THE OPENING DAY of the 2017 Six Nations brought disappointment for Ireland.
After racing into a 16-point lead and then coughing it up, two late Greig Laidlaw penalties secured a 27-22 win for Scotland.
Ireland were slow to impose themselves on the game and slipped 14-0 behind before getting points on the board through a Keith Earls try.
Scotland’s Stuart Hogg landed the first try after just eight minutes. It was the culmination of some persistent pressure from Scotland, where they stretched Ireland’s line out wide to put Hogg through.
Hogg’s second effort came just 12 minutes after his first try. It was a superb individual score, in which he whipped Rob Kearney out of his way with a dummy to sprint for the line unopposed.
Keith Earls finally registered some points on the board for Ireland a few minutes later. A dangerous pass from Zebo was almost intercepted but found its way to Earls who dived for the line.
But just as Ireland looked to be settling themselves into the pace of the game, they were dealt another blow. From a routine line-out, Alex Dunbar gathered possession and pounced through a gap to extend Scotland’s lead.
Ireland brought a new sense of purpose to their game in the second half and they were rewarded with an Iain Henderson try. Conor Murray was unlucky not to touch the ball down first but Henderson picked up possession to claim the try.
Paddy Jackson’s try coming into the last 20 minutes gave us reason to believe that victory was near.
After receiving a pass from Murray, Jackson spotted a gap and despite the attempts of Josh Strauss, he bundled over the line to leave us just one point off the hosts, and then converted to edge Ireland into 22-21 lead, before Laidlaw’s late penalties gave Scotland victory.
The42 is on Instagram! Tap the button below on your phone to follow us!
