Ireland completed the task with a chaotic 22-7 victory in Edinburgh this afternoon, setting them up for a Grand Slam clash against an ailing English team at home the following Saturday. Ireland v Scotland was a one-point game at halftime but Jameson Gibson-Park was the spark Ireland needed. Ireland stared defeat in the face only to record a tremendous away victory as Scotland imploded due to the calibre of Ireland's multi-phase game. That said, it turned out to be a car crash game for Ireland with some major injuries and losing important players at crucial periods.
A look at how we rate the Ireland player’s performance.
Ireland v Scotland: Ireland Player Ratings
15 Hugo Keenan – 7
Beautiful pass to get Hansen over in the first half. His try saving tackle to stop what looked like a certain Scottish try was incredible when Scotland looked to get over the line.
14 Mack Hansen - 8
Incredible finish for Ireland’s first try. But was targeted by Scotland in defence and missed some crucial tackles. Won a crucial aerial battle to get Ireland going that led to Lowe’s try. Big penalty win in the second half.
13 Garry Ringrose - 7
Had to deal with a lot of traffic down his defensive channel and still needs to control his tackle speed. Some very clever kicks exposing Hogg’s poor positioning. Took a heavy contact late on and hopefully the injury is not as serious as it looked.
12 Bundee Aki – 7
Some massive gainline carries to give Ireland momentum when it was crucially needed.
11 James Lowe – 7
Great finish in the corner for Ireland’s 2nd try. Big linebreak in the first half. Good work with Van Der Flier to score that crucial try.
10 Johnny Sexton (Capt.) - 8
Kept his head when the game was in complete chaos. Some big defence sets early on with a crucial tackle on Hogg. His place kicking was excellent.
9 Conor Murray -6
Scotland made a mess of Ireland’s breakdown and Murray struggled with the speed of ruck ball. His defensive game was excellent.
1 Andrew Porter – 7
Reduced to defence duties for much of the game. Dominated the scrums. Made some 12 big tackles.
2 Dan Sheehan - 7
His usually high standard in his throwing but was forced off after 20mins. Had a big impact during a massive defence set early in the match. 6 tackles.
3 Tadhg Furlong -7
His first Six Nations start this season , looked like he struggled early with match intensity. BUT when his team needed him - Got through a huge amount of work with some big tackle impacts. 12 tackles
4 Iain Henderson - 7
Another player who left the field early. Was going well with 8 tackles and was causing the Scottish Lineout some problems.
5 James Ryan – 8
12 March 2023; James Ryan of Ireland races for the try-line despite the tackle of Kyle Steyn of Scotland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Scotland and Ireland at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile
It was incredible how he ran the Lineout when his 2 hookers left the field. Did a great number on the Scottish lineout. Fronted up to carry, after the loss of Doris - 11 Ball Carries. His only error was a fumble with the try line 5m away (great support to get there in the 75th minute!) His defensive effect was outstanding with 11 tackles.
6 Peter O’Mahony - 9
His best performance of this year’s Championships with another massive work rate as he destroyed the Scottish breakdown and slowed their whole attack up. 14 tackles
12 March 2023; Peter O’Mahony of Ireland takes possession in a lineout ahead of Scott Cummings of Scotland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Scotland and Ireland at BT Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile
7 Josh Van Der Flier - 9
Great performance – the red scrum cap was everywhere. Won a massive turnover just when it looked like Scotland were in on the 30th minutes. Even got a few Lineout throws in!!! a MASSIVE 18 tackles.
8 Caelan Doris - 7
A positive start with 3 big ball carries but got Injured in the opening minutes stealing a Scottish Lineout.
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Ireland v Scotland - Ireland Replacements
Ronan Kelleher - 6
A great replacement to have for Ireland. Looked to be struggling with a shoulder injury and was relieved of throwing duties/and left the field.
Cian Healy – 7
Took one for the team by coming on as hooker and looked like he loved it. Great professional performance.
Tom O’Toole - 6
Big scrum impact late in the game.
Ryan Baird - 7
On in the first half for Henderson. His restart wins were massive for the team. Some big ball carries and come have got over the line late in the game.
Jack Conan - 8
On early for Doris and looked back to his best. A massive try to put Ireland 13pts clear. 14 Ball Carries.
Jamison Gibson-Park - 8
The game completely changed when he came on with some clever kicking and speed of ball increased.
Ross Byrne - 7
Closed out the game with no dramas.
Robbie Henshaw - 7
Great to experience to have off the bench and great to see him back. These minutes will be vital for him.
Coach – 8
Job Done. Were dealt some really challenging in game situations and came up with all the answers. The decision to bring on Jamison Gibson-Park at that stage of the game was a smart decision.
