Brendan O’Brien, Aviva Stadium
Ireland 28 Scotland 22
A second World Cup warm-up win banked by Ireland, this time against Scotland at the Aviva Stadium this evening, but this was a far less impressive display than that delivered by Joe Schmidt’s outfit against Wales a week earlier.
The Ireland coach had opted to make 14 changes to his starting side for this latest encounter and there was far less of note, on both an individual and a collective basis, compared to that hit-out in Cardiff.
A stale first-half opened up somewhat after the break with Ireland out-scoring their visitors by four tries to three with Chris Henry, Sean Cronin, Simon Zebo and Luke Fitzgerald all dotting down for the home team.
Ian Madigan kicked all four conversions but missed a simple penalty late on, though he was excellent in the latter pair of tries.
Ireland had three five-pointers on the board after half an hour against Wales seven days ago, but rhythm proved to be a more elusive quality at a dry, calm and half-full Aviva Stadium.
All those personnel changes to the first XV may have had something to do with that, but Schmidt will no doubt have been frustrated by spilled passes, players going off their feet and a range of other mistakes throughout.
Scotland were just as rusty in what was their first hit-out before the tournament next month, but it wasn’t all bad with Ireland captain Sean O’Brien looking particularly lively around the ruck early on and where he caused havoc for the Scots.
His first turnover, one aided by new cap Jack Conan in the tackle, led to a penalty from which Madigan kicked to touch and from there Ireland ran impressively through the phases before Henry went over in the fifteenth minute.
He was a popular scorer given this was his first try in his first start for Ireland since his career and his life were both put on hold last November on the morning of the game against South Africa with what proved to be a defect in his heart wall.
Henry spoke during the week about how he wanted to put that episode behind him and have people talk about his rugby instead – and he ensured as much with three separate inputs in the multi-phase move.
Ireland continued to blow hot and cold for a spell thereafter, claiming over 90% possession in one ten-minute phase midway during the first-half, but one in which a handful of spills and infringements again cost them momentum and scores.
Scotland hung on and were rewarded nine minutes before half-time when flanker Blair Cowan finished off an impressive move – launched on the back of a failed Irish attack – before Peter Horne matched Ian Madigan’s earlier conversion.
Seven apiece at the break, Ireland soon found themselves in arrears after a sloppy start to the second period that must have been the antithesis to everything Schmidt and his staff had stressed in the sheds during the break.
Blame was collective, with even the heretofore impressive O’Brien slipping off a tackle on Tim Visser in the run-up, and the bottom line was the sight of captain Henry Pyrgos slipping between Mike Ross and Jack Conan to touch down.
Horne missed with the conversion, but Ireland took ten minutes to purge a handful of further individual errors from their system before Conan showed deft hands to offload to Henry and put the green machine back on track.
Scotland infringed some phases later, but Ireland went over from the resultant penalty and lineout with Cronin throwing in, shooting round the back of the forming maul and then breaking off to dive in unopposed.
Madigan’s conversion put Ireland back in front, 14-12, but a Horne penalty seized back a one-point advantage in a tit-for-tat exchange of scores and the lead that would come to be repeated before long.
Paul O’Connell’s entrance after 55 minutes had provided one of the day’s loudest roars, but Dave Kearney’s impact was more concrete with the Leinster wing bursting clear and the ball being recycled for Zebo to dart over.
Another lead for Ireland, 21-15 with the conversion.
Back came Scotland and it was more loose play – defending and kicking – from the hosts that would aid their advances with Sean Lamont easing past some half-hearted Irish defenders before sending Horne home free.
Ruaridh Jackson’s conversion left the visitors 22-21 ahead with over 15 minutes still to play, but Ireland needed less than five of them to respond with Madigan’s delicious cross-kick hitting Fitzgerald in the bread basket.
The versatile Leinster back’s momentum took him past the last defender and over for Ireland’s fourth try and the game’s seventh with Madigan again finding his range and accuracy, this time from wide left.
Madigan should have then put nine points between the sides with a straightforward penalty that he skewed wide with five minutes to play . It was an error that left them hanging on to the win as Scotland crept into their 22 at the death.
As a snapshot of the entire day, it served pretty well.
Ireland: S Zebo; T Bowe, J Payne, G D’Arcy, L Fitzgerald; I Madigan, I Boss; D Kilcoyne, S Cronin, M Ross; D Toner, D Tuohy; J Conan, C Henry, S O’Brien. Replacements: N White for Ross (52); P O’Connell for Tuohy (55); R Strauss for Cronin, D Kearney for Bowe and Bent for Kilcoyne (all 59); J Murphy for Conan (64); E Reddan for Boss (67); P Jackson for Zebo (78).
Scotland: R Jackson; S Lamont, R Vernon, P Horne, T Visser; G Tonks, H Pyrgos; R Grant, F Brown, J Welsh; J Hamilton, G Gilchrist; B Cowan, H Blake, D Denton. Replacements: G Reid for Grant (45); M Cusack for Welsh (47); R Ford for Brown (52); R Harley for Hamilton (56); J Barclay for Cowan (58); M Scott for Vernon (61); S Hidalgo-Clyne for Pyrgos (66).
Referee: P Gauzere (FFR).