Advertisement
Dan Sheridan/INPHO
AS IT HAPPENED

As it happened: Scotland v Ireland, Six Nations

Kick-off at Murrayfield is at 3pm.

Good afternoon!

How’s it going everyone? Welcome to our live coverage of Ireland’s trip to Murrayfield to play Scotland in the Six Nations.

a-view-of-the-ireland-changing-room-ahead-of-the-game Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Triple Crowns, championships and a Grand Slam at stake… How’re the nerves?


Poll Results:

grand (393)
shot (302)

A great shot by Dan Sheridan of Inpho Photography as old friends are reunited…

former-racing-92-teammates-simon-zebo-and-finn-russell-share-a-joke-before-the-game Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

Fifty up for Garry Ringrose today, and what a relief it is to have him back at outside centre where his defensive ability will be so important against Sione Tuipulotu.

Just over five minutes to kick-off. Ireland on their way out of the dressing room now, led by Ringrose on his 50th cap.

Strap in!

Anthems. Ireland’s Call up first. Tempo seems about right, thankfully!

Flower of Scotland could be a bit special today, too.

Spine-tingling. Murrayfield is fizzing and the Scottish boys look like they’re ready to knock Ireland off their perch.

Let’s see how they get on.

A huge 80 minutes await.

1′ – Scotland 0-0 Ireland: Johnny Sexton gets us underway in Edinburgh. Here we go.

3′ – Scotland 0-0 Ireland: Bit of a feeling-out process early. Scotland with a lot of ball, but just probing for the moment.

5′ – Scotland-Ireland: Absolute madness! Ireland steal a quick lineout on the Scottish five and Dan Sheehan crashes over for the score — but it’s pulled back by Luke Pearce because Scotland took the quick lineout with a different ball, which you’re not allowed to do.

So, Ireland get punished because Scotland broke the rules, essentially. It’s not Luke Pearce’s fault — just a bit of a blind spot in the laws.

Johnny Sexton is apoplectic and asks to place “on the record” his dissatisfaction. As Peter O’Mahony said to Pearce, ‘If they want to go quickly with another ball, that’s their problem!’

9′ – Scotland 0-0 Ireland: Excellent Irish attack and Garry Ringrose grubbers Ireland deep into Scottish territory. Stuart Hogg is wrestled into touch by James Lowe inside his own five.

10′ – Scotland 0-3 Ireland: Ireland battering at the Scottish line with a penalty advantage, but the attack ends with Mack Hansen being well marshalled by Duhan van der Merwe.

Sexton takes three in front of the posts. Excellent few minutes by Ireland — a pity it yielded only three, in all honesty.

12′ – Scotland 0-3 Ireland:Big blow for Ireland: Caelan Doris is off injured. He seemed to hurt himself stealing the lineout during the disallowed try. That’s disappointing and, given the context of that quick lineout farce, frustrating for Doris and Ireland.

Jack Conan on. Huge game for him now.

15′ – Scotland 0-3 Ireland: Scotland knocking on the door after a steady advance into the Irish 22′.

Stuart Hogg, on his 100th cap, has a go but he’s bundled into touch by James Ryan. Good defence by the visitors.

Try for Scotland!

17′ – Scotland 7-3 Ireland: It’s an excellent score for Scots, and it’s Huw Jones who does it again against Ireland.

Just an all-out assault by Scotland. Excellent work at the breakdown, quick recycling, and eventually Jones punctures the Irish line from five yards out.

Russell adds the extras.

19′ – Scotland 7-3 Ireland: Dan Sheehan is going off. Not sure if it’s for a HIA or if he’s injured. Would be a huge loss, particularly after Doris.

22′ – Scotland 7-3 Ireland: James Lowe makes an excellent defensive read and hammers Stuart Hogg, forcing a knock-on on the Irish 10′.

First scrum of the game and Scotland win a free-kick. They’re on the attack again. Testing times for Ireland.

23′ – Scotland 7-3 Ireland: Ireland force a fumble and both Peter O’Mahony and Johnny Sexton fly-hack them down the field. Kyle Steyn covers back well.

Iain Henderson, meanwhile, has gone off with what looks like a wrist injury. Ryan Baird on. Don’t think Dan Sheehan is coming back either.

Try for Ireland!

Scotland 7-8 Ireland: TRRYYYYY IRELAND! WHAT A FINISH BY MACK HANSEN!

Ireland narrow the Scottish defence and a brilliant pass by Hugo Keenan puts the Connacht man away down the right. Van der Merwe does his level best but Hansen dots it down on the dive before being bundled out.

Sexton’s conversion from the right-hand touchline goes wide right, but Ireland lead.

31′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Beautiful kick by Finn Russell off his left pins Ireland back into their five. Ireland take it quickly and Murray clears with the box kick.

Scottish ball in Ireland’s 22′.

32′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland:A brilliant Scottish attack puts Van der Merwe into space. They have a huge overlap but he doesn’t pass it! AND IRELAND TURN IT OVER ON THE GROUND!

Brilliant jackal by James Lowe, who was initially culpable in defence as he got sucked in.

34′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Ireland make huge inroads upfield through Lowe. Brilliant attack eventually foiled by Stuart Hogg slapping the ball out of Murray’s hand on his own five — but from an offside position.

Scotland deny Ireland at the following lineout maul but they concede another penalty. Ireland go back to the corner.

35′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Kelleher overthrows the lineout and Scotland escape.

