Scotland 15 - 22 Ireland: Agony as Scots fall just short


Published Date: 15 March 2009
By Iain Morrison at Murrayfield
HISTORY repeats itself and anyone who witnessed this fixture two years ago at Murrayfield will confirm as much. Back in 2007 Chris Paterson kicked six penalties but Ireland scored the only try of the match to take the honours 19-18.
Yesterday's encounter wasn't as close, Ronan O'Gara dropped a goal and Paterson "only" managed five strikes at goal but the Irish claimed the sole try of an ordinary match again to give them that crucial edge on the scoreboard and, more importantly, the soothing balm that their frayed nerves needed.

Scotland have won just one match in the last two championships and, with their final outing at the graveyard that is Twickenham, this looked like Frank Hadden's best chance to claim that elusive second victory. It was not to be.

At least the men in blue were recognisable as a Scotland team for the first forty minutes at any rate, not something they could claim against Wales. The first half was a thrilling re-instatement of the traditional virtues of Scottish rugby. The team played with spirit, furious passion and an utter disrespect for their much-vaunted opposition.

Many in the stands, however, will go home with decidedly mixed emotions, delighted to see the players give their all for the jersey but bewildered that it took so long to put this performance together and disappointed it didn't last a bit longer.

Sadly for the long-suffering fans the team carried on another tradition of Scottish rugby...that of valiant losers.

The Scots started much the better team, dominating possession and knocking holes in the Irish defence thanks to Graeme Morrison, Simon Taylor and big Jim Hamilton who had one of his best showings in a Scotland shirt. Sadly the home side finished well beaten, barely discernible from a rabble in the closing quarter of the game as their skills and discipline broke down while attempting to find the converted try they needed to draw the match.

In just one example Paterson owes Chris Cusiter a pat on the back after the fullback threw one pass to thin air, Kearney kicked on and the Irish fullback would have scored but for Cusiter's timely intervention.

Phil Godman was also charged down by David Wallce; will he never learn?

The turning point of the came in the third quarter of play when Ireland scored the only try of the match. The smallest man on the field Peter Stringer found at gap at the back of a lineout. He was corralled effectively by the Scots' scramble defence but number eight Jamie Heaslip was not. The big breakaway loomed large out of the floodlights to finish off the move although next time he would be well advised to score the try before he starts celebrating rather than the other way around. The TMO was asked to confirm the grounding, not that there was ever really any doubt.

That try and meant Ireland had a lead in this match for the first time on fifty minutes and they weren't going to give it up. Declan Kidney's team is stumbling and staggering towards their place in history, the only country still capable of the Grand Slam, but hardly deserving of the ultimate prize given the paucity of much of their play yesterday and indeed this season.

Paul O'Connell looked as cumbersome as a dinosaur as the Scots very obviously identified him a threat and dealt with him accordingly. Two, sometimes three blue shirts were directed to knock him back and O'Driscoll fared little better at least in attack.

The Irish were forced to search deep inside themselves but they have enough experience of winning tight matches to close this one out.

If the visitors were rattled by the ferocity of the Scots in those early attacks still genuine scoring chances were as rare as hen's teeth for Hadden's men and when the odd overlap was created the pass invariably went behind the man.

Danielli might have had an early try but, after beating Rob Kearney, the big winger slipped and Luke Fitzgerald bundled him into touch. The Scots best effort came at the end of the first half when scrum-half Mike Blair fielded a loose kick by Kearney and the ball was quickly moved to the left when Thom Evans was looking for work. The flyer kicked the ball ahead and it bounced kindly for him. He showed a clean pair of heels to O'Gara but was hauled down by the covering tackle of Tommy Bowe and O'Driscoll did fantastically well to get back and snuff out the danger when Godman threatened to finish off the move.

It was almost as if the home team knew that their best chance of winning this match had looked in before and walking straight out the door again. Four Paterson penalties to three from O'Gara had given the Scots a narrow three-point advantage at the half time break but the third quarter converted try and O'Gara's drop goal decided the outcome.

Paterson's fifth and final penalty on the 60 minute mark threw the Scots a lifeline but O'Gara cancelled it out with his fourth penalty five minutes from time and the home side spent the final twenty minutes largely stuck in their own half of the field. The longer the match progressed the further the pendulum swung towards the visitors who will still have to play much better than this to win in Cardiff.

