Ireland 20 - 23 Scotland: Scotland finally realise their potential to spoil Irish party

Published on Sunday 21 March 2010 23:25

HERE it was, finally, in glorious blue on green, the evidence that Scotland players and coaches firmly believed was there; the proof of an ambitious, dangerous style of rugby but with the all-important finish and victory desperately sought over seven weeks of Six Nations rugby.

This was supposed to be Ireland's day, the end of a love affair with Croke Park, the magnificent preserve of Gaelic sport, and a fifth Triple Crown in seven seasons. It had taken the nation 99 years to achieve the first five and Brian O'Driscoll's men went into this match with warnings from famous players of the past not to view the 'Crown' as a mere consolation prize.

But then Scotland turned up, all hell broke loose in a frantic opening period and when the dust settled at the finish Irish supporters could not get out of 'Croker' fast enough. By the time the jubilant Scotland team was halfway around their lap of honour there was precious little green to be seen, just pockets of loyal Scots cheering and dancing, delighted to have been there to toast a first Scottish win in the Emerald Isle for 12 years.

Scotland recovered from a wobbly opening spell in which their scramble defence and Dan Parks' boot combined to stem an Irish attack threatening to explode all over the pitch, and went on to dominate the scrum and lineout, attack the Irish with a brand of ambition and physicality the hosts struggled to contain, score a fine try and then finish, with Parks the cool match-winner.

On three occasions over 75 minutes Scotland led but were reeled back in, and Croke Park began to sway with expectancy, the belief returning.

But the pain of losing, the frustration of knowing it didn't have to be that way, that defeats to France, Wales and Italy and that draw with England owed much to their own hand, was grasped by Scotland and turned into defensive strength, determination and organisation, composure, more good than poor decisions, slick skills and the ambition, stunning and unnerving at times, to carry Chris Cusiter's team to a first Six Nations win over Ireland in nine years.

The match was not a minute old when Ireland's attacking threat dazzled across the part-grass, part-synthetic Croke Park turf, Tommy Bowe exploiting a match-up with lock Al Kellock in the middle of the field to scythe through only to miss Keith Earls with a simple pass with Brian O'Driscoll also in support and the 22 beckoning.

From the lineout Chris Cusiter knocked on and took a hefty bang trying to recover, but Parks' control of the game emerged early as he launched a terrific 50-metre touch-finder that both released the pressure of another Irish attack and provided the platform for the game's first points.

A Cusiter charge-down of a Jonny Sexton clearance, a scrum where the Scots won a free-kick and bullocking runs by Ross Ford and Graeme Morrison led to a penalty, which Parks converted five minutes in.

Ireland came back with a fine, if controversial, try. Scotland lost a lineout and Sexton foxed the Scottish back-line with a sublime pass and loop before feeding O'Driscoll, albeit with a forward pass. It was missed by the officials and the centre scampered clear to score on the occasion of his 101st cap.

But back came Scotland and there were just 14 minutes on the clock when the visitors turned over Irish ball inside their half and great running and off-loading by Kelly Brown and Morrison on the left released Johnnie Beattie, and the No8's pace and incredible power took him charging over the last 20 metres, through Geordan Murphy, the Irish full-back, and lock Paul O'Connell with a third defender flailing, and close enough to reach out an arm and touch the ball down.

Belief was rising and Scotland were dominating the set-piece. Ireland were penalised at three early scrums, and Scotland stole a couple of lineouts in the first-half and went on to take seven Irish throws in all – they had lost only three in the four games before Saturday.

Ireland's spirit was clear, but their skills faltered as balls were dropped in the face of dynamic Scots defence, and with the Scottish back row of Brown – who battled on despite a badly broken nose – Beattie and John Barclay outshining the host trio and the visitors as a whole working well at the breakdown – Morrison standing out here too in a fine game by the centre – Ireland were coming off second best in a lot of areas.

The Scots' confidence was best summed up when, from another Kellock steal, Parks dummied a kick and moved ball left behind his own posts. It did not come to anything and Ireland soon won another penalty, Barclay being penalised on the ground, but Sexton fell short from over 45 metres out.

