Scotland welcomed Ireland to Murrayfield on Sunday Afternoon, hoping finally to end a dogged losing streak against Simon Easterby's men that has stalled their Six Nations progress.
It wasn't to be however, Ireland firing out of the blocks and rarely breaking momentum to claim a comprehensive 33-18 win and put themselves both top of the table and in poll position to claim the coveted Grand Slam.
From the opening minutes of play Ireland's domination was obvious, Calvin Nash inflicting the initial damage after just eight minutes. As a relentless fight to add to their initial seven continued, there was a sense of inevitability in the air when captain Caelan Doris crashed over for the country's second just after the half-hour mark. While Scotland clawed one back before the break, it only proved useful in softening the scoreboard.
The second half proved little different, Scotland enjoyed an early flurry of possession and position but ultimately only made it count for three points. Purple patch out of the way, Ireland came firing back through a James Lowe try, only for Jack Conan to worsen the damage moments later.
With the game all but over Scotland claimed a conciliatory 75th minute try, but it was Ireland who left with all the plaudits and a bonus point victory.
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Stephen Jones laments referring call in Ireland v Scotland
Despite the one-sided nature of the fixture, there was some controversy in the second half when Ireland were fiercely defending their own line and Blair Kinghorn had the ball in hand firing at their try line. Robbie Henshaw shot up attempting to tackle him but caught the ball as he was wrapping around, knocking it on and preventing a potential try.
After consulting the TMO the referee opted against showing Henshaw yellow, deeming Henshaw's movement natural and the knock-on an accident. While the call could've gone either way, many fans on the other side of the Irish Sea were unhappy with it.
Among those to take to social media to complain about the quality of officiating was controversial Sunday Times journalist Stephen Jones, who appeared to slam the decision in a cutting tweet.
Ireland escape blatant deliberate knock on, yellow card and poss pen after barking conclusion by referee on DKO (deliberate knock on). Nigel Owens clearly though it was.
Ireland escape blatant deliberate knock on, yellow card and poss pen after barking conclusion by referee on the DKO. Nigel Owens clearly thought it was DKO.
— Stephen Jones (@stephenjones9) February 9, 2025
Doubling down on his beliefs, Jones then responded to a tweet claiming Scotland were 'getting nothing from the ref' by claiming the 'Scots have been murdered' by referee James Doleman.
Derek. It's a disgrace. Blatant KO.
Scots have been murdered by the ref.
Derek. It’s a disgrace. Blatant deliberate KO. Scots have been murdered by ref https://t.co/knHLwZ636d
— Stephen Jones (@stephenjones9) February 9, 2025
While there's never any love lost between Jones and the Irish, it was incredibly difficult to see how Robbie Henshaw could've both tackled Blair Kinghorn and avoided knocking the ball forward.
Regardless of the officiating, Sunday's clash was a one-sided affair in which the result was entirely decided by Ireland's superior quality.
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9 February 2025; Tadhg Beirne of Ireland celebrates with interim head coach Simon Easterby after the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between Scotland and Ireland at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
