Luke Judge

This was only Ireland’s forth loss at Croke Park and the Scots rained on their parade since Saturday was the day Irish rugby bade an emotional farewell to the old GAA ground that has served them so well these past few years.

Coming at the end of a disappointing season this fabulous win was only Scotland’s second over Ireland in the extended Six Nations, with the last one occurring way in 2001 when the match that was rearranged around the foot and mouth epidemic. Scotland’s only other recent success was a friendly match at Murrayfield ahead of the World Cup of 2007, when Eddie O’Sullivan fielded a weakened team.

Fly-half Dan Parks – you can’t keep him down – won the match for Scotland with a drop goal and five penalties, the last one coming two minutes from time to seal the victory, but once again he showed his Jekyll and Hyde nature. Apart from his crucial contribution with the boot he also stripped Paul O’Connell of the ball just before half time. Against that, the Aussie still has the blinkers on in attack, ignoring overlaps and mismatches galore when Scotland had the whip hand. For all his efforts Parks remains what he always has been, a kicking stand-off, as constant as the north star, take him or leave him.

At least he held his nerve when it mattered most, which is more than his opposite number Johnathan Sexton could manage. The Irish fly-half was kicking 33 per cent ahead of this match so his two from four attempts can’t have taken anyone by surprise yesterday. He was replaced by Ronan O’Gara immediately after his second success around the 50 minute mark.

The veteran’s appearance sparked an immediate Irish fightback after the Scots had opened up a commanding ten-point lead, just as they did in Wales, and they looked like throwing it away for the second time this season. Ten minutes into the second half Sexton’s second penalty narrowed the Scots’ lead to seven, the Croker crowd suddenly found their voice and the Irish pack started to boss the mauls. Tommy Bowe popped up to snatch Ireland’s second try after squeezing into the right hand corner, despite Sean Lamont’s best efforts, and O’Gara stepped up to kick the touchline conversion. Suddenly the match was tied 17-17 apiece with the momentum firmly behind the home team.

Thankfully, the Scots had other ideas. With memories of Cardiff spurring them on, they were determined not to blow it again. Scotland won a free kick at a scrum, Lamont broke up the middle of the park and, not for the first time, the Irish were penalised at breakdown. Parks kicked the 73rd minute penalty. O’Gara responded two minutes later.

The Aussie demanded the final say. Rob Kearney collected Parks’ deep kick to the corner but was penalised for holding on after being collared by Simon Danielli and Nick De Luca. Taken inches from the touchline, and amidst a chorus of jeers and whistles, Parks’ strike dissected the uprights with geometric precision. It may be a while before the Australian fly-half hears anything other than the ringing of cheers at Murrayfield.

It looked a harsh call by referee Jonathan Kaplan but the South African had a huge influence on this game, all for the good. He had been brutally strict at the breakdown all match where he pinged Ireland’s cheating relentlessly. Kaplan also played a decisive role at the set scrum. The Scots had a clear edge and duly won a series of early free kicks and penalties although the referee still bottled his big challenge. When Cian Healy collapsed yet another in a long series of attacking Scottish scrums at the end of the first half Kaplan was busy looking elsewhere.

As well as bossing the scrum, the Scots also filled their boots at the side of the field where the Irish lineout was humbled, humiliated and ritually dismantled in front of a disbelieving crowd. Ahead of yesterday’s encounter the O’Connell/O’Callaghan duo has lost just three of their own throws in all four matches played. Against the Scots the Irish lineout lost seven throws, which says something about the pressure exerted by Al Kellock and Jim Hamilton.

Scotland’s solitary try came courtesy of Johnnie Beattie and, while it was a humdinger, it didn’t distract from the gulf in attacking quality between these two back divisions. Ireland’s three-quarters threatened to break loose almost every time they touched the ball, especially in the opening quarter when Sexton carved out an opening for Brian O’Driscoll to score and never mind that the fly-half final’s pass to his skipper drifted three yards forwards.

After that early setback the Scots needed to make a statement of their own and it was their No.8 who spoke loudest. The Scots won a turnover, the ball went through Kelly Brown and Graeme Morrison before Beattie was asked to finish it off from 20 yards with several green shirts in attendance. He rose to the challenge magnificently, blasting through the flailing tackles of Geordan Murphy and O’Connell before stretching out an arm and dotting down for what was only Scotland’s third try of the championship. Combined with Parks’ contribution, it proved enough on the day.

Dublin is a city that encourages celebration and the Scots didn’t need a second invitation last night. Ireland have been at the pinnacle of European rugby for several years now and to beat them on home soil suggests that the Scots have taken a huge step forwards. Still, the Scots have had false dawns before and Robinson knows better than anyone that this victory only matters if it sparks better things to come.

Ireland: Murphy (Kearney 26 min); Bowe, O’Driscoll, D’Arcy, Earls; Sexton (O’Gara 50 min), O’Leary; Healy, Best, Hayes (Buckley 79 min), O’Callaghan, O’Connell, Ferris, Wallace, Heaslip.

Scotland: Southwell; Lamont (Danielli 73 min), De Luca, Morrison, Evans; Parks, Cusiter; Jacobsen (Dickinson 65 min), Ford (Lawson 71 min), Murray, Hamilton (Grey 52 min), Kellock, Brown, Barclay, Beattie.

Scorers: Ireland – Try: O’Driscoll. Bowe. Conv: Sexton, O’Gara. Pen: Sexton, O’Gara. Scotland – Try: Beattie. Pen: Parks (5). DG: Parks.

Referee: J Kaplan (SARU).

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