Ireland v Scotland

:01:01. > :01:06.UK He has played more Six Nations minutes than anybody else, scored

:01:07. > :01:11.more tries, captioned his country on more occasions, and today Brian

:01:12. > :01:18.O'Driscoll begins his final campaign.

:01:19. > :01:31.Scott Hastings with the chip through. A try for Scott Hastings!

:01:32. > :01:44.D'Arcy takes the tourist route to Geordan Murphy. And D'Arcy Scoresby

:01:45. > :01:56.Triple Crown winning try. It is a try for Scotland.

:01:57. > :02:08.Up to the ten yard mark, Gibson, Duggan kicking infield. A try by

:02:09. > :02:13.Gibson! A chance for Townsend. Townsend has

:02:14. > :02:20.scored. A lovely pass that time. He has

:02:21. > :02:32.broken through, and guess who, O'Driscoll. He has written his name

:02:33. > :02:36.over the game. Two home victories on the opening

:02:37. > :02:41.day of the championship so this Irish team will be hoping to make it

:02:42. > :02:48.a hat-trick on not just for O'Driscoll but to kick-start their

:02:49. > :02:57.coach's Six Nations rear in style. Johnson was asked about Scotland's

:02:58. > :03:05.Six Nations record he replied that he treated statistics like a drunk

:03:06. > :03:12.treats a lamp post, therefore support but not for illumination.

:03:13. > :03:15.Blue skies, white clouds and if it is possible to have a balmy day on

:03:16. > :03:25.the first weekend of February this is it. If you can't play rugby on a

:03:26. > :03:30.day like this, you can't play rugby. Jonathan Davies, Keith Wood, Andy

:03:31. > :03:32.Nicol looking forward to this first weekend of the Six Nations

:03:33. > :03:39.championship. Raking in the last half-hour, Paul O'Connell, the Irish

:03:40. > :03:49.captain, out with a chest infection. -- breaking in.

:03:50. > :03:52.He was calling the line-outs through the week, he is a key

:03:53. > :04:06.decision-makers and he adds confidence to the group so we have

:04:07. > :04:13.two -- we have to roll our sleeves up and enjoy the game. I was

:04:14. > :04:16.probably looking forward to this more last night before I heard that

:04:17. > :04:20.but it is all part of the challenge and we have to put together the best

:04:21. > :04:27.funds we can. How big a blow is this for Ireland?

:04:28. > :04:33.Huge. You can replace him as a player but it is -- it is his

:04:34. > :04:37.presence and intensity. Let's look at the highlights of two tremendous

:04:38. > :04:46.games kick-starting this year's championship.

:04:47. > :05:33.second try. He can chase it down himself! It is

:05:34. > :05:42.going to be a try. Interception, and it is going to be

:05:43. > :05:57.a run for the line. Under the posts, it will be seven points.

:05:58. > :06:13.First touch, Yoann Huget for France. France have turned over England.

:06:14. > :06:26.Yoann Huget again. Brown smashes into him. Follow! A second try for

:06:27. > :06:34.Yoann Huget and for France. The penalty was taken quickly. He

:06:35. > :06:48.tries to get the pass away quickly. Brown! It is Mike Brown's first try

:06:49. > :07:01.for England. Luther Burrell cams away. England

:07:02. > :07:07.are level. -- comes away. Gael Fickou! The finish by Fickou.

:07:08. > :07:22.He is going round under the posts. Two tremendous games to start this

:07:23. > :07:29.year's championship. We kick off at 3pm at the Aviva

:07:30. > :07:35.Stadium. Italy really rattled Wales

:07:36. > :07:41.yesterday. Yes, they did well. Wales tried to keep the ball in play and

:07:42. > :07:44.have the better fitness level but I thought they were very tired, a

:07:45. > :07:50.scrappy performance. They did not build pressure and I think they went

:07:51. > :07:54.wide to early. But they got the result and that is the important

:07:55. > :08:00.thing, start off with a win. A lot to work on before they come here

:08:01. > :08:07.next Saturday. In Paris the general consensus was that England were the

:08:08. > :08:10.better team but they lost. It was an amazing performance because France

:08:11. > :08:15.came out of the blocks really flying and they got away from England.

:08:16. > :08:18.England did really well to come back into it. I think they were the

:08:19. > :08:28.better team but they never closed the game out. What a fantastic final

:08:29. > :08:32.try. An amazing atmosphere in the Stade de France. You watched both

:08:33. > :08:41.games on your couch, what did you think? I thought the intensity of

:08:42. > :08:49.both games was phenomenal. I think it was the best opening yet. We did

:08:50. > :08:51.not have time to go into the ramifications of yesterday and

:08:52. > :08:57.analyse the key moments so we will do that in a forum tonight on the

:08:58. > :09:00.red button. If you want to get involved in that, the hashtag is

:09:01. > :09:07.below, or Facebook, however you want. Your opinions about England,

:09:08. > :09:16.Wales, or the championship generally. First talking point has

:09:17. > :09:20.to be the last time we were here, the last time Ireland played the all

:09:21. > :09:31.Blacks, almost the first time that they beat them.

:09:32. > :09:39.Murray! He is down. Wonderful start for Ireland.

:09:40. > :09:50.He knocks it on and away comes Rob Kearney.

:09:51. > :09:59.Slides past the post. New Zealand have one one of the most pulsating

:10:00. > :10:13.games in rugby union. Ever, was perhaps the word he could

:10:14. > :10:16.have added. When you look through the Irish front row you need all

:10:17. > :10:23.carrying and accuracy for all three. carrying and accuracy for all

:10:24. > :10:30.There is a massive hole in this second row. Dan Tuohy, there is a

:10:31. > :10:36.lot of pressure on him. Chris Henry, you know he will be a nuisance. The

:10:37. > :10:41.two generals, Connie Murray is growing into his role, and Jonathan

:10:42. > :10:58.Sexton, after a hard start to the year in France is back to his best.

:10:59. > :11:06.The three at the back, are they nimble enough?

:11:07. > :11:10.Jonny Sexton only has 38 appearances to his name and be number ten jersey

:11:11. > :11:12.is firmly his. He has broken the mould by going to play in France but

:11:13. > :11:27.Keith took him back. You are back where it started,

:11:28. > :11:33.pretty much. Great memories, I have not been back in a while because I

:11:34. > :11:40.have been in Paris. I am recalling all of the fond memories. How much

:11:41. > :11:45.did you enjoy it? Fantastic. It was the best trip I have ever been on,

:11:46. > :11:53.if we had lost that 1... You build up relationships. You learn so much

:11:54. > :12:01.from the other players? Yes, Leigh Halfpenny, you learn from it. Then

:12:02. > :12:09.you pack your bags and off you were gone. Was it a big shock to the

:12:10. > :12:12.system? It is pretty easy to settle into the club because everybody is

:12:13. > :12:20.doing their best to make you feel at home, you have guys you know, but

:12:21. > :12:26.you don't know where the petrol shop is, the local corner shop,

:12:27. > :12:35.everything is a stress. There was some games where I was thinking, I

:12:36. > :12:39.am telling them I am going home. In other games I came off and I

:12:40. > :12:51.thought, this is brilliant. I am going to be here forever. We have

:12:52. > :12:53.seen the well publicised signing of two Irish players back to the

:12:54. > :13:04.Republic of Ireland. Did they come to you for advice? One of them did.

:13:05. > :13:12.I think it is great. It is important for Irish rugby, for the provinces

:13:13. > :13:13.and also the national team that they stay. I sound like a hypocrite but

:13:14. > :13:28.that is the bottom line. New Zealand, and the kick that did

:13:29. > :13:38.not go over. How do you deal with that? I don't know why I missed. I

:13:39. > :13:45.was having trouble with my hamstring but that is just an excuse. It

:13:46. > :13:52.should have gone over. It is important that we learn the

:13:53. > :13:57.lessons, as hard as it is to take. I should use it going forward into the

:13:58. > :14:02.Six Nations. How is Joe getting on, not being in contact with players on

:14:03. > :14:07.a day-to-day basis? He has even more energy. It is rare that you get a

:14:08. > :14:12.coach who is good technically and a good map -- man manager but that is

:14:13. > :14:17.what makes him special. But his big strength is on the pitch, putting

:14:18. > :14:23.guys through the moves. In November we wanted to be known as more

:14:24. > :14:26.consistent and that is the bottom line, we need to improve that going

:14:27. > :14:30.forward. Some impressive honesty in that

:14:31. > :14:36.interview. What do you think the move to France has done to him,

:14:37. > :14:42.Keith? Opened up his experience level. It gives him a wider

:14:43. > :14:46.perspective. Those statistics tell a big story. He has played a huge

:14:47. > :14:51.number of games. He was injured for a lot of last year. He feels he

:14:52. > :14:55.needs to play a lot more games than he was last year. It just seems to

:14:56. > :15:03.me elements of the media think about it more than he does. Has it

:15:04. > :15:08.impacted on his interaction with the rest of the team? I wouldn't think

:15:09. > :15:12.so. Having played away for most of my career, it's just great to get

:15:13. > :15:17.back. That was three minutes of a 90 minute interview. He was honest for

:15:18. > :15:22.that whole period. He seems to have matured an awful lot.

