IRELAND RECORDED THEIR second successive World Cup warm-up win this afternoon as they outlasted Scotland in a see-sawing encounter at the Aviva Stadium.
Here’s how we rated those in green:
Simon Zebo: 9
Was faultless under the high ball and threatened to create an opening with a couple of explosive breaks. Rewarded with a try in the second-half and was awarded the man-of-the-match by Sky Sports.
Tommy Bowe: 6
Was relatively quiet but went about his business efficiently.
Jared Payne: 6
Saw very little of the Ulsterman throughout, although he did see more of the ball after the break. That said, was strong in defence and put in a fine shift.
Gordon D’Arcy: 5
Much like his centre partner, D’Arcy didn’t make much of an impression and was guilty of missing a couple of crucial tackles in defence. Didn’t look particularly sharp.
Luke Fitzgerald: 5
Other than his try, it wasn’t a particularly stand-out performance from Fitzgerald. Up until that point, he was left frustrated by a lack of service. Inexcusably missed touch to allow Horne to score.
Ian Madigan: 9
Was terrific and stood up when given the chance. An exquisite cross-field kick for Fitzgerald was the highlight but he added a touch of class to an otherwise disjointed game. His inside step and offload for Zebo’s try was another memorable moment.
Isaac Boss: 5
Poor game from start to finish as he was unable to inject any pace into Ireland’s play in the first-half and was also guilty of a couple of handling errors to boot. Lacked the energy of Reddan.
Dave Kilcoyne: 8
Fine performance by the Munster man in the loose as he displayed all his credentials in both attack and defence. A couple of bulldozing carries were Healy-esque.
Sean Cronin: 6
Rounded off a trademark rolling maul and stuck his hand up with a productive performance in the front-row.
Mike Ross: 5
As the only player to survive from last week’s win in Cardiff, Ross look tired and didn’t have his usual impact. That said, was still a totem in the scrum before being replaced early in the second-half.
Devin Toner: 6
Typically reliable in the line-out and was hard-working throughout.
Dan Tuohy: 5
Missed opportunity as he didn’t provide any evidence to persuade Schmidt to include him in the 31-man squad.
Jack Conan: 7
A satisfactory debut for the 22-year-old. Didn’t do anything spectacular but did everything asked of him.
Chris Henry: 7
Still working his way back to his best form after his health scare but didn’t really get the chance to run one-on-one where he can be most destructive.
Sean O’Brien: 9
Just like last week, Ireland’s best player wore the number 8 jersey as O’Brien produced another typically domineering display as he bullied the Scots at the breakdown on more than one occasion.
Replacements:
Paddy Jackson: 6
Was introduced for the final two minutes.
Dave Kearney: 7
An impressive cameo as he pierced through the Scottish defence in the build-up to Zebo’s try with his first involvement.
Eoin Reddan: 6
Added energy and controlled proceedings as Ireland closed out the game in the final ten minutes.
Michael Bent: 6
Ensured Ireland’s dominance of the scrum continued up until the end.
Richardt Strauss: 6
Didn’t put a foot wrong during his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Nathan White: 6
Replaced Kilcoyne for his debut and was solid.
Paul O’Connell: 6
Received a huge ovation on what was his first appearance of the season and his introduction lifted the crowd. But will be disappointed to miss a tackle in the build-up to Horne’s try.
Jordi Murphy: 6
A late introduction.
Impressive Zebo helps Schmidt’s Ireland to hard-fought win over Scotland