The Scots lifted the tempo and ran ball into the Irish half, keeping it through phases, dummying, bouncing off bodies with their strength on the run and darting into gaps, until creating space. Ireland rushed to close them down, but a couple of errors from Donncha O'Callaghan, one Irishman who has never tasted defeat to the Scots, handed Parks another penalty, which he converted for an 11-7 lead.

Half-time was just two minutes away, but in a part of the game that marked out Scotland's sense of daring, the players continued to take the ball to Ireland, leaping to the touchline at one stage to keep it in. Misplaced bravado or genuine confidence? The answer came deep into injury time when Parks was given the platform to strike a good drop-goal and put Scotland 14-7 ahead.

The second-half was as vibrant, but the tension built and when young Irish stand-off Sexton missed a second penalty and Parks stretched the Scots' lead to ten points, after a terrific break through the middle by Sean Lamont, Scotland's ability to close a game out fell under the microscope.

A great Irish maul over 30 metres roused the Croke support and drew a penalty, and Sexton's nerves were jangled further by his own management's sending on of Ronan O'Gara, only for referee Jonathan Kaplan to usher him off again. Sexton eventually stepped up and kicked the goal, and was then replaced by the veteran Munster fly-half.

The Scots were then forced under incredible pressure with wave after wave of Irish attack inside their 22, but the defensive effort was ferocious, the visitors' lineout continued to steal ball and Parks just fell short with a penalty from a metre inside the Irish half.

Scotland's defence was eventually opened up on their left flank in the 64th minute, Bowe reaching out from the tackle to touch down, just, the TV replay showing the ball squirted from his hand as he put it down, but O'Gara converted to level the match and The Fields of Athenry began to coruscate around Croke Park.

Kaplan began to take exception to Euan Murray's scrummaging and penalised him, which infuriated the tighthead prop, his anger visible to all when he marched to the touchline and threw his scrum-cap off the field.

Another Lamont burst lifted Scotland and handed Parks another penalty, with which he edged Scotland back in front, but Murray was penalised again at a collapsed Scottish scrum, and O'Gara levelled.

Just over five minutes left now. Whose nerve would hold? Who had the skills and composure to win it?

This was where Scotland had fallen down in their previous games, but this time they produced the goods. Parks kicked long and left and Simon Danielli, on for Lamont on the left wing, chased it down and Nick De Luca went in for the ball from Rob Kearney, earning a penalty against the full-back for not releasing the ball.

The stadium was electric, Parks took his time setting up the kick close to the left touchline, the jeers grew, the decibels clanging, but the stand-off held his nerve and superbly drew the penalty in on the breeze from left to right in a way few players in world rugby could for the ball to sail between the uprights.

Ireland 20 Scotland 23, and now just 60 seconds remaining. Scotland crucially regained possession from the restart – another lesson learned from previous games – and a scrum prompted the end, Scotland forwards keeping the ball in tight before Hugo Southwell took possession and sent the ball careering into touch to confirm a first win of the campaign and an avoidance of the Wooden Spoon.

From the talk all being of Croke Park ahead of the game and how many teams Ireland had disposed of in their temporary home – all the home nations and South Africa – suddenly the focus turned to the realisation that only Italy had not won at Croke Park and how Scotland were better than many had expected them to be.

How quickly fortunes can change in international sport.

Scorers: Ireland: Tries: O'Driscoll, Bowe. Pens: Sexton, O'Gara. Cons: Sexton, O'Gara.

Scotland: Try: Beattie. Pens: Parks 5. Drop: Parks.

Ireland: G Murphy; T Bowe, B O'Driscoll (capt), G D'Arcy, K Earls; J Sexton, T O'Leary; C Healy, R Best, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, S Ferris, D Wallace, J Heaslip. Subs: R Kearney for Murphy 26mins, R O'Gara for Sexton 52, T Buckley for Hayes 80.

Scotland: H Southwell; S Lamont, N De Luca, G Morrison, M Evans; D Parks, C Cusiter (capt); A Jacobsen, R Ford, E Murray, J Hamilton, A Kellock, K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie. Subs: M Blair for Cusiter 51mins, R Gray for Hamilton 52, A Dickinson for Jacobsen 65, S Lawson for Ford 72, S Danielli for Lamont 73. Temp sub: A MacDonald for Brown 26-38, 50-57.