Frank Hadden's team showed spirit but they will need more than that to triumph in West London where Scotland have won just four times since the stadium first hosted the Calcutta Cup match way back in 1911.

No one said test rugby was meant to be easy.

Scotland: C Paterson; S Danielli, M Evans, G Morrison (N De Luca 70 min), T Evans; P Godman, M Blair (C Cusiter 50 min); A Dickinson, R Ford (D Hall 57 min), E Murray, J White (N Hines 50 min), J Hamilton, A Strokosch, J Barclay, S Taylor.

Ireland: R Kearney (G Murphy 70 min); T Bowe, B O'Driscoll, G D'Arcy, L Fitzgerald; R O'Gara, P Stringer (T O'Leary 65 min); M Horan, R Best (J Flannery 61 min), J Hayes, D O'Callahan, P O'Connell, S Ferris, D Wallace, D Leamy (J Heaslip 30 min).

Scorers: Scotland – Pens: Paterson 5. Ireland – Try: Heaslip. Pens: O'Gara 4. Con: O'Gara. Drop goal: O'Gara.

Referee: J Kaplan (South Africa)

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ireland's scrum-half Peter Stringer confirmed that reports of his demise had been greatly exaggerated with an all-action display culminating in the solo break which set up the clinching try.

SCOTLAND TEAM:

Penalties:

5

15. Chris Paterson
Edinburgh

Kicked superbly for goal in a swirling wind against an Ireland side that leaked crucial penalties. His kicking kept Ireland under pressure throughout.

7

14. Simon Danielli
Ulster

Man of the match against Italy, the Ulster wing was determined to put in another impressive display. He succeeded, especially when almost crawling over early on and then dumping Rob Kearney on his backside.

8

13. Max Evans
Glasgow

The outside centre's pace and elusiveness has been causing opposition teams problems all year and yesterday he menaced the Ireland back line, creating space for his wings and Morrison.

7

12. Graeme Morrison
Glasgow

Defensively sound and made some hard yards up the middle of the pitch as Scotland's main ball carrier. A much-improved performance for the centre.

8

11. Thom Evans
Glasgow

Few opportunities to impress but when he did get the ball in broken play showed how devastating he can be, his run just before half-time almost yielding a long-range try. Could work on his kicking, though.

7

10. Phil Godman
Edinburgh

Apart from some heart-stopping antics at the death, he made few mistakes and got his back line moving efficiently. Always brave. Not showy, not yet the finished article, but he grows with every game.

7

9. Mike Blair, capt
Edinburgh

This was a world better than his display against Italy but the Scotland captain still looked strangely hesitant, taking one step too many on an almost routine basis.

6

1. Alasdair Dickinson
Gloucester

Loosehead wasn't put under any pressure at the scrum and had enough in the tank to put in a number of his trademark runs. He did, however, struggle to muscle his way over the gainline.

6

2. Ross Ford
Edinburgh

Three lost lineout throws in the second half undermined Scotland but put in a good shift around the pitch. Hadden will not be happy that his backchat at a penalty lost 10 yards and put Scotland under pressure.

5

3. Euan Murray
Northampton

A lot was expected of Murray and after three early free-kicks against the Scotland scrum stopped him displaying his supremacy at the set-piece he began to put Marcus under pressure.

7

4. Jason White
Sale Sharks

A real workhorse, putting in big hits around the fringes but performed badly at kick-offs and fitfully at lineouts. Also played the ball from an offside position as soon as Scotland had moved six points clear.

6

5. James Hamilton
Edinburgh

The big man was hyperactive, took some great catches at the lineout and made a real impact at the breakdown, but he was occasionally over-eager, especially when giving away an early penalty.

8

6. Alasdair Strokosch
Gloucester

Did so much to counteract the power and grunt of Ireland's revamped back row, and his last-ditch tap tackle on Luke Fitzgerald arguably kept Scotland in the game.

7

7. John Barclay
Glasgow

Took the ball into contact under Ireland's posts when he should have looked at the clear overlap to his left but otherwise looked sharp, especially when charging down O'Gara. Lucky to get away with an elbow to O'Gara's face.

7

8. Simon Taylor
Stade Francais

Has added a physicality to his play that stands Scotland in good stead and was a key player in a titanic battle of the back rows. He may not have the dynamism of old when going forward but he was tireless in defence.

