low – No time to make an impact Kellock – No time to make an impact
Denton – No time to make an impact.
Weir – 7 – Impressive cameo from the stocky fly-half – injected tempo and urgency into proceedings
Kearney – 6 – A couple of promising surges reminded us what the Leinster full back can be capable of
Gilroy – 7 – Superbly taken score and surprisingly proficient under the high ball. Always looking for work.
O'Driscoll – 5 – Where was the leadership? The old magician should have grabbed this game by the scruff of the neck but was largely anonymous.
L. Marshall – 7 – Impressive debut. A couple of superb breaks early on showcased his eye for a gap, even if his passing could have been better.
Earls – 6 – One superb break was ruined by ignoring his support. Unfortunately he was fairly quiet afterwards.
Jackson – 5 – A difficult debut. Missed his kicks which ended up being crucial, although he did show some nice touches with the ball in hand.
Murray – 6 – A couple of promising darts but made the wrong decision to slow ball down on a couple of occasions.
Court – 5 – Struggled in the scrum and didn’t show up particularly impressively on the carry either. Ireland missed Healy.
Best – 5 – Was partly at fault for an unreliable lineout, although improved in the second half. Didn’t see as much of him with ball in hand as usual.
Ross – 6 – Held his side of the scrum up well enough but still questions about his contribution in the loose remain.
O'Callaghan – 5 – Ireland’s most capped lock put in a performance that was filled with brawn but unfortunately not enough brain. He was another leader who went AWOL at the key time. Didn’t make a single tackle all game.
Ryan – 6 – Not as effective in the loose as in previous games and was largely outmuscled by Jim Hamilton.
O'Mahony – 5 – After two impressive performances the blindside endured a quiet game, not making anywhere near the impression he’s made previously on the carry
O'Brien – 7 – A great bust in the build up to the try but often ran too laterally when he should be making yards the direct route.
Heaslip – 6 – A little more impressive taking the ball forward but has captain he has to take responsibility for not keeping his troops calm and accurate
Subs
Kilcoyne – 6 – Solidified the scrum well enough but couldn’t
get the Irish momentum back.
Toner – No time to make an impact Henderson – No time to make an impact
Reddan – No time to make an impact
O'Gara – 4 – A shocking cameo. Two scuffed kicks and an awful pass effectively botched any chance of an Irish comeback.
Fitzgerald – 6 – Desperate to impress but by this time, Ireland were struggling to get the ball in space out wide.
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