With a 26-5 victory over a frustrating Scottish side that had nothing to lose, Ireland won their first Triple Crown since 2018. After a hectic and at times sloppy first 15 minutes of Ireland v Scotland, it took Ireland a while to warm to the task. Ireland will be ecstatic to earn the bonus point victory and put further pressure on France later tonight.
A look at how we rate the Ireland players' performance.
Ireland v Scotland - Ireland Player Ratings
19 March 2022; Hugo Keenan of Ireland passes despite the attention of Chris Harris of Scotland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Scotland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
15 Hugo Keenan - 8
Another assured performance by the Irish full back. He made some good last man tackles in the first half and an epic try saving tackle on Hogg in the 48th minute. He had an easy day under some poor Scottish kicking tactics.
14 Mackenzie Hansen- 6
Played a more defensive role for the team as he showed he could chase and pressure the Scottish defence. He got through a lot of defensive work with his 8 tackles. Did not show the energy he did earlier in the tournament.
13 Garry Ringrose- 6
Straightened up the - at times - lateral attack with some nice footwork. He never got the quality of ball he needed to show his class.
19 March 2022; Bundee Aki of Ireland is tackled by Chris Harris of Scotland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Scotland at Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
12 Bundee Aki - 5
A quiet afternoon as he struggled with the chaotic nature of the game. He looked unsure of his role in the team. More direct in the second half.
11 James Lowe- 6
The Irish winger had some good attacking moments, but he overran a few starter plays, which will frustrate the team. He provided an X factor moment for the Murray try. He needs to switch on mentally in defence.
10 Johnny Sexton (Capt) - 6
He pulled the strings in attack with a variety of attack plays that pulled the Scottish defence apart. The 50:22 in the 14th minute was fantastic.
9 Jamison Gibson Park -7
Sparked Ireland out of a lazy start with a great break in the 12th minute. He mixed some excellent passing with some smart play with his quick taps.
1 Cian Healy- 6
Showed his experience in set pieces. He loved carrying in the opposition 22m, which resulted in his 10th international try.
19 March 2022; Dan Sheehan of Ireland dives over to score his side's first try during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Ireland and Scotland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
2 Dan Sheehan- 9
Another great performance by the Irish hooker. He got over for Ireland’s first try in the 17th minute. A great tackle on Hogg to prevent a potential Scottish try. He provided much of Ireland’s go forward, with 14 ball carries.
3 Tadhg Furlong -6
An easy scrum day for the Irish tight head. Got through a lot of defence work with 10 tackles. won a great penalty after Scotland’s first try.
4 Tadhg Beirne - 7
A very professional performance with some excellent sets in defence.
5 Ian Henderson – 4
Some excellent lineout work. It is hard to see what he offers this team outside of the set piece. Very poor defence set for Scotland’s first try. He looks like a yard of the pace at this level at the moment.
6 Caelan Doris - 6
With a tighter performance, he demonstrated that he can get down and dirty with any opposition backrow.
7 Josh Van Der Flier - 7
Won a good “battle of the breakdown” with Watson. Snuffed out much of Scotland’s attack with 15 tackles.
8 Jack Conan- 6
Another dynamic ball-carrying performance, provided Ireland with pace in attack with his wide channel work. carried 10 times in his 52 minutes.
Replacements
Rob Herring - 5
Did not take his opportunity to show that he could play an impact role off the bench. conceded a poor penalty in the last 10 minutes.
Dave Kilcoyne - 6
Some big scrums when he comes on. A significant impact on attacking ball carries (6)
Finlay Bealham - 5
The Irish scrum struggled with his introduction.
Kieran Treadwell- 4
Some good ball carries when he was introduced.
Peter O’Mahony -6
Added huge energy at the right time of the game.
Conor Murray - 6
He got the crucial bonus point try with a brilliantly taken try.
Joey Carbery – n/a
Ireland's back up outhalf was only on for 5 minutes at full back this week.
Robbie Henshaw - 7
Another huge impact from the bench.
Coach – 5
Another performance where the Ireland coach looked tactically poor for much of the game. Some of the planned attacks came to nothing, and outside the pull-back pass to Sexton, Ireland looked to be struggling for ideas in general play.
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