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Half time! Scotland 7-8 Ireland
Scotland get the lineout right, throwing to the back, and spin the ball through the hands … again it’s a confident, crisp series of passes and it threatens to open up the Irish defence … but no. This defensive effort by Ireland is something special, and they stand firm again. A very, very entertaining half of rugby. See you in a few.
38 min: A late scrum in the first half sees Ireland get the better of the set piece. But Scotland win the ball, and yet again they work through some phases with the ball in hand, trying to punch a hole or two in the Ireland defensive line. They win a penalty, and Russell will kick for the corner, despite the clock being in the red. A massive chance for Scotland with an attacking lineout from about eight metres from the Irish try-line.
“Imagine my panic when finding out I had to travel to North Carolina for work today, as a die hard Scotland fan with the potential for huge success this Six Nations,” emails William. “I’m currently 36,000 feet in the air, with no way to watch or listen to this game live … If you’re picturing a man frantically refreshing the web page every 10 seconds ... I’m that guy.”
Glad to be of service.
35 min: Into the final five minutes of the half and this is warming up very, very nicely indeed. Scotland look to run the ball from their own 22, again looking to keep the ball in the hands and sticking to their plan of making this a game of evasion rather than collision. Russell has been good at fly-half but has yet to produce a moment of his brilliant best. The Irish team is so durable, on the other hand, that it is going to take something special for Scotland to win it.
31 min: Now Scotland nearly land another telling blow … Russell dances into space in the Ireland 22 and flicks a pass to Van der Merwe, who threatens the try-line at full pace, but an excellent tackle by Keenan brings him to ground. Van der Merwe is isolated and is penalised for holding on. The TV director switches to a shot of Farrell celebrating that brilliant tackle as if Ireland have just scored a try. It was a wonderful challenge and no mistake, a definite try-saver.
Try! 27 min: Scotland 7-8 Ireland (Hansen)
A superb finish. That was your archetypal case of earning the right to go wide. Some crushing Irish carries softened up the Scotland defence down the middle, and bought the space for Hansen to apply a quite superb finish thanks to a fine long pass from Keenan. There was a question over grounding and perhaps over a foot in touch, but Hansen passes the test on both counts during the TMO check.
Sexton mishits the very tricky conversion slightly, trying to bend it inside the right-hand post, but the ball doesn’t come back enough in the air. It’s a five-point score and a one-point game.
27 min: Ireland attack and Hansen tries to steal in at the corner! But I think he’s forced into a touch and it’s no try … Was it a no-arms tackle by Van der Merwe? Did he get the ball down? It seems he did, in fact!
24 min: Sexton sends a crafty grubber into the Scotland in-goal area. Van der Merwe chases back, under pressure from Lowe, and manages to dot it down for a goal-line drop out, although there was a moment of hesitation and a nervous roar from the crowd as a result.
22 min: The first scrum of the match results in a free-kick for Scotland. “Too much, Ireland,” says Luke Pearce, the referee, in awarding the free kick to Scotland. True to form, Scotland get the ball moving quickly again: they are really aiming to wear out this Irish defence with a relentless running game, and the bonus is that it’s very good to watch.
20 min: Now a big turnover from Scotland with Farrell’s men looking to hit back immediately. Scotland are playing a really attractive, high-tempo game, aiming to negate Ireland’s power, and it’s all looking rosy right now. But can they keep this up for 80 minutes?
Try! 16 min: Scotland 7-3 Ireland (Huw Jones)
Scotland roar forward again, the fans pumping up the volume even louder as their team work through the phases and keep the ball moving, keeping the Irish defence on its toes. Van der Merwe has a dart close to the corner on the left wing for Scotland … The Irish defenders impressively keep picking themselves up to keep tackling. However, they cannot keep this excellent Scotland team out: the ball is shifted back inside and there is space for this deadly centre partnership, Tuipulotu flicking a well-timed pass off his left hand to Jones. Jones sprints over from short range through a handy little gap. Really good stuff from Scotland. The extras are added by Russell.
15 min: Now Scotland have their moment. Gregor Townsend’s side raise the volume at Murrayfield with a concerted attack into the Irish 22. Russell has hands on the ball in a central area but the shape of the Irish defence is so good that he seems to run out of ideas. Ireland defend 14 phases with worrying precision from a Scottish point of view.
Penalty! 12 min: Scotland 0-3 Ireland (Sexton)
The evergreen Sexton slots the kick and Ireland lead. In not such good news for the visitors, the No 8 Caelan Doris is off injured. Jack Conan comes on in his place.
9 min: Ireland ominously rumble to within a couple of metres of the Scotland line, having won an attacking lineout cleanly, Aki smashing into contact with a big carry. Ringrose is dragged down very close to the line as the referees plays a long advantage … then Mack Hansen is found in space out on the Ireland right, and darts for the corner, but knowing he can’t get there, he hangs up an attempted pass to a teammate inside. Scotland steal it, and the referee brings it back for the penalty infringement, which occurred quite a while ago.
7 min: The second row Richie Gray has gone off injured for Scotland, which is a blow to say the least. Scott Cummings is on.
Ireland are exerting control on the early stages of the match, thanks in part to the Scottish lineout misfiring on more than one occasion.
5 min: Ireland are over the try-line! They steal a ball from a quick Scotland defensive lineout … Caelan Doris grabs the quick throw over the top … and Ireland power over, but the referee Luke Pearce takes it back, because Scotland illegally took the quick lineout with a different ball.
“If they want to use a new ball that’s not our problem, sir,” points out an Ireland player to the ref. Regardless, Scotland are off the hook.