:15:23. > :15:31.Let's go back in time to 1984 which, depending on who you are, could mean

:15:32. > :15:33.all sorts of things - George Orwell or the miners strike. Or it could

:15:34. > :15:58.mean a Scottish grand slam. The referee hasn't given penalty

:15:59. > :16:05.try. Yes, he has. He's done it again. Two tries for

:16:06. > :16:30.Roy Laidlaw. A brilliant try! There's an overlap. Another

:16:31. > :16:38.brilliant Scottish try! They've done it again. 46 years of waiting are

:16:39. > :16:43.over. The first Scottish Triple Crown since 1938.

:16:44. > :16:46.A momentous occasion replicated six years later and only three of this

:16:47. > :16:56.team were alive when all that happened. A familiar look to the

:16:57. > :17:04.Scottish row. Tim Swinson gets the nod against Richard Gray, who is

:17:05. > :17:09.alongside Jim Hamilton. Dave Denton is the number eight with Ryan

:17:10. > :17:16.Wilson. Kelly Brown, the captain, is only going to be considered at open

:17:17. > :17:24.side by Scott Johnson. Greig Laidlaw is Roy Laidlaw's nephew. Matt Scott

:17:25. > :17:28.is on the bench, not back from injury yet, so Duncan Taylor

:17:29. > :17:38.continues at 12, alongside Alex Dunbar, an exciting prospect. The

:17:39. > :17:48.back three could repeat the rugby we saw from 1984.

:17:49. > :17:55.Scott, a beautiful day in Dublin. Does that is suit Scotland? It suits

:17:56. > :18:02.both sides. It encourages intent and I'm sure we will both have intent.

:18:03. > :18:07.Hold onto your seat belt! What kind of intensity are you expecting from

:18:08. > :18:14.Ireland? It's hard to handle. We just have to make sure we are good

:18:15. > :18:17.and the tackle and the tackle area are the two biggest areas that

:18:18. > :18:21.contribute to the success of this game. Scotland have traditionally

:18:22. > :18:26.struggled in their opening fixture of the Six Nations and struggled

:18:27. > :18:31.away from home - why and what can you do to change that? It's been

:18:32. > :18:36.drummed into me all week! If I knew the reasons, I'd fix it. We can only

:18:37. > :18:42.control what we can control. No excuses out there. The weather, the

:18:43. > :18:47.pitch - everything is fine. We have to put on a good performance. If we

:18:48. > :18:53.are in this contest, it favours us. We have to make sure we are in the

:18:54. > :18:57.contest. Let's talk about Tim Swinson in the second row for

:18:58. > :19:02.Scotland, a big man. And interesting way of warming up for a game!

:19:03. > :19:07.Hopefully he finds his way to the pitch in a wee while! He is there on

:19:08. > :19:13.merit. Scotland have a loss of strength of the second row. He

:19:14. > :19:16.played in the autumn test against Japan in the first game and has

:19:17. > :19:22.played really well for Glasgow. He brings a real workrate to the pack

:19:23. > :19:32.and is running the forwards. He has a big day. Is that the Scottish

:19:33. > :19:39.bench? At 19.5 stones, he is not to be messed with! Let's talk about

:19:40. > :19:42.Duncan Weir - how important is the? Scotland have an exciting back five

:19:43. > :19:48.with Alex Dunbar and the back three I mentioned. There's no doubt he's

:19:49. > :19:51.been picked to get Scotland playing the right areas of pitch. He's

:19:52. > :20:00.tactically very good picker so he's going to get Scotland playing the

:20:01. > :20:09.Irish half. I think the Scotland force have always been dominating.

:20:10. > :20:13.The back three have got a very good line-up but when they have the

:20:14. > :20:19.opportunities, they don't always use them. They have to be equivocal and

:20:20. > :20:21.keep their composure. As we've said for the last decade, if Scotland

:20:22. > :20:28.start scoring tries they can beat anyone. They have to start scoring

:20:29. > :20:31.tries in the back three. If today is about how Scotland compete, because

:20:32. > :20:34.they are the underdogs, is there a danger that because of the

:20:35. > :20:38.extraordinary match against the all Blacks there is an unnecessary and

:20:39. > :20:43.exaggerated expectation from the crowd about how Ireland will

:20:44. > :20:47.perform? That is the big fear and every element about it for Ireland.

:20:48. > :20:50.The players don't think that way and the pundits don't think that way.

:20:51. > :20:57.Anybody who has been close to international Rob the don't do it.

:20:58. > :21:08.You can't overrate your own performance. It can't happen. If

:21:09. > :21:17.they play well, they can beat most sides. If they don't play well,

:21:18. > :21:20.chances are they're going to lose. Only South Africa and New Zealand

:21:21. > :21:28.can play 50% of the time and win games. Some serious firecrackers to

:21:29. > :21:33.welcome island onto the field for the opening match of this year's Six

:21:34. > :21:36.Nations. The players are out a lot earlier than almost every other

:21:37. > :21:43.match because there are all the formalities to take place. We have

:21:44. > :21:50.three anthems to come up. As Brian O'Driscoll lines up for his 129th

:21:51. > :21:55.cap for Ireland, when you first saw him as a callow youth, did you think

:21:56. > :21:59.there was something special? The first time I met him I thought he

:22:00. > :22:04.was totally out of place and had no business being there. Then I saw him

:22:05. > :22:08.in a rugby jersey on the training field and he blew everybody away. He

:22:09. > :22:14.had something about him - a touch of magic, and ability. I think he's

:22:15. > :22:20.been a brilliant player. You look at his physique when he started off and

:22:21. > :22:24.he had pace, guile and balance. He's adapted as the modern game has

:22:25. > :22:30.changed and been a standard player since he started. There is an

:22:31. > :22:38.announcement taking place for the presidential salute. At Fitzgerald

:22:39. > :22:52.alongside Michael Higgins. -- Pat Fitzgerald.

:22:53. > :22:59.I was reading earlier on about Michael Higgins who is a sports fan

:23:00. > :23:04.and a regular at the Galway races and former president of Galway

:23:05. > :23:11.United but all club. He is meeting the players now. -- football club.

:23:12. > :23:16.We can talk to our commentators up in the box. Phil, I overheard a

:23:17. > :23:20.conversation you were having earlier about the repercussions and the

:23:21. > :23:25.aftermath of the All Blacks game. Where do you put this Irish team at

:23:26. > :23:29.the moment? By the end of the day, I'll give you a better answer. It's

:23:30. > :23:32.a testament to the All Blacks that it takes the All Blacks to bring a

:23:33. > :23:37.performance like that. I'm not sure any other team in world rugby could

:23:38. > :23:42.have produced a performance out of Ireland and I think today we'll see

:23:43. > :23:46.whether Joe Schmidt's detail as we be embedded itself in this Irish

:23:47. > :23:49.side because the accuracy that is going to be required, and the

:23:50. > :23:53.intensity without Paul O'Connell, is going to be a big ask. Chris, we see

:23:54. > :23:58.the Irish President meeting the Scottish players. As a former

:23:59. > :24:04.fullback yourself, how important is Stuart Hogg and a returning Stuart

:24:05. > :24:13.Hogg and a Stuart Hogg inform? Very important. He's alongside a big

:24:14. > :24:19.backline for Scotland. Alex Dunbar and Duncan Taylor are both big

:24:20. > :24:23.players but you need that bit of magic to beat the national defences

:24:24. > :24:26.and Stuart Hogg has that. If he's on fire today, he can launch a lot for

:24:27. > :24:31.Scotland and hopefully score some points. Sometimes we overplay the

:24:32. > :24:35.importance of coaches but how strange must it have been for

:24:36. > :24:38.Scotland, knowing Scott Johnson is therefore a finite period and they

:24:39. > :24:44.are almost waiting for a Messiah, Vern Cotter, to come in? There has

:24:45. > :24:51.been communication between Scott Johnson and Vern Cotter. He's been

:24:52. > :24:55.appointed since last May so there has been communication and will be

:24:56. > :24:59.through the Six Nations but ultimately, it's about today, about

:25:00. > :25:03.Scott Johnson getting his players ready for this massive match this

:25:04. > :25:08.afternoon and they have to deliver. As he said in the BT, there's no

:25:09. > :25:17.excuses. It's a beautiful day. I'm so jealous looking out on a glorious

:25:18. > :25:20.sunny day in Dublin! We saw Gordon D'Arcy in action at the start of the

:25:21. > :25:26.programme. He's been left out of date - what do you make of that? He

:25:27. > :25:29.did incredibly well last year. He had a series of concussions which

:25:30. > :25:36.were frightening to watch but has been back and forth. But he had the

:25:37. > :25:44.spark. His movement from foot to foot is far more oppressive. --

:25:45. > :25:53.impressive. It gives a bit more space to Brian O'Driscoll. We

:25:54. > :25:56.haven't mentioned Sean O'Brien. O'Brien O'Connell missing for

:25:57. > :26:02.Ireland. The players lining up for the anthems and after this, we'll

:26:03. > :26:05.have the final match of its opening weekend of the Six Nations

:26:06. > :26:06.championship in the company of Philip Matthews, Chris Paterson and

:26:07. > :26:25.Andrew Cotter. # O Flower Of Scotland.

:26:26. > :26:34.# When will we see your like again. # That fought and died for.

:26:35. > :26:42.# Your wee bit hill and glen. # And stood against him.

:26:43. > :26:53.# Proud Edward's army. # And sent him homeward.

:26:54. > :26:58.# Tae think again. # The hills are bare now.

:26:59. > :27:08.# And autumn leaves lie thick and still.

:27:09. > :27:15.# O'er land that is lost now. # Which those so dearly held.

:27:16. > :27:24.# And stood against him. # Proud Edward's army.

