The Irish women's side beat Scotland in very dramatic fashion in Cumbernauld this evening.
Ireland trailed for most of the match but there was never more than a score in the game. The Scots led 15-10 at half-time, with Ireland's points coming via tries from Sene Naoupu (pictured score) and Alison Miller.
Lindsay Peat levelled things in the 3rd quarter. With 20 minutes remaining, the scores were tied at 15-15. After a period of heavy pressure, Scotland missed a crucial penalty and Ireland seized their chance.
As the clock passed 80 minutes, Ireland manufactured a lineout five metres from the line. After claiming the possession, the pack tried to maul their way over the line. They fell over the line but the ref deemed it inconclusive and awarded Ireland a 5 metre scrum.
They changed tack and opted to move the ball through the backs. This paid off with outside centre Jenny Murphy powering over the line under the sticks. And Tom Tierney's side got out of there with a 22-15 win.
Regardless of the win, Ireland will be unsettled by the nature of the performance. Ireland's last three wins over Scotland in the Six Nations were 59-0 (2014), 73-3 (2015) and 45-12 (2016).
Set alongside those scorelines, a 22-15 win strikes one as regression.
That's before one considers the detail that Scotland have been whitewashed in the competition for six years in a row and haven't won a match in the championship since 2010.
RTE analyst Fiona Steed was sharply critical of the Irish display.
Result: Scotland Women 15-22 Ireland Women #WomensSixNations #SCOvIRE #RTERugby pic.twitter.com/0rC4dtmfMJ
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 3, 2017