7

REPLACEMENTS

16. Dougie Hall Glasgow (for Ford, 59) Good throwing-in under huge pressure. 6

17. Moray Low Glasgow Not used.

18. Nathan Hines Perpignan (for White, 51) Gave away ten yards as soon as he came on but otherwise solid. 6

19. Scott Gray Northampton (for Barclay, 71) Gave away penalty in the last ten minutes to give Irish seven-point lead. 4

20. Chris Cusiter Perpignan (for Blair, 53) Very busy but struggled to impose himself on proceedings. 6

21. Nick De Luca Edinburgh (for Morrison, 74) Came on too late to affect the outcome of the game. 6

22. Hugo Southwell Edinburgh Not used

Ratings by Richard Bath

IRELAND TEAM

Try: Heaslip

Conversion: O'Gara

Penalties: O'Gara (4) Drop goal: O'Gara

15. Rob Kearney

Leinster

Did little to live up to the hype, with Scotland wise to his lines of running and space horribly hard to come by. He was, however, rock solid in defence.

6

14. Tommy Bowe
Ospreys

Tracked back and hauled down Thom Evans in full flight when the Scotsman looked as if he might go all the way for a try. He carried well but a lot of his day was spent trying to keep a handle on his opposite number.

7

13. Brian O'Driscoll, capt
Leinster

Most of the action was in the inside centre channel but the Ireland captain was still curiously ineffective, getting hammered almost every time he touched the ball. Put in a try-saving tackle on Godman.

6

12. Gordon D'Arcy
Leinster

Spent most of the time on the defensive as Scotland attacked through Morrison. He showed some great touches in attack, however.

7

11. Luke Fitzgerald
Leinster

Ran hard and didn't make any mistakes, but like all the wings he found it hard to get into the game. He almost got away early in the second half only to be hauled down at the last by Strokosch.

7

10. Ronan O'Gara
Munster

Once again he looked tired and kicked poorly, even if he did strike over a sweet drop-goal to put Ireland a converted try ahead. Failed to dictate play and shovelled out some borderline hospital passes to D'Arcy.

6

9. Peter Stringer
Munster

Altered balance of game when he danced through the Scotland back row and put Heaslip over. He once again did what it says on the tin throughout the game.

9

1. Marcus Horan
Munster

Struggled to live with Euan Murray all afternoon although he carried the ball well in the loose and did a power of tackling. This will be a match that he won't particularly want to dwell on.

6

2. Rory Best
Ulster

There were major question marks over his throwing-in to the lineout but Best was consistency personified. Added some much-needed bulk to a front row that was outgunned at the scrum.

8

3. John Hayes
Munster

Continues to defy the ageing process but was helped by being up against non-destructive Dickinson. Underlined work rate with several tackles around the fringes.

7

4. Donncha O'Callaghan
Munster

Precious few chances to really show his mettle in this heads-down bums-up forward battle. Solid at the lineout, he was also quick around the park and put in a lot of work in the loose. Shaded by Jason White.

7

5. Paul O'Connell
Munster

In the first half Scotland did a job on him, tearing into him as soon as he got the ball. He struggled to make any headway but as the game wore on he upped his work rate and really began to make an impact.

8

6. Stephen Ferris
Ulster

Again outstanding, displaying a raw physicality and appetite for jarring contact that he needed against Ally Strokosch. Perfect foil for Wallace.

8

7. David Wallace
Munster

Play on the limit of the laws backfired yesterday when he was penalised for Scotland's second penalty, but he showed that he is as adept at the unglamorous side of the game as he is at free-running malarkey.

8

8. Denis Leamy
Munster

Two turnovers in the first two minutes demonstrated his value and showed why he was brought into the side. He also carried well in the 30 minutes he was on and put in some big hits in defence.

8

REPLACEMENTS

16. Jerry Flannery Munster (for Best, 65) Brought on for his accuracy at the lineout and workrate in broken play. 6

17. Tom Court Ulster Not used.

18. Mick O'Driscoll Munster Not used.

19. Jamie Heaslip Leinster (for Leamy, 33) His try changed this game, but was just part of an impressive all-round performance. 8

20. Tomas O'Leary Munster (for Stringer, 69) Neat and tidy work for the last 11 minutes as Ireland battened down the hatches. 6

21. Paddy Wallace Ulster Not used.

22. Geordan Murphy Leicester (for Heaslip, 80). Too late to make any sort of impact. 5

Ratings by Richard Bath

This article was posted on 15-Mar-2009, 08:07 by Hugh Barrow.