That was most definitely not the start Ireland needed.
Grand Slam talk is shelved for another year but Ireland must get back to winning ways if they are to have any hope of staying in the hunt for the 2017 Six Nations title.
Joe Schmidt’s men recovered from a 21-8 half-time deficit against Scotland, on Saturday, and took the lead midway through the second stanza. The wheels that had been stabilised then proceeded to fall off as Ireland conceded two late penalties to lose 27-22.
It is surely no coincidence that two of Ireland’s best players on the day had been replaced when the late falter arrived. Tadhg Furlong and Sean O’Brien put in a couple of excellent performances in fierce, trying circumstances and, in doing so, did their British & Irish Lions chances no harm.
As noted by Shane Horgan following the match, Schmidt sent his team out to carry ball, run at and run over the Scots. That game-plan was met with fierce resistance and Ireland lost many a collision. Furlong and O’Brien were two Irishmen that inflicted the most damage to their hosts, however.
Sean O’Brien
Winning is all that matters to O’Brien so it was no surprise that he swatted away post-match praise of his impressive, precise 65-minute outing.
Only Paddy Jackson [4] made more line breaks than O’Brien [2] on the Irish team and both of the flanker’s steaming incursions created havoc in the Scottish defence. He possesses the skill to spot that soft shoulder, explode past it and turn a break into try-scoring opportunities.
There was one super, spurring break after 25 minutes but – having spent half-time preparing himself for a tough battle in the final 40 – it was O’Brien that sparked the second half comeback. He burrowed into a ruck to win a vital turnover and, 10 minutes later, burst past Hamish Watson to give his side a great attacking platform on the Scottish 22.
O’Brien also stuck eight big tackles, claimed another turnover, was part of a dominant pack at the scrum and hit over 20 rucks. He left the fray with Ireland a point clear and had to watch from the sidelines as his hard work was undone.
Tadhg Furlong
The Wexford native made Allan Dell’s life a wallowing misery in the first half. Furlong ate him alive at the scrum and it is saying something for Scotland’s commendable victory that they avoided scrums if at all possible from the 30th minute onward.
Scrummaging – getting the better of your opposite number, timing the hit, getting the footwork correct and knowing your angles – is no simple skill and Furlong put on a masterclass at Murrayfield. His angles were precise and on the money, shaping in on Dell and driving him downward on two occasions.
Had Ireland’s decision-making and lineout been better, his penalty-winning efforts would have been reflected on the scoreboard.
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Asked by his coach to truck the ball into, and through, Scottish traffic, Furlong did not disappoint. He made 12 carries and heaved through, or over, three Scottish players on different, powerful carries.
Gave all he could to the cause for 69 unforgiving minutes and did not deserve to be on the losing side.
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