- Ireland maintained their 100 per cent start with a bonus-point win in Edinburgh
- The victory at Murrayfield marked their 11th straight win over the Scots
There was a special appearance from Gerard Butler at Murrayfield but not even the best Scottish actors could mask their disappointment at this one.
Scotland were blown away on their home turf by an Ireland team that remain on course for a third consecutive Six Nations title. Their Grand Slam bid remains alive.
It was a dispiriting defeat for Gregor Townsend’s side, who will spend the next week or so licking their wounds, before they travel down to Twickenham to face England.
Winger Darcy Graham ended the day in an Edinburgh hospital with concussion, undergoing scans to check there was no structural damage. He collided with Finn Russell in the 20th minute and neither returned to the field as Scotland’s performance unravelled.
‘I’m just hoping there are no broken bones around Darcy’s face or skull area,’ said Townsend. ‘He’s failed his HIA. Finn passed his HIA, but there were a couple of things he wasn’t remembering about plays so we made the call not to put him back on. He will now be classed as a failure, delayed symptoms, but we’re hoping he’ll make a full recovery in time for England.’
Victory in the Calcutta Cup would soothe the sorest of Scottish wounds but this was a display that will fuel English confidence. It was Townsend’s 11th straight defeat by the Irish and one that failed to display any kind of title-winning ruthlessness.
Ireland claimed a 32-18 victory over Scotland to make it two wins from two in the Six Nations
The bonus-point victory keeps alive Ireland’s hopes of three Six Nations titles in a row
Meanwhile, Scotland dropped to the fourth place in the table with five points
Aside from a 10-minute purple patch, Scotland were dominated in every department. Ireland barely let them out of their own half, pinning them back with charge down after charge down. They won the collisions, with Sam Prendergast adding a delicate touch behind his green pack.
The young fly-half is still proving himself on the international scene but he made it look easy. The future of the Irish No 10 jersey is in talented hands, with his long pass finding Calvin Nash to give the visitors the lead after eight minutes.
The likes of Jamison Gibson-Park, Caelan Doris and James Lowe all won their individual battles, looking more nailed on for Andy Farrell’s Lions squad by the week. Ireland were held up over Scotland’s try line and Duhan van der Merwe was sinbinned for shoving Nash off the ball. Prendergast added a penalty and after 31 minutes he was converting Doris’ try as his side charged to a 17-0 lead.
‘They got into our 22 too often,’ said Scotland skipper Rory Darge. ‘In terms of the scoreline getting away from us, it came down to errors. They’re ruthless. They’re clinical. It’s tough. You work so hard in these weeks, build up so much belief, and when you come out like that it’s sore. Ireland like to run those really tight shapes and make it difficult to defend and then blast you at the ruck time.’
The Scots rallied in the final play of the first half, with Van der Merwe scoring an acrobatic try down the left wing before Blair Kinghorn kicked two penalties. But just as they did against the English in Dublin, Ireland’s bench reigned supreme. They were physical and precise, crashing down on Scotland like the white waves on the choppy east coast.
After Lowe bulldozed through Keenan’s tackle to score, replacement flanker Jack Conan finished a move that was sparked by Gibson-Park’s chip kick. Scotland switched off and before they knew it the victory was out of sight. Ben White scored a consolation try but this was a movie they had seen before; and it wasn’t one that is going to win any Oscars.