38′ Scotland 7-8 Ireland: The Scots are getting after Ireland’s breakdown and upsetting their rhythm for the most part.

It’s been a frustrating half for Ireland so far, albeit with glimpses of their quality.

And most pertinently, it’s been an absolutely titanic game. Both sides look exhausted.

finn-russell-with-peter-omahony-and-dan-sheehan Another great shot by Dan Sheridan. Dan Sheridan / INPHO Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO

41′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Scotland win a penalty for an Irish infringement on the ground on halfway. They go to the corner and Russell blasts them into the 22′.

An electrifying Scottish attack is thwarted in the left-hand corner by Andrew Porter, who bounces a Scot into touch. That’s an unbelievable intervention by the prop, and it takes us to half-time.

Half-time: Scotland 7-8 Ireland

41′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Here we go again. Second half underway. This is gonna be huge.

42′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Well, it appears Josh van der Flier is throwing into the Irish lineout now.

Rónan Kelleher is still on the field but he appeared to be struggling a little bit with his arm/shoulder during that overthrow in the first half.

Yet another blow for Ireland, for goodness’ sake.

46′ Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Ireland making a few uncharacteristic errors and a Van der Flier overthrow sets Scotland away into the Irish half.

This is not ideal, now, you’d have to say.

Mack Hansen wins a huge jackal penalty on the ground. Irish fists go up.

This game is on an absolute knife-edge, but Ireland don’t have a lineout and now they don’t have Rónan Kelleher either. Cian Healy comes on at hooker, but Van der Flier continues to throw.

49′ Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Cian Healy has identified himself as a specialist hooker and the scrum will remain contested.

Meanwhile, Tuipulotu kicks a lovely ball in behind and puts Ireland under huge pressure, now, on their own ball inside their 22′.

Good throw by Van der Flier and Ireland clear through the boot of Lowe. Didn’t quite catch it. Scotland ball just outside the 22′.

Bad 10 minutes for Ireland, this.

53′ – Scotland 7-8 Ireland: Scottish attack breaks down with a forward pass by Finn Russell. First chance to see Ireland’s three-prop front row in scrummaging action.

Jamison Gibson-Park on for Conor Murray for the put-in.

Ireland monster Scotland at the scrum and win the penalty!

Try for Ireland!

57′ Scotland 7-15 Ireland: TRRRRYYYYY FOR IRELAND! It’s James Lowe, but the try is all about Mack Hansen!

Gibson-Park kicks a contestable from just outside the Scottish 22′ — a curious call — but it works out as Hansen rises like a salmon to claim the high ball and feed Sexton.

The skipper is held short but Ireland bash away at the line before Lowe crashes over in the left-hand corner.

That takes Ireland out to 13-7 — and Sexton nails the touchline conversion. Ireland have an eight-point lead.

60′ Scotland 7-15 Ireland: A wonderful Irish attack as Hansen puts Lowe away. The Leinster man backs himself and rinses Kyle Steyn before chipping through. Scotland recover the ball on their own line and clear to the 22′.

Sensational rugby by the visitors.

Try for Ireland!

62′ Scotland 7-22 Ireland: TRRRRYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!!! JACK CONAN! AND IT’S HANSEN AGAIN WITH THE ARTISTRY!

Ah, a wonderful move down the right hand side by Ireland. Hansen throws a wonderful, delayed skip pass to put Conan over in the right-hand corner.

Sexton from the touchline… He’s got it!

Magic Mack.

mack-hansen-scores-their-first-try-despite-duhan-van-der-merwe Billy Stickland / INPHO Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO

66′ Scotland 7-22 Ireland: Peter O’Mahony with a huge lineout steal in the Irish 22′.

67′ – Scotland 7-22 Ireland: Robbie Henshaw on for Bundee Aki. Great to see him back!

71′ Scotland 7-22 Ireland: Ireland showing some lovely pictures in attack and making real inroads into Scottish territory.

The Scots look dead on their feet, emotionally drained. Ireland enjoying themselves.

Johnny Sexton replaced by Ross Byrne — he’s still one point shy of the Six Nations points-scoring record. What a player, what a man. You know the scéal.

73′ – Scotland 7-22 Ireland: A horrible-looking head injury to Garry Ringrose, and the game is paused. Ringrose appears to be moving his limbs, anyway, thankfully. But he got a huge rap to the side of his head during an attempted tackle. Medics with him.

73′ Scotland 7-22 Ireland: Standing ovation in Murrayfield as Ringrose leaves on a cart. He raises a thumb as he leaves the field.

74′ Scotland 7-22 Ireland: O’Mahony monsters Blair Kinghorn into touch — a tackle which is cheered for as hard as a try by Jack Conan and a couple of teammates.

76′ Scotland 7-22 Ireland: Ohhhhh, so close to a fourth try for Ireland! They go the length of the field with a rasper of a pass from Lowe to Gibson-Park down the left. Gibson-Park feeds James Ryan — on an unbelievable support run — with a skip pass back inside, but Ryan’s attempted offload spills forward.

Fantastic rugby again by the visitors. And they win a penalty at the resulting scrum!

…But Cian Healy forgets to tap the ball on the pick and go, haha! Free-kick Scotland.

Full-time: Scotland 7-22 Ireland

An unbelievable victory by Ireland in the circumstances.

Keep an eye on The42 for reaction and analysis from Murray Kinsella and Ciarán Kennedy.

A difficult day. A great day.

Your Voice
Readers Comments
35
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

    Leave a commentcancel