:27:25. > :27:32.# And sent him homeward. # Tae think again.

:27:33. > :27:56.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE # Sinne Fianna Fail.

:27:57. > :28:03.# A ta faoi gheall ag Eirinn. # Buion dar slua.

:28:04. > :28:12.# Thar toinn do rainig chughainn. # Faoi mhoid bheith soar.

:28:13. > :28:19.# Sean tir ar sinsear feasta. # Ni fhagfar faoin tioran na faoin

:28:20. > :28:26.traill. # Anocht a theam sa bhearna baoil.

:28:27. > :28:31.# Le gean ar Ghaeil chun bais no saoil.

:28:32. > :28:37.# Le gunna screach, faoi lamhach na bpilear.

:28:38. > :28:43.# Seo libh canaig amhran na bhFiann #.

:28:44. > :29:18.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE # Come the day and come the hour.

:29:19. > :29:23.# Come the power and the glory. # We have come to answer.

:29:24. > :29:30.# Our Country's call. # From the four proud provinces of

:29:31. > :29:39.Ireland?. # Ireland, Ireland.

:29:40. > :29:44.# Together standing tall. # Shoulder to shoulder.

:29:45. > :30:14.# We'll answer Ireland's call?. # Ireland, Ireland.

:30:15. > :30:25.# Together standing tall. # Shoulder to shoulder.

:30:26. > :30:33.# We'll answer Ireland's call. CHEERING AND APPLAUSE

:30:34. > :30:40.You it has been a long time to fester after the opening start

:30:41. > :30:52.against the All Blacks. -- it has been. Joe Schmidt once that

:30:53. > :30:57.performance repeated in every game. Paul O'Connell is out with a chest

:30:58. > :31:09.infection. The loss of Sean O'Brien will be felt as well. O'Driscoll is

:31:10. > :31:21.partnered by Marshall in the middle. Dave Kearney is filling in at left

:31:22. > :31:34.wing. Tim Swinson gets a first taste alongside Hamilton. Duncan Weir is

:31:35. > :31:42.given the fly-half role. Alex Dunbar will also be experiencing this

:31:43. > :31:48.competition for the first time. Strong replacements for Scotland on

:31:49. > :32:01.the bench. The referee having a secret word with Duncan Weir. Craig

:32:02. > :32:05.Joubert, a South African. Fluffy clouds above, blue sky. A full

:32:06. > :32:15.stadium and we are just about ready for the final game of the first

:32:16. > :32:22.weekend of the 2014 RBS Six Nations. Who will claim the third victory?

:32:23. > :32:28.Following Wales against Italy and that late victory for France against

:32:29. > :32:37.England. The whistle-blowers and we begin at Lansdowne Road. -- the

:32:38. > :33:30.whistle blows. A bit of early continuity for

:33:31. > :33:55.Scotland. Scotland poking around side to side

:33:56. > :34:05.at the moment, not making too much ground. They are being smothered

:34:06. > :34:14.between the ten metre line and halfway, Scotland.

:34:15. > :34:23.Scotland finding a bit of space now, confident carrying early on. They

:34:24. > :34:33.are beginning to make a bit of progress. Seeing the advantage of

:34:34. > :34:44.the good conditions here, handling early on.

:34:45. > :34:54.Up to the 22 comes Scotland. A roar from their supporters. Good early

:34:55. > :35:08.play from the visitors. And still they come. A penalty to Ireland.

:35:09. > :35:21.Very, very promising from Scotland but good offence from Ireland.

:35:22. > :35:27.Patients from both teams. -- patience. Scotland showed a lot of

:35:28. > :35:37.composure on the ball, did not panic when nothing was really coming

:35:38. > :35:46.through. John Sexton not going to the line-up from the kick-off. --

:35:47. > :35:52.the line-out. Henry getting the plaudits from his team-mates. We

:35:53. > :36:12.talked about Sean O'Brien being that big loss.

:36:13. > :36:35.Ireland's chance to try to string a phase or two together.

:36:36. > :36:42.Penalty this time to Scotland and this time it was the Scottish

:36:43. > :36:57.players to miss timed it, Chris Henry gives away the penalty. --

:36:58. > :37:03.mistimed. Dave Denton and then Murray low making nuisances of

:37:04. > :37:24.themselves and they won a penalty. -- Low. Both sides really

:37:25. > :37:26.concentrating on those first moves. Just beyond the ten metre line so

:37:27. > :37:45.quite stretching things. Decent effort from Laidlaw but no

:37:46. > :37:47.three points from him. The crowd responds to that and tries to lift

:37:48. > :38:07.the home side. Taken comfortably by Sexton and he

:38:08. > :38:35.is taken into touch. The ball is out and Ireland have it.

:38:36. > :38:39.Kearney, a bit of a slice, so Scotland have the line-out on this

:38:40. > :38:50.side. The early signs of some invention. They did not allow Sexton

:38:51. > :38:59.to catch a high ball and bundled him into touch. Really positive intent

:39:00. > :39:03.from Scotland. They have to get some pace into this game and not let

:39:04. > :39:07.Ireland settle into any kind of pattern. It was long, bit too long,

:39:08. > :39:26.beyond Wilson. Hogg has been busy in the early

:39:27. > :39:34.exchanges. From Scotland's line-out, here come Ireland.

:39:35. > :39:52.Their first real attack up to the 22. Hit by the blue shirts well.

:39:53. > :40:01.From the angle it will be Ireland's line-out within the 22. Again it

:40:02. > :40:06.came through a positive kick and a very good chase. One of the features

:40:07. > :40:16.was the intensity of the New Zealand game. And also the kick chase. Rory

:40:17. > :40:29.Best, scorer of that try against New Zealand. Still they try to keep it

:40:30. > :40:38.up and roll it forward. And here they come with a mighty heave up to

:40:39. > :40:54.within five metres, four metres. Murray is looking for it. No, not

:40:55. > :40:58.yet. So close, Ireland. Still held in there. The Scottish defence

:40:59. > :41:08.frantically rearranging. Not forward, says the referee. I am not

:41:09. > :41:21.sure if there is enough urgency from Ireland.

:41:22. > :41:29.Scotland spared there but that was very impressive from Ireland. A big

:41:30. > :41:38.statement from Ireland early on in the game. The referee had no

:41:39. > :41:46.option. There should have been the urgency to get that ball into Irish

:41:47. > :41:48.hands. Joe Schmidt watches with the rest of us the first scrum of the

:41:49. > :42:08.match. REFEREE: Stand up, please. The gap

:42:09. > :42:13.is too big. It is a big scrum but we hope it is

:42:14. > :42:14.a good, honest, competitive scrum which ends with the ball coming out

:42:15. > :42:57.in some way. REFEREE: I want you outside, please,

:42:58. > :43:11.loose-head. Low was trying to step outside him.

:43:12. > :43:22.There is the drive, working well for Ireland. Scotland will do well to

:43:23. > :43:29.survive here. Very, very promising signs for the Irish scrum early on.

:43:30. > :43:41.Scotland trying to drive away a bit from their online. -- their own

:43:42. > :43:50.line. It is sent high and just into touch. Laidlaw did well to get as

:43:51. > :44:05.much distance as he did. Scotland coming under huge pressure from

:44:06. > :44:11.Ireland. They are really getting Murray low moving backwards. So far

:44:12. > :44:19.the Irish line has stood up pretty well, plenty of variety. Lost at the

:44:20. > :44:34.back by Ireland this time, so boast line-outs looking a bit feeble. --

:44:35. > :44:44.both. And penalty to Ireland. Brown is the man penalised. It is

:44:45. > :44:51.frustrating for Scotland, they did so well to win the Irish line-out.

:44:52. > :45:03.He fights through the contact and the referee penalises Brown.

:45:04. > :45:07.Referees really want to focus on the contact area and get those bodies

:45:08. > :45:12.out of the area and get a clean ball for the attacking side. They are

:45:13. > :45:17.going to legislate in favour of the attacking team. That was a feature

:45:18. > :45:29.of yesterday's game as well some if the referees have had a discussion

:45:30. > :45:30.about that... -- as well, so if... Laidlaw hitting the upright already

:45:31. > :45:50.in this game. Sexton picks it up and his work is

:45:51. > :45:55.done. Three points on the board for

:45:56. > :46:05.Ireland. They could easily have had a try but three points is the

:46:06. > :46:11.return. You've got to say it was a fair reflection. Both sides really

:46:12. > :46:20.setting out, particularly during the contact. The hits are coming in.

:46:21. > :46:39.David Kearney takes it. Younger brother on the wing.

:46:40. > :46:42.Duncan Weir tried to get his small frame of that. A comeback for

:46:43. > :47:04.Ireland. Jonathan Sexton reluctant to kick

:47:05. > :47:09.for the touch. It wasn't a great kick but the chase was good. Andrew

:47:10. > :47:16.Trimble managed to recover it and Ireland are playing from very deep

:47:17. > :47:17.with real intent. That was the afterthought of an off-load from

:47:18. > :47:30.Brian O'Driscoll. Here he is in his farewell season.

:47:31. > :47:39.He might carry on but just turned 35, Brian O'Driscoll, and there's a

:47:40. > :47:45.bit of afters with the referee. REFEREE: I'm not happy with that

:47:46. > :47:46.talk between you and me, thanks. So the yellow everything has to go

:47:47. > :48:04.through the captain. Most of the game has been happening

:48:05. > :48:10.just inside the Irish half. Ireland with the points so far.