3 min: Scotland’s passing is nice and crisp as they work the ball through the hands around halfway. Space opens up momentarily for Huw Jones to race over the gain line on the Scotland left, before being felled by a couple of Ireland tacklers. Scotland spin the ball back the other way and a promising attack ends when Russell produces a slightly odd grubber kick down the middle to no one in particular.
1 min: The Scotland No 8, Dempsey, starts off with a meaty hand-off to the face of Mack Hansen from the kick-off. Scotland put boot to ball, Ireland then do the same, and Russell takes a mark, before hammering a deep clearing kick for touch into the Irish half.
First half kick-off!
Sexton kicks off for Ireland.
We are seconds away from kick-off. Exciting times.
On the occasion of his 50th cap, Garry Ringrose leads the Ireland team out. The teams are out on the pitch, and some stirring strings are the prelude to the anthems.
Gerard Meagher
With Ireland potentially able to clinch the Six Nations title and Scotland targeting the triple crown, there is enough riding on next weekend’s fixture at Murrayfield without the need to add to the narrative. Still, the subsequent meeting between the two sides on the horizon – in Pool B of the 2023 World Cup in October – is unmissable.
Robert Kitson
Even six weeks ago you would have had long odds on Ben White being one of the most pivotal players in the Six Nations Championship. Or, indeed, on Scotland beating all the other “home nations” in the same campaign. Aside from their grand slam seasons of 1984 and 1990, the last Scottish standalone triple crown was tucked away before the second world war.
“Wouldn’t it make next Saturday more fun if Scotland manage to keep Ireland bonus pointless?” emails ddjstephens.
“Would be enjoyable watching Ireland, France, and Scotland trying to compete for high scorelines in their respective matches against the whipping boys of England, Wales and Italy …”
War horse v wild stallion (copyright John McEnerney)
@LukeMcLaughlin Battle of the 10’s today Sexton the old war horse & Finn the wild stallion. Ireland’s intensity & line speed will be the key. Head & heart says the boys in green by double digits
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) March 12, 2023Yes indeed. This match can and probably should be billed as the battle of Russell v Sexton. The importance of a strong tactical kicking game was much in evidence in south-west London yesterday. Who will win it today? And how much expansive stuff will we see when the teams choose not to hoof it?
In a rare spot of good news for the BBC, excellent use of Thundercat’s “Them Changes” in this Sexton interview feature. A classic:
The Ireland coach Andy Farrell has a chat with Lee McKenzie on the BBC: “There’s an expectation of what we want to deliver ourselves, today … game day is all about delivering.”
What is the key to success today? “Concentrating on ourselves, being ourselves, taking our game to them … they are playing some fantastic rugby at this moment in time … but there is an expectation on ourselves, first and foremost.
“We expect conditions to be a bit blustery out there, and maybe a spot of rain, but we’ll adapt to that.”
Olive is nervous, but how do you feel? Send me an email or even a message on Twitter
I will also accept messages reflecting on how dreadful England were against France, and also, how magnificent France were against England.
“As an Irish supporter, I am very nervous about this,” emails Olive.
Michael Aylwin
In a not unfamiliar plotline Scotland enter the penultimate round of the Six Nations desperate for a win. Refreshingly, this time such a result would mean not the avoidance of a wooden spoon but a tilt at their first championship of the century – a first Six Nations title, full stop.
Gregor Townsend, the Scotland head coach, is asked how he plans to beat Ireland: “You’ve got to close to your best … you’ve got to win the contact … stop them getting in to ‘phase shape’ and getting confidence from that … and you’ve got to get quick ball … and you’ve got to be consistent right through the 80 minutes.
“They are very cohesive as a team … we feel the England game, and the Wales game, we were ‘in place’ in terms of effort and energy … we want our players to go for it if there are opportunities.
“Stuart Hogg [who wins his 100th cap] has been massive for Scotland … he has been flying at training this week … we really hope it’s a great day for him.”
Teams
The Gray brothers, Jonny and Richie, form the second row for Scotland – Jonny comes in for Grant Gilchrist, who is suspended. Matt Fagerson switches to No 6, with Jack Dempsey coming in at No 8. Stuart Hogg wins his 100th cap.
Johnny Sexton is back at fly-half for Ireland, one of six changes: Garry Ringrose, Tadhg Furlong, Conor Murray, Dan Sheehan, Peter O’Mahony are also back in the starting XV.
Scotland: Hogg, Steyn, H Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe, Russell, White, Schoeman, Turner, Fagerson, R Gray, J Gray, Fagerson, Ritchie, Dempsey. Replacements: Brown, Bhatti, Berghan, Cummings, Watson, Price, Kinghorn, Harris.
Ireland: Keenan, Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe, Sexton, Murray, Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, O’Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris Replacements: Kelleher, Healy, O’Toole, Baird, Conan, Gibson-Park, R Byrne, Henshaw.
Preamble
Ireland’s second-round victory against France in Dublin may yet prove to be the match of the tournament, while France’s 53-10 destruction of England at Twickenham will surely provide the most jaw-dropping scoreline. Considering what is at stake, however, this afternoon’s game at Murrayfield has the potential to elevate this year’s Six Nations to a whole new level.
Should Scotland win and seal the triple crown, Gregor Townsend’s team will be one of three teams in contention for the title next Saturday. An Irish success, on the other hand, would put Andy Farrell’s side in a commanding position at the top of the table before the final round, with a potentially grand slam-sealing date at home against England to come.
Can the Scots take their first win against Ireland since 2017, and in the process set up an authentically Super Saturday™? We are about to find out.
Kick-off: 3pm
English (US)