Ireland muscle past Scotland

Visitors maul the Scots out of the game

Ireland smashed Scotland 40-13 at a mud-smudged Murrayfield in Round Two of the 2005 Six Nations after Scotland had started the match with much hope until the Irish pack took over and simply mauled their hosts to pieces.The Irish maul descended on the Scots like salt upon a snail and they shrivelled.

Scotland had two patches in each half of the match when they ran with ball in hand and the world looked promising for them, but really its was the Irish pack that took control in all phases, but above all through the maul and when the ball was on the ground.

Before the match at the line-up, there were 22 little Scots in front of their players to just one young Irish girl with her team.  Those almost seemed the odds for the first 12 minutes of the game as the Scots attacked with width and enthusiasm as they fed off quick ball.  Then they scored a try and seemed to think that they had done enough.

After that try which gave them an 8-0 lead, the Irish pack simply mauled them into the ground.  The Scots got no more ball and Irish muscle produced two tries and an 18-8 lead at the break.  But the Irish tries had nothing of the splendour of the Scots'.

On the muddy field with the wind at their backs the Scots attacked.  They eschewed an early penalty chance in search of a try, which did not come.  The second time they took the penalty and Chris Paterson scored.  3-0 after 8 minutes.

The try was majestic.  Not far out from his 22 and in midfield Paterson gathered a kick and set off down the field.  Irish defence opened like the Red Sea for Moses and on the Scottish fullback sped.

At the Irish 22 he looked to his right and a pass found centre Hugo Southwell on the right wing.  The sturdy centre sped for the corner and went over.  8-0 after 12 minutes.

Ireland's comeback in the match started quietly when Ronan O'Gara kicked a penalty after Tom Smith had held on in a tackle.

Scotland were still all right, but Stuart Grimes grabbed Malcolm O'Kelly's collar in a line-out.  That penalty became a line-out ten metres from the Irish line.  The offended O' Kelly caught the ball in the line-out and his pack mauled him over to celebrate his 70th cap for Ireland, Ireland's most capped player ever.  O'Gara converted.  10-8 to Ireland after 24 minutes.

Ireland came close again when O'Gara chipped and Shane Horgan lost the ball in the act of scoring.

O'Gara goaled a penalty when Jason White used his hands when he should not have.  13-8 after 36 minutes.

Ireland attacked.  Scotland had a line-out five metres from their line.  A knock-on became a five-metre scrum to Ireland.  That became a free kick which Anthony Foley tapped, and eventually the Irish pack mauled Paul O'Connell -- captain for the day -- over.  O'Gara surprisingly missed the easy conversion.  18-8 at half-time.

In the second half Scotland won a difficult scrum five metres from their line.  Allister Hogg drove but Jonny O'Connor won a turnover and the Irish were off to the left.  Horgan was felled but got the ball back and O'Gara threw a basketball pass to Denis Hickie who scored.  O'Gara converted from touch.  25-8.

O'Gara kicked a penalty and after 48 minutes Ireland led 28-8, at which stage Scotland starting playing with the ball in hands and looked like the team that had done so well early in the match.  They were rewarded with a clever try.

A penalty made a five-metre line-out.  Scotland won the ball and formed a maul which drove but the maul was a decoy and instead Jon Petrie, peeling from the back, took a little popped pass, turned left and drove through Shane Byrne and Peter Stringer to score as O' Kelly tried to stop him.  28-13.

At this stage Scotland were running but then a penalty became a line-out 15 metres out and Ireland put on the maul again.  Frankie Sheahan drove infield and then the ball came back towards touch where O' Kelly gave a sympathetic pass to massive John Hayes who scored in the corner, a try his laughing side enjoyed as teams always do when props score tries.  33-13 with five minutes to play.

As time ebbed away, Scotland knocked on -- a gross knock-on.  Horgan picked up and ran down the left.  He gave a perfect pass to young replacement Gavin Duffy who scored a try in his first Six Nations match.

David Humphreys -- on for O'Gara -- converted from far out and the final whistle went.

Man of the match:  There was one Scottish candidate -- Chris Paterson who looked so full of running and produced the best individual run of the match, but really the heroes were Irish, starting with Geordan Murphy at fullback.  Really the pack deserved the accolades from the ground scavenging of Johnny O'Connor to the imperious line-out play of Malcolm O' Kelly.  The Irish pack was the collective man-of-the-match.

Moment of the Match:  Chris Paterson's startling run that led to Hugo Southwell's try.

Villain of the Match:  Although referee Joël Jutge got in the way of a promising Scottish move, we'll let him off.  No award -- all in all, a very well behaved match.

The scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries:  Southwell, Petrie
Pen:  Paterson

For Ireland:
Tries:  O'Kelly, O'Connell, Hickie, Hayes, Duffy
Cons:  O'Gara 2, Humphreys
Pens:  O'Gara 3

The teams:

Scotland:  15 Chris Paterson, 14 Simon Danielli, 13 Andy Craig, 12 Hugo Southwell, 11 Sean Lamont, 10 Dan Parks, 9 Chris Cusiter (Mike Blair, 5-17, 71), 8 Allister Hogg, 7 Jon Petrie, 6 Jason White, 5 Scott Murray (Nathan Hines, 71), 4 Stuart Grimes, 3 Gavin Kerr, 2 Gordon Bulloch (captain), 1 Tom Smith.
Unused replacements:  16 Robbie Russell, 19 Jon Dunbar, 21 Gordon Ross, 22 Ben Hinshelwood.

Ireland:  15 Geordan Murphy, 14 Girvan Dempsey (Gavin Duffy, 75), 13 Shane Horgan, 12 Kevin Maggs, 11 Dennis Hickie, 10 Ronan O'Gara (David Humphreys, 75), 9 Peter Stringer (Guy Easterby, 75), 8 Anthony Foley, 7 Johnny O'Connor (Eric Miller, 66), 6 Simon Easterby, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Malcolm O'Kelly, 3 John Hayes, 2 Shane Byrne (Frankie Sheahan, 72), 1 Reggie Corrigan (Marcus Horan, 72).
Unused replacements:  18 Donncha O'Callaghan.

Referee:  Joël Jutge (France)
Touch judges:  Steve Walsh (New Zealand), Giulio De Santis (Italy)
Assessor:  Stuart Beissel (New Zealand)
Television match official:  Nigel Owens (Wales)