:48:11. > :48:15.REFEREE: Crouch! WHISTLE BLOWS

:48:16. > :48:29.There's been a locking of horns there.

:48:30. > :48:35.Cian Healy is a fan of the hit and the new laws to an extent have taken

:48:36. > :48:42.away that because they have to bind and be much much closer. The chances

:48:43. > :48:50.against Moray Ford of getting a hit against him... He's complaining that

:48:51. > :48:53.Low's head is not in the right position.

:48:54. > :49:00.REFEREE: When you come down, you stay there. Once you find your

:49:01. > :49:07.place, don't move out. Almost an element of tenderness in it!

:49:08. > :49:18.Almost! REFEREE: Crouch! Bind! Set!

:49:19. > :49:54.A better scrum for Scotland. Maitland bounces off Jonny Sexton.

:49:55. > :50:04.There was a gasp from the crowd and Ryan Wilson will take it if he gets

:50:05. > :50:09.the ball back. The ball went to loose behind Maitland so Hamilton

:50:10. > :50:13.scooped it up. Scotland being punched back by Ireland. Mike Ross

:50:14. > :50:31.is down. Lansdowne Road a little bit silent

:50:32. > :50:36.as Scotland come forward and get the penalty again. Ireland not rolling

:50:37. > :50:41.away. Mike Ross still struggling over the far side.

:50:42. > :50:53.REFEREE: I realise it's tough but I'm setting a high standard. He's

:50:54. > :50:55.being consistent, Craig Joubert. You can see that Devin Toner isn't

:50:56. > :50:59.making much of an effort to move away. If he released his tackling

:51:00. > :51:01.arm, he would be seen to be making some kind of effort you really need

:51:02. > :51:13.to do that with Craig Joubert. Laidlaw just inside the ten metre

:51:14. > :51:34.line this time. That kick better from Laidlaw and

:51:35. > :51:41.the scores are tied, 3-3. A fairly muted reaction from the crowd. If

:51:42. > :51:45.you are seen to be using your legs and blocking the player out, that is

:51:46. > :51:48.seen as OK. What you can't do is kick at somebody. Craig Joubert let

:51:49. > :52:09.him away with that. 19 minutes gone and we're all even.

:52:10. > :52:48.A fairly even contest so far. A long restart from Sexton.

:52:49. > :52:55.Conor Murray thought about sneaking under the defensive line. Down goes

:52:56. > :53:06.David Kearney and the crowd don't like it! O Driscoll was there as

:53:07. > :53:15.Lamont delayed and Scotland are in a bit of bother inside their own 22.

:53:16. > :53:27.Laidlaw chip it over the top out into touch. Much quicker possession

:53:28. > :53:43.of the ball from Ireland. They've lost some big ball-carriers.

:53:44. > :53:55.The referee and touch judge saw nothing in that.

:53:56. > :54:02.Advantageous to Ireland. Scotland offside, so Ireland playing with the

:54:03. > :54:09.advantage. WHISTLE BLOWS

:54:10. > :54:16.So far, Ireland is working very hard off the ball in terms of running

:54:17. > :54:22.some good lines. You get the sense that maybe the wall should be going

:54:23. > :54:25.to the wall carriers. Rory Best and Luke Marshall are opting to hold

:54:26. > :54:29.onto the ball themselves when there seems to be space for the runners.

:54:30. > :54:35.That's something they'll start to use as it goes on, I think. The

:54:36. > :54:40.Scottish defence is giving the space for the Irish defence and attack to

:54:41. > :54:46.go to. We see Marshall taking it in, trying to fix the offence. Good

:54:47. > :54:52.attack and good defence at the moment, almost nullifying each

:54:53. > :54:56.other. No sooner had Scotland got back on level terms than Jonny

:54:57. > :54:58.Sexton tried to put this one over. The same line as the first one but

:54:59. > :55:36.closer. Never going to trouble Jonny Sexton

:55:37. > :55:44.from a distance. 6-3, Ireland leads. There was a lot

:55:45. > :55:48.of talk about Jonny Sexton's prep time preceding that fateful penalty

:55:49. > :55:57.but he does take a long time anyway. I didn't felt he took overly long

:55:58. > :56:01.over that penalty. It's amazing when 60,000 fall silent and wait and wait

:56:02. > :56:29.and Sexton gives Ireland the lead again.

:56:30. > :56:36.Rob Kearney is well brought down by Sean Lamont. Kelly Brown will come

:56:37. > :57:01.away with it. Duncan Taylor brought down. It's not

:57:02. > :57:19.coming back Scotland's way. Boat comes in and out it goes.

:57:20. > :57:27.Duncan Weir does well but he's on his own.

:57:28. > :57:46.The contacts in the outside channel are fierce. As soon as there's

:57:47. > :57:56.opportunity for a turnover, they are firing bodies in. Scotland fighting

:57:57. > :58:00.to keep the ball. A little bit of sense, understanding and knowledge,

:58:01. > :58:08.as Laidlaw chips it over. Really aggressive work from the outside

:58:09. > :58:11.channel, looking for that turnover. Difficult to call at the moment, in

:58:12. > :58:15.terms of how it's going to go. Ireland seem to have the upper hand

:58:16. > :58:20.in certain areas but Scotland moving forward nicely at certain times. A

:58:21. > :58:28.bit of a break for some injury treatment. A big feature of the game

:58:29. > :58:35.has been the stats in terms of possession. Scotland have had 68 and

:58:36. > :58:39.the Lions share of the territory. Ireland are really living off scrap

:58:40. > :58:41.this. They look a bit more dangerous when they have the ball but are not

:58:42. > :58:54.getting the ball at the moment. Advantage to Scotland. The penalty

:58:55. > :59:02.is theirs if they make nothing of this. Despite O'Driscoll coming up,

:59:03. > :59:03.Scotland still have it. The move is still going as Craig Joubert called

:59:04. > :59:10.them back for a penalty. REFEREE: Number one collapsing.

:59:11. > :59:26.Brought down by Cian Healy. With so much of this game being

:59:27. > :59:31.played within the two ten metre lines, no side really has the

:59:32. > :59:35.try-line in sight so it's a very tame affair at the moment with, I

:59:36. > :59:41.suppose, the contact area being the most competitive. Both sides need to

:59:42. > :59:45.get themselves closer to the opposition 22 and creates scoring

:59:46. > :59:53.chances to really open the game up. An interesting decision. Hogg could

:59:54. > :59:58.have had a pop. Scotland have the line-out, didn't get too much

:59:59. > :00:18.ground. A penalty rather wasted by Scotland. Murray clears.

:00:19. > :00:28.Scotland flinging it about. Kelly Brown scooped it up.

:00:29. > :00:52.The Ross Ford large as his way up to the halfway. -- Ross Ford. Great

:00:53. > :00:57.play by the Ireland fullback. Very promising for Scotland. They are

:00:58. > :01:05.getting some field position, frustrating Ireland. Rob Kearney has

:01:06. > :01:20.given them a bit of breathing space with that kick. It is still

:01:21. > :01:40.Scotland's line-out, though. Taken in the middle by Swinson.

:01:41. > :01:51.Maitland had come back inside but into touch it goes. Hogg has looked

:01:52. > :01:59.sharp, hasn't he? You see him putting it through and you can bet

:02:00. > :02:18.your bottom dollar that Scotland will put some pressure on here.

:02:19. > :02:30.Trying to get hands in their was Ryan Wilson but good save take for

:02:31. > :02:43.Ireland. They muscle their way away from the try-line. And Scotland will

:02:44. > :02:50.have the scrum. A feud tempers beginning to fray at the edges.

:02:51. > :02:58.Scotland doing exactly what they need to be doing, getting men in

:02:59. > :03:06.there, hands on the ball. It is the second time they have disrupted an

:03:07. > :03:07.Irish ball. Swinson enjoying his first Six Nations. Real pressure now

:03:08. > :03:34.on the Irish defence. The referee has come around to look

:03:35. > :03:42.at the troublesome side. A roar from the crowd. An Irish Charvet and they

:03:43. > :03:49.seem to have the better of that one but Denton comes off the line and

:03:50. > :03:55.tries to get it down into touch. The power of the number eight nearly got

:03:56. > :04:06.him there on his own. I think it was Conor Murray who came from the

:04:07. > :04:14.scrum-half position. You can see that telescopic arm coming out ready

:04:15. > :04:21.to get over the whitewash but a last ditch defended by Ireland and they

:04:22. > :04:42.need to do it all over again. -- defence by baize. -- Ireland.

:04:43. > :04:50.You see Dave Denton almost ready to reach out for the line. Good

:04:51. > :04:58.defensive work coming across. So close. Scotland's line-out again,

:04:59. > :05:01.lots of territory but they trailed by three points. A slight

:05:02. > :05:21.overthrow. Maitland is instantly clutching his

:05:22. > :05:25.lower calf after that collision. It did not look as he came down, the

:05:26. > :05:40.challenge with Dave Kearney was fair.

:05:41. > :05:47.I think that might be the end of Maitland's match. Kearney is

:05:48. > :05:54.grimacing a bit. Let's get the thoughts of Keith Wood on the match

:05:55. > :05:59.so far. I think the first ten minutes or so were pretty intense

:06:00. > :06:04.but Scotland with all of the possession, they have one across the

:06:05. > :06:12.field time and time again, have not seemed to have any kind of intrusion

:06:13. > :06:18.into the Ireland line. That was hard to see Maitland landing on his

:06:19. > :06:29.angle. Maitland goes off and a loss of pace in the back three for

:06:30. > :06:38.Scotland, that will be. Max Evans will come on, I am sure. Most of the

:06:39. > :06:46.decisions in the Irish defence have been to tackle low. Whether that is

:06:47. > :06:52.a new Joe Schmidt initiative, who knows. Max Evans brings a certain

:06:53. > :07:26.spark to play. Stand up, please. Let's have a look

:07:27. > :07:33.at where this match has been played. Scotland with most of the

:07:34. > :07:45.possession. There was a decision not to have a go with that early

:07:46. > :07:49.penalty, a strange one. Most of the Scottish possession has been in the

:07:50. > :07:57.Irish half, which is why the game is so closely balanced. Most of the

:07:58. > :08:11.Irish possession has been in the Scottish half. There needs to be

:08:12. > :08:31.some movement before the ball if and when it comes out of the scrum.

:08:32. > :08:44.The scrum is crumbling but it is fine, held at the back there. The

:08:45. > :09:05.Irish defence has to quickly reset itself.

:09:06. > :09:11.Scotland finding themselves again in a good position. What can they do

:09:12. > :10:07.with it? Options either side. A penalty to Ireland. Both defences

:10:08. > :10:13.just cancelling each other out at the moment. Scotland when they are

:10:14. > :10:27.getting the ball, on that occasion just being bottled up. Good work of

:10:28. > :10:34.the ball by Ireland. A game of few points at the moment, five minutes

:10:35. > :10:36.to go, 6-3 the lead for Ireland. Much of it has been inside

:10:37. > :11:03.Scotland's half. Ireland's line-out looked a little

:11:04. > :11:09.bit awry. Both sides making some basic errors, some good passages of

:11:10. > :11:23.play but set pieces on both sides, they are struggling with the

:11:24. > :11:24.line-outs on occasion. That was clearly down the Irish side

:11:25. > :11:47.from Rory Best. Scotland's scrum but called for a

:11:48. > :11:49.moment and then steadied itself. Denton has been very busy, very

:11:50. > :12:06.powerful. The winger has done well. We spoke

:12:07. > :12:18.about, as soon as he went on the pitch, he could do that. A good

:12:19. > :12:22.clearance kick. They are meandering around out with V-22s on the pitch

:12:23. > :13:01.at the moment. -- outwith the 22s. Lovely dummy by Sexton. Still

:13:02. > :13:17.going! Hogg tries to take Heaslip. He's lips cause! Gets the ball down.

:13:18. > :13:29.-- Heaslip scores! Fantastic by Jonny Sexton. I think the grounding

:13:30. > :13:43.was OK but it was the touch-line that denied Heaslip. It would have

:13:44. > :13:52.been a great captain's try. Max Evans just about get him down before

:13:53. > :14:04.the line. That is a very tough one to call. That is not going to be the

:14:05. > :14:18.angle. It is the original angle... Yes, he did put his foot in touch. I

:14:19. > :14:31.have a decision, foot in touch, line-out. The crowd agreed that it

:14:32. > :14:36.is the right decision. With two minutes to go, great position for

:14:37. > :14:50.Ireland. Scotland's line-out misfires again. Penalty advantage to

:14:51. > :14:55.Ireland as well. Conor Murray tried to get it free. Looking for a try

:14:56. > :15:10.just before half-time. What a time to screw it would be for Ireland. --

:15:11. > :15:17.to score. Sexton's kick did not give anybody a chance there. He looks

:15:18. > :15:27.down in disgust, he knows that is poor execution. They say, three

:15:28. > :15:31.points before half-time is not what we are looking for, we want more.

:15:32. > :15:38.This last-minute is a very big minute. The line-outs have had their

:15:39. > :15:51.troubles through the match as a whole. This is how they had some

:15:52. > :15:57.near success earlier in the match. The crowd urging them on. Stalling

:15:58. > :16:04.for a moment. Their body positions aren't low enough. A bit more room

:16:05. > :16:07.to play with. Conor Murray held by Duncan Weir but Ireland getting

:16:08. > :16:18.closer. Cian Healy at the heart of the drive. It goes wide. A great

:16:19. > :16:24.tackle from Tuohy. The try is there for them and it's Trimble who

:16:25. > :16:29.passes. They have their try as the clock goes red. What a time to

:16:30. > :16:37.score! What a try from Andrew Trimble! They were able to get that

:16:38. > :16:41.ball away quickly so the Scottish defence wasn't allowed to reset and

:16:42. > :16:44.they made use of the extra man. From there it was a simple case of

:16:45. > :16:49.putting the ball through the hands but it still had to be done. Maybe

:16:50. > :16:56.Hogg was a bit tight there. Man for man, Scotland were OK. A bit too

:16:57. > :16:58.narrow on the defence. You got the impression that Ireland were in

:16:59. > :17:05.control from that drive. Lovely hands all the way along. Andrew

:17:06. > :17:10.Trimble scored in the corner for his 13th try. Wonderfully executed.

:17:11. > :17:16.Because Ireland had attacked the line so hard, it brought the

:17:17. > :17:23.Scotland defence in. A good decision to go for a line-out. They knew they

:17:24. > :17:26.had that coming. Rob Kearney is back on his feet. Jonathan Sexton with

:17:27. > :18:09.the final kick of this first half. A groan from the crowd means the

:18:10. > :18:17.final touch of the half is not successful but Ireland have the

:18:18. > :18:21.lead. A great bit of enterprise from Jonny Sexton, who's been moving the

:18:22. > :18:28.ball across the field most of the afternoon and got Scotland very flat

:18:29. > :18:33.that time. More of that needed in the second half. That's given them a

:18:34. > :18:36.healthy margin. But the match is still very much up for grabs.

:18:37. > :18:45.Ireland 11-3 at the break. Two thirds of the matches in last

:18:46. > :18:49.year's Six Nations were decided with less than two points. This could be

:18:50. > :18:56.another one. -- less than ten points. The statistics say it has

:18:57. > :19:03.been Scotland's match but it was three apiece after a Sexton penalty

:19:04. > :19:06.and then a Laidlaw penalty. This was as close, you thought, as Ireland

:19:07. > :19:11.would come but with the clock already having passed 40 minutes,

:19:12. > :19:17.Trimble over. Sexton missing the kick and who is to say how key that

:19:18. > :19:26.might be? As things stand at half-time, it's 11-3.

:19:27. > :19:35.Andy Nicol has been talking about Scotland having Sony opportunities.

:19:36. > :19:41.But it's like a football much. Yeah, what we've just seen is when they

:19:42. > :19:45.got close to it. They've had the possession and some of the lines

:19:46. > :19:46.have been good. They can get the ball in the right places but have

:19:47. > :19:56.not been able to make the next step. They've not managed to get any

:19:57. > :20:02.mismatches. What they want is Maitland and Hogg. They've got Hogg,

:20:03. > :20:13.Lamont and Dunbar running at some of the forwards. It's no good me coming

:20:14. > :20:16.to you and you coughing! I think their angles of running are wrong

:20:17. > :20:28.because they create overlap but don't pick the right winners. This

:20:29. > :20:32.is early on. They all run to the line but they are just targeting

:20:33. > :20:35.O'Driscoll. The ball should go to this guy on the outside but because

:20:36. > :20:40.they've held the defence, it's the wrong ball. That's good play but

:20:41. > :20:50.they had the opportunity. Look at O'Driscoll. He's got to

:20:51. > :20:56.straighten up, he's got to straighten up and they've got a

:20:57. > :21:02.two-man overlap. Pathetic! You cannot do that. They are creating

:21:03. > :21:05.the numbers but, as I said before the game, they're not clinical

:21:06. > :21:10.enough and not picking the right options. The third man in cannot

:21:11. > :21:16.appreciate the space he has to create for the outside man. If he

:21:17. > :21:20.gets the ball, why Chuck is run when you've got an overlap? It's the

:21:21. > :21:23.skill level and the awareness out wide. Everything else they are doing

:21:24. > :21:31.exceptionally well. They are in total control but just

:21:32. > :21:35.not clinical when the opportunities come. Let's talk about Ireland

:21:36. > :21:38.because they are leading and if you're talking about clinical and

:21:39. > :21:46.seeing an opportunity and make the most of it, Sexton - what a great

:21:47. > :21:49.break. That was a fantastic break. His pace and acceleration and the

:21:50. > :21:55.movement from left to right. It is fantastic. I was looking at Jamie

:21:56. > :22:03.Heaslip in that. He slowed down to take a hit and I couldn't understand

:22:04. > :22:08.that. You get off the touchline and you get your body position down. He

:22:09. > :22:18.wanted to look for somebody to pass two, instead of having a ruthless

:22:19. > :22:22.level to try to score in the corner. Credit to Stuart Hogg. He had full

:22:23. > :22:30.commitment and it wouldn't stop him but he slowed down to allow Max

:22:31. > :22:34.Evans in. Ireland did score. You make the call and you have to ask

:22:35. > :22:41.whether it is a good call or a bad call. A good decision. You have to

:22:42. > :22:46.score. Kicked into the corner and you can see from here, it's ran into

:22:47. > :22:53.the middle of the field. We kept saying, " go wide, go wide". There

:22:54. > :22:56.was a one-man overlap at the end of that but it was just making certain

:22:57. > :23:02.that every pass went to the right place. The difference between this

:23:03. > :23:07.and what you just pick up on a minute ago was that all the passes

:23:08. > :23:11.were quick, with no running with the ball in hand. It was popping

:23:12. > :23:18.straight in front of somebody. You had catch and give, catch and give.

:23:19. > :23:22.In the previous round, they had an overlap. But when it came out,

:23:23. > :23:27.Sexton made a late run which created the overlap. If you've got an

:23:28. > :23:32.overlap, you put it through the hands and use score. That's been the

:23:33. > :23:36.only difference, I feel, between Scotland and Ireland. Denton has

:23:37. > :23:41.been outstanding in the Scottish pack and he almost sneaked over. He

:23:42. > :23:45.had a lot of problems at the base of the scrum. You thought at this point

:23:46. > :23:50.he would score but you can see from behind, O'Mahony and Murray come in

:23:51. > :23:56.here and it's a good pick-up. He gets past Heaslip. Look at the

:23:57. > :24:02.commitment from O'Mahony and Murray, coming in. It is a repeated

:24:03. > :24:07.conversation that we have during these matches, about a line-out.

:24:08. > :24:12.When a line-out stops functioning, whose fault is it? The thrower in,

:24:13. > :24:19.the jumper, the opposition putting them off their stride? It was very

:24:20. > :24:22.often my fault in my day! I will get that in before you say it. It is a

:24:23. > :24:26.system and it depends how it works at different times. I looked at this

:24:27. > :24:31.quite hard. That is the hooker's fault because the ball went a guard

:24:32. > :24:40.to the right where he couldn't get it. -- a yard. It's the whole

:24:41. > :24:43.system. It's like an accumulation. That puts into the mind of the

:24:44. > :24:51.hooker at the very end... That one led to the try. It did. It puts into

:24:52. > :24:53.the mind of the hooker, "I'm not very certain that the people are

:24:54. > :24:59.going to be where they say they will be" . Andy was talking about having

:25:00. > :25:08.possession and what they do with it. Every time they have his possession,

:25:09. > :25:13.-- had possession, it led to a situation... They haven't been in

:25:14. > :25:17.the 22, apart from Denton. Things like that are really crucial to

:25:18. > :25:23.building the pressure, going through the phases, and eventually creating

:25:24. > :25:28.an opportunity. It'll be very frustrating for the Scottish

:25:29. > :25:34.management. We spoke earlier about how important a fit Stuart Hogg was.

:25:35. > :25:37.He's been very involved as a crash tackler but also in open play but

:25:38. > :25:46.should he have been off the field for a trip? He's been very busy and

:25:47. > :25:49.done everything asked of him. Sean Lamont is getting the ball in play

:25:50. > :25:55.here, trying to get the ball in hand. Scotland want players like

:25:56. > :25:58.Stuart Hogg getting the ball in hand.

:25:59. > :26:08.I think that is a coming together. I genuinely don't think so. I've

:26:09. > :26:17.looked at a couple of times. I think he's the most excelling player that

:26:18. > :26:23.Scotland have. I thought that was, but when you watch it again... He

:26:24. > :26:29.has all the skills. He's a class act. The commitment there - he's

:26:30. > :26:35.giving it so much. Every fullback needs to do that.

:26:36. > :26:41.Where is the Ireland from the match against the All Blacks? The fear

:26:42. > :26:44.that we have is that if they don't play with the full level of

:26:45. > :26:48.intensity... I mean, Ireland have had the ball if you times but if

:26:49. > :26:54.they play at that intensity, they will pretty much play Scotland away.

:26:55. > :26:58.At the moment, they're plane from very deep. They did score from very

:26:59. > :27:04.deep, with Jonny Sexton, but that's not where they want to play.

:27:05. > :27:07.Scotland prevented them playing at that intensity because they

:27:08. > :27:12.dominated the territory. They're dictating the tempo of the game.

:27:13. > :27:17.When Ireland get in a dangerous position, they score, whereas

:27:18. > :27:19.Scotland don't. Talking of what Scotland will do in the second half,

:27:20. > :27:27.here's man who should know. What were the key messages at

:27:28. > :27:31.half-time? We've played a lot of good rugby and just let ourselves

:27:32. > :27:35.down at line-out time. Too much ball in their half but we had some good

:27:36. > :27:38.possessions. Getting into great positions are not being able to

:27:39. > :27:45.secure the line-out - how concerning is that? It is a concern. We've done

:27:46. > :27:49.a lot of good work getting in there and put a lot of pressure in them.

:27:50. > :27:54.Some good shape their and that's the biggest area that's let us down.

:27:55. > :28:00.Some encouraging signs. Do you expect changes? We've got a strong

:28:01. > :28:05.bench. We'll look to use the bench and keep the pace of the game really

:28:06. > :28:09.high. Stick a white high-spirited? Definitely. There's been positives.

:28:10. > :28:14.The line-out is something we have to work on. Thanks very much.

:28:15. > :28:21.There is no match of the day to tonight because the biggest game of

:28:22. > :28:52.the season so far is tomorrow night. He's done it again! Great finish!

:28:53. > :28:56.Something else you will want to watch... Oh, sorry, there is Six

:28:57. > :29:07.Nations, Ireland versus Wales next weekend, live on BBC One. France

:29:08. > :29:12.versus Italy live from Paris next Sunday at 2:30pm. The thing I was

:29:13. > :29:16.going to mention when I got ahead of myself was that tonight may be the

:29:17. > :29:23.crucial singles. Andy Murray is playing in the Davis cup. That is

:29:24. > :29:27.after James Ward's amazing victory. You can watch that on the red button

:29:28. > :29:32.from 7pm and it moves to BBC Three at 8:20pm. If Andy Murray wins,

:29:33. > :29:34.England with a group match in the Davis cup for the first time since

:29:35. > :29:52.1986. What do Scotland have to do to win

:29:53. > :29:57.here for the first time since 1998? Duncan Hodge mentioned it, I think

:29:58. > :30:01.the bench will come into it. Max Evans is already there, I think we

:30:02. > :30:07.will see Matt Scott come on in the centre. Scotland are winning the

:30:08. > :30:17.ball, it is what they are doing with it. They can't let Ireland get away.

:30:18. > :30:29.If Lace macro score first, that is it. -- Ireland score first. I was

:30:30. > :30:40.told that you would have a shave if Scotland win. I will happily do

:30:41. > :30:45.that. I think there is a sense of nervousness but I would like to see

:30:46. > :30:48.the forwards carried the ball. I think they are missing Sean O'Brien.

:30:49. > :30:55.They are looking to see who will carry it. It will be interesting to

:30:56. > :31:02.see who it is. You can see Iain Henderson coming off the bench. He

:31:03. > :31:08.has such unbelievable quick feet. In the last 15, 20 minutes, that could

:31:09. > :31:19.be yet. We have a forum on the red button, any thoughts you have about

:31:20. > :31:30.Wales' victory over Italy or the England - France match, let us know.

:31:31. > :31:34.But we still have 40 minutes left to go.

:31:35. > :31:45.The whistle of Craig Joubert blows and Jonny Sexton gets us under way

:31:46. > :32:04.again. Maitland is off and Max Evans is in on the wing.

:32:05. > :32:12.The bounce is quite good for Duncan Weir and for Scotland because up

:32:13. > :32:19.come the centres and sends Dave Kearney into touch. Again Scotland

:32:20. > :32:36.getting the advantage of territory and possession. Ireland unable to

:32:37. > :32:40.feed off Sexton. Ford is feeling the pressure, the line-out has not

:32:41. > :32:45.worked perfectly for Scotland by any means in the first half. Long is the

:32:46. > :32:54.option this time, safely into the midriff of Jim Hamilton.

:32:55. > :32:59.Scotland 15 metres out from the Irish line and they have the

:33:00. > :33:17.advantage. Scotland's penalty. Rob Kearney is off, he gallops off

:33:18. > :33:28.down the tunnel. We do need you, Rob. It will be a straightforward

:33:29. > :33:41.pop at the bull's-eye, you would think. A chance to get back within

:33:42. > :33:45.five points. Ross Ford through over the 15, a long throw to Jim

:33:46. > :33:56.Hamilton, and a lot of control there, keeping the ball and putting

:33:57. > :34:03.Ireland under pressure. I wonder how many rolling mauls generate

:34:04. > :34:09.penalties like that. It is a cheap three points and all of a sudden

:34:10. > :34:20.Ireland giving Scotland a very easy to kick opportunity.

:34:21. > :34:33.Another three points for Laidlaw and for Scotland. Back within five.

:34:34. > :34:41.Somewhere Ireland have to found that's -- to find that spark that

:34:42. > :34:44.Laidlaw ignited. They are missing the likes of Sean O'Brien to get

:34:45. > :34:54.them beyond that gain-line, but somebody has to do it. Sexton chips

:34:55. > :35:00.straight down the middle on the restart. Very effective restart,

:35:01. > :35:21.gives them this wonderful position. Can Ireland again be more effective

:35:22. > :35:24.with their position in Scotland? -- with their possession than

:35:25. > :35:45.Scotland. Sexton saw the Scottish defenders

:35:46. > :35:54.coming up, held on. Chris Henry again. Still, Ireland's ball. Dave

:35:55. > :36:12.Kearney going nowhere there. Too wide beyond Rob Kearney and

:36:13. > :36:23.Scotland have a scrum. This time it is Ireland's attack. Chris Henry is

:36:24. > :36:32.prominent, as is Kearney, but they not able to make the most of it.

:36:33. > :36:37.Dave Kearney's run was very clear to the Scottish defence. It is very

:36:38. > :36:45.obvious there that he is going to pass. I want to see him being more

:36:46. > :36:51.direct and taking defenders on. First scrum of this second half.

:36:52. > :37:04.These were fairly even affairs in the first half.

:37:05. > :37:17.Straight down the middle so it is available to be hoped by Ireland. --

:37:18. > :37:31.hooked. Dave Kearney is brought down by Hogg. And a penalty to Ireland.

:37:32. > :37:44.That is what a straight put-in an scrum can do. -- in a scrum. A

:37:45. > :37:50.wonderful pastor Dave Kearney. This is the pressured the Irish front row

:37:51. > :37:59.are putting on the Scottish. -- the pressure. Ireland have gone once

:38:00. > :38:07.again for this position, they go for the line-out. The line-out works,

:38:08. > :38:26.and it is a gallop towards the line. Surely a try! It is! Two men there

:38:27. > :38:30.and a try for Ireland. The Scottish defence have been good with the

:38:31. > :38:41.Irish maul so far. They did not really get men there in numbers when

:38:42. > :38:52.the ball was one by Dan Tuohy. -- was taken. Immediately it is slipped

:38:53. > :39:12.to Heaslip and it is driven over the line. As much as that try is worth

:39:13. > :39:14.five, perhaps seven, points, they know that they have very much the

:39:15. > :39:52.upper hand. Ireland up to 12 points ahead. It

:39:53. > :39:54.was virtually tackled into touch. Too easy for Ireland there from

:39:55. > :40:22.Scotland's point of view. Scotland near to set -- need to

:40:23. > :40:36.score a try if they are to remain in this match. Very easily read by the

:40:37. > :40:47.Irish defence. A couple of green shirts to meet Wilson.

:40:48. > :41:08.Taylor trying to get this back, and he does.

:41:09. > :41:20.Trimble wins the aerial battle. A little knock-on, Scotland will have

:41:21. > :41:26.the scrum. He did so well to take it but again it was good Scottish

:41:27. > :41:37.pressure on the ball. That was good, by what looked like Kelly

:41:38. > :41:42.Brown, getting in there quickly. There is Sean Maitland, his right

:41:43. > :41:45.ankle in a protective cast. It obviously does not look good for the

:41:46. > :41:50.rest of the Six Nations for Sean Maitland.

:41:51. > :42:15.Free kick to Ireland on that occasion. That is clearly an

:42:16. > :42:17.overhang from the last scrum, when they were pushed off the ball. A bit

:42:18. > :42:40.too eager there. Taylor might have gone too long...

:42:41. > :42:52.It has. Things are not working for Scotland. Disappointing. The kick

:42:53. > :43:02.was read well from Conor Murray. Scotland need to keep the ball,

:43:03. > :43:10.build possession. There was a fair bit of space there for him to have a

:43:11. > :43:14.cut at Luke Marshall and he chose to kick the ball. That for me shows a

:43:15. > :43:33.bit of lack of confidence on the ball.

:43:34. > :43:54.Heaslip nearly through again. More players arriving now.

:43:55. > :44:09.Marshall into the 22. Ireland looking far the better side at the

:44:10. > :44:23.moment. Rory Best again, the pirouette.

:44:24. > :44:46.Ireland's scrum. Marshall has taken a bit of a knock. Scotland have

:44:47. > :44:58.looked a lot sharper. Marshall is having an enormous impact on this.

:44:59. > :45:06.Ireland have improved their game. Dickinson in their for Ryan Grant as

:45:07. > :45:13.the Scottish loose-head. -- in there. Occasionally you win matches

:45:14. > :45:22.by penalties that more often than not you need to score tries. The

:45:23. > :45:26.position has been almost between the ten metre lines but Scotland have

:45:27. > :45:33.had possession, they just have not had the confidence, the ability to

:45:34. > :45:44.take it on. Possession has turned around in the second half. That has

:45:45. > :45:50.been key. 61% to Ireland. Not a bad start to the Six Nations for

:45:51. > :45:59.Ireland. They play against Wales next weekend. Held at the back by

:46:00. > :46:10.Heaslip. More ground made. Good tackling

:46:11. > :46:43.coming in from Scotland. REFEREE: Move your feet! A little

:46:44. > :46:54.loop around by Sexton. Ireland within ten metres now.

:46:55. > :47:02.Advanta had Ireland. An attack to nothing for Murray. -- advantage

:47:03. > :47:18.Ireland. There is the penalty. No advantage

:47:19. > :47:26.comes. Scotland not rolling away in the tackle.

:47:27. > :47:35.REFEREE: Come here, please, Jim. Listen, you've tried to explain to

:47:36. > :47:39.me that you are mates with them and that kind of thing. The fact of the

:47:40. > :47:47.matter is, every time there is a something, you are involved. Do you

:47:48. > :47:52.understand? Big Jim Hamilton having to stick up for himself! I've heard

:47:53. > :47:57.everything now. The level of intensity from Ireland when they are

:47:58. > :47:59.on the ball... It's really stretching the Scottish defence and

:48:00. > :48:05.they're having to give away the penalties. The last two or three

:48:06. > :48:16.attacks, if you were watching Leinster, the Joe Schmidt

:48:17. > :48:21.influence... A lot of movement. Maybe in the 3-34-macro months he's

:48:22. > :48:34.had in charge, he's begun to set his mark on how he wants to see it. They

:48:35. > :48:38.are not looking back inside so much. Sexton again goes into the long,

:48:39. > :48:54.thoughtful pause and the silence is in the stadium again.

:48:55. > :49:08.This one is good! It moves Ireland beyond 20 points and their lead is

:49:09. > :49:17.looking very strong now. This is the penalty and here's the pressure.

:49:18. > :49:23.Sexton putting the ball into there. They're looking to the outside

:49:24. > :49:27.channels again. Rob Kearney hitting the wide channels and you can expect

:49:28. > :49:33.to see a lot more of that if Ireland get field position. Johnnie Beattie

:49:34. > :49:43.is on, Kelly Brown is off. Richard Gray is on as well in the second

:49:44. > :50:08.row. So, Richard Gray is on for Jim Hamilton.

:50:09. > :50:17.Scotland got away with one there. The referee didn't spot it. The

:50:18. > :50:27.touch judge is still waiting in field because he spotted that.

:50:28. > :50:34.Scotland in the 22. Here they come up with a bit of space. Still touch

:50:35. > :50:37.judges infield but it's a turnover for Ireland anyway.

:50:38. > :50:49.WHISTLE BLOWS And a penalty now to Ireland.

:50:50. > :50:55.Scotland holding on. REFEREE: I'm happy he got to his

:50:56. > :51:03.feet. That's my call. Chris Henry looks to have, perhaps to, damaged

:51:04. > :51:11.himself a bit. That's where the turnover happened. I think it was

:51:12. > :51:16.John Beattie's carry. Chris Henry getting in there. He's been pretty

:51:17. > :51:19.much first to the breakdown but because Scotland have been hitting

:51:20. > :51:20.that breakdown, it's been himself against a couple of Scottish players

:51:21. > :51:43.that he's won the turnover. It looks as if the third match of

:51:44. > :51:47.the weekend is going the way of Ireland but still some distance to

:51:48. > :51:50.go with 20 minutes. Scotland haven't shown yet that they have the

:51:51. > :51:59.creative sparkle that might help bridge the gap. I noticed a change

:52:00. > :52:12.in Ireland's kicking. In the second half, Conor Murray and John Sexton

:52:13. > :52:15.are just keeping the ball. Almost there for the interception by a

:52:16. > :52:47.Driscoll but taken down by Kearney, who did well.

:52:48. > :52:57.Duncan Weir tackling his heart out for Ireland.

:52:58. > :53:08.Such a creative, skilful prop forward, Cian Healy. Ireland again

:53:09. > :53:17.into a menacing position. Mike Ross surely expected that.

:53:18. > :53:34.REFEREE: Turnover good. Picked up by Johnny Beattie.

:53:35. > :53:39.Nobody there for Scotland but the ball is still in there, according to

:53:40. > :53:48.the referee. A penalty as Sexton came through. A pretty clear no from

:53:49. > :54:00.Craig Joubert. REFEREE: I shouted as loud as I can.

:54:01. > :54:05.That ball is still in, I think. Did it popped out at the last minute? As

:54:06. > :54:13.long as the foot is over that ball, it's still deemed to be in and

:54:14. > :54:17.Scotland have the penalty. Cian Healy has been bumping one of

:54:18. > :54:20.two players and then thundering towards Stuart Hogg. He'll be

:54:21. > :54:25.delighted that Duncan Weir got back and made that wonderful tackle.

:54:26. > :54:39.Scotland's line-out. Richie Gray takes it for Scotland.

:54:40. > :54:52.O'Driscoll puts his foot on. It's kept in play, just. He's brought

:54:53. > :54:59.down eventually by Chris Henry and gets the ball away.

:55:00. > :56:07.Taylor did well to stand up there in the challenge.

:56:08. > :56:16.Decent play by Scotland. So eco-green that's what Scotland need

:56:17. > :56:24.to do, as much out of desperation as anything. Showing good enterprise.

:56:25. > :56:36.They need to keep that intensity. More changes being made.

:56:37. > :56:43.Mike Ross is coming towards the end of his career. Martin Moore is

:56:44. > :56:48.coming on to take his place. So eco-green turnover signals the entry

:56:49. > :57:05.of Martin Moore. I say he's nearing the end of a

:57:06. > :57:17.career but props can go on for a long time. If Scotland are to have

:57:18. > :57:37.any chance of this match, they have to score now. A little move through

:57:38. > :57:47.the middle. Conor Murray clears again. Sean Lamont takes it. A long

:57:48. > :57:52.kick by Murray. They decided to put that deep. A good kick by Conor

:57:53. > :57:59.Murray. His kicking has improved so much in the last couple of years. A

:58:00. > :58:06.real strength now. Cian Healy is coming off and Jack McGrath is

:58:07. > :58:12.coming on. Cian Healy will remember his little scamper through midfield.

:58:13. > :58:19.A good day in the scrum, as well. We've seen him winning the ball so

:58:20. > :58:20.often. This line-out works at the back again for Scotland but they

:58:21. > :58:37.have to build from deep again. Duncan Weir pops it on and it is

:58:38. > :59:02.well directed by him. He's controlled his backline quite

:59:03. > :59:06.well, Duncan Weir. He is getting to the wall a bit quicker and wrote of

:59:07. > :59:16.possession. -- a bit more possession. Matt Scott comes on for

:59:17. > :59:21.Duncan Taylor. He's been out with injury for a while and struggled for

:59:22. > :59:24.match sharpness. Ireland, importantly, get the line-up with

:59:25. > :59:47.Devin Toner doing well again. Driscoll had to be up very sharply

:59:48. > :00:01.there because the defence was looking shaky. Charged by the fresh

:00:02. > :00:18.on the field, Jack McGrath. -- by the man fresh.

:00:19. > :00:31.Matt Scott getting a touch of the ball, and penalty to Scotland.

:00:32. > :00:44.Players looking tired on both sides now. The time and the ball slipping

:00:45. > :00:48.away from Scotland. It is quite similar to the France versus England

:00:49. > :00:56.game but the control was slightly better. It is more enterprising from

:00:57. > :01:03.Scotland, they still have a lot of possession but they can't break out

:01:04. > :01:08.of defence. It is such a physical game, particularly in the first

:01:09. > :01:13.half. A lot of players showing the fatigue of the first half effort. A

:01:14. > :01:29.couple of changes for Scotland, Moray Low is off and we saw Rory

:01:30. > :01:37.Best going off as well. Sean Cronin is an. A completely new Irish front

:01:38. > :01:41.row, against an almost completely new Scottish front row. Ford is

:01:42. > :01:50.still there. Neither side giving quarter there.

:01:51. > :02:09.Somebody do something. Driscoll is still full of running

:02:10. > :02:18.strength. A penalty to Ireland. Not staying on their feet as they come

:02:19. > :02:27.through. He is fully committed, but he has to stay on his feet. Gives

:02:28. > :02:38.Sexton the chance to bring Ireland deep into the Scotland half.

:02:39. > :02:43.That was the try from Jamie Heaslip earlier in the second half.

:02:44. > :03:12.Smiles from Rory Best, who is off the field now.

:03:13. > :03:32.We saw Jamie Heaslip's try a moment ago. Wonderful pick-up there.

:03:33. > :03:48.The kick nearly taken by Rob Kearney but Greg Joubert has given this. I

:03:49. > :03:52.think he was a bit quick to give that. You could say both players had

:03:53. > :04:21.it. Kearney and Laidlaw. How well-placed is this kick? Very

:04:22. > :04:26.well placed. Marshall came up. It looks like he's enjoying it now,

:04:27. > :04:30.Jonathan Sexton. A reasonable first half but he really came into his own

:04:31. > :04:40.towards the end with that wonderful kick. This is wonderful, two or

:04:41. > :04:44.three yards short of the line. He is enjoying being back with Ireland. It

:04:45. > :04:55.was hard for him at times, the French experience. This line-out has

:04:56. > :04:56.to work well. It does, to Wilson. Beattie takes the thump eventually

:04:57. > :05:37.from O'Donnell. Some lovely wraparound played by

:05:38. > :05:46.Ireland. -- play. The Scottish back line keeping it alive. Ireland

:05:47. > :05:54.looking for one more try to put this game beyond all doubt.

:05:55. > :05:59.Always testing and tiring the Scottish defence. Once again Jack

:06:00. > :06:23.McGrath is there. Chris Henry is there, finds support

:06:24. > :06:32.from Sean Cronin. Still there for Ireland. Kearney has gone over the

:06:33. > :06:40.line! Try for Rob Kearney. Ireland will without doubt be the winners of

:06:41. > :06:49.this match now. He has done well, getting back into the Scottish

:06:50. > :07:01.defence. It is the off-load, Henry gets in behind, sensible, keeps the

:07:02. > :07:08.ball. That is great strength and power from Rob Kearney. Lovely cut

:07:09. > :07:14.back inside. He is running against forwards at that stage. He did well

:07:15. > :07:20.to get to the line, you could see him stretching and straining. As a

:07:21. > :07:27.fullback you look to try to get the ball, try to get your hands in the

:07:28. > :07:34.game. A wonderful place to attack and he deserves his try. He loves

:07:35. > :07:43.playing for Joe Schmidt in Leinster and here now. Try for Rob Kearney

:07:44. > :07:52.and it is beginning to look a very comfortable for Ireland.

:07:53. > :08:22.Applause for players coming off the pitch, waste-macro about to make

:08:23. > :08:44.changes after this kick. -- Ireland. Ireland 22 points clear.

:08:45. > :09:07.Sexton is off, Paddy Jackson is on in his place. All changes have been

:09:08. > :09:12.made now for Ireland, nothing more to give. Paul O'Connell is coming

:09:13. > :09:20.back for the next match against Wales. Ireland have six days before

:09:21. > :09:29.that match and Scotland have six days before they face England at

:09:30. > :09:37.Murrayfield. Devin Toner is going off, to be replaced by Iain

:09:38. > :09:38.Henderson. Chris Cusiter, so all of the replacements have been used for

:09:39. > :09:59.both sides. Scotland trying to take something

:10:00. > :10:14.from this match but three tries tells enough of a tail. -- tale.

:10:15. > :10:18.Turnover good, says the referee. Scotland refused to release it,

:10:19. > :10:36.penalty to Ireland. A whole new set of halfbacks for

:10:37. > :10:41.Ireland. A whole new front row, some key positions, because Joe Schmidt

:10:42. > :10:47.will be conscious of building depth in this squad, with a World Cup

:10:48. > :10:57.ahead. Tight-head prop, Brian O'Driscoll, he has to find a

:10:58. > :11:05.successor for him. Jack McGrath has really proved himself to be a sound

:11:06. > :11:10.backer. A decent attacking a physician here. -- attacking

:11:11. > :11:17.position. Confidence flowing through the Irish

:11:18. > :11:47.players here. Penalty to Scotland. Quite often the midfield centres and

:11:48. > :11:58.the back row guys, he has led by example. A lot of good work in the

:11:59. > :12:02.first half but nothing clinical by Scotland. Not that final pass and

:12:03. > :12:11.that really positive decision towards the end. They have come up

:12:12. > :12:20.against a good side in Ireland and I think Ireland will be a top side in

:12:21. > :12:24.this year's tournament. Things become more clear after the opening

:12:25. > :12:29.weekend and Ireland's prospects looking ahead? I think Joe Schmidt

:12:30. > :12:35.will be relatively happy. He will want to look at some things in the

:12:36. > :12:38.first half. When they were in the opposition half, there intends to

:12:39. > :12:42.was good but they will want to improve ball retention, aspects of

:12:43. > :12:59.the game in the first half, because they will not get away with that

:13:00. > :13:07.against France away, England away. Ireland are much more effective with

:13:08. > :13:18.the ball. They will have the ball for a scrum. Ireland got a try just

:13:19. > :13:23.before half-time, which was a big positive for them, and they scored

:13:24. > :13:28.quickly after half-time on a Jamie Heaslip with that fantastic try, so

:13:29. > :13:39.when they score is really important. Ireland have been the more confident

:13:40. > :13:43.team. It is between the last 15 and the first 15 For Ireland that has

:13:44. > :13:59.got them into this position. A scrum in the final minutes of this match.

:14:00. > :14:11.A reminder again that the forum comes up after this match. You can

:14:12. > :14:36.discuss this match, France against England, Wales against Italy.

:14:37. > :14:42.The scrum a fairly even contest. Heaslip with a flip through the legs

:14:43. > :15:09.and Ireland again. Advantageous to Ireland as Dunbar

:15:10. > :15:18.came through. Back they come for a penalty. Petering out little bit now

:15:19. > :15:21.and Ireland are looking comfortable. That was a good idea by Paddy

:15:22. > :15:36.Jackson. He kicked a little bit low but he knew he had the penalty

:15:37. > :15:39.coming. Important game time for him. Weir The RBS Six Nations man of the

:15:40. > :15:46.match as Jamie Heaslip. That announcement was met with

:15:47. > :15:55.general approval. The RBS Six Nations man of the match is Jamie

:15:56. > :16:00.Heaslip. Heaslip has led the side well. As you might expect for a

:16:01. > :16:05.player of his experience and calibre. The line-out does not work

:16:06. > :16:14.but eventually comes back to Ireland.

:16:15. > :16:25.Into the final minutes of this match.

:16:26. > :16:29.Will there be a fourth try for Ireland? Jackson found support

:16:30. > :16:42.outside. Already, this win will take Ireland

:16:43. > :16:44.to the top of this Six Nations table but looking to improve their points

:16:45. > :17:01.difference still further. Jack McGrath merely through the

:17:02. > :17:03.middle. Seconds remaining in the match. Ireland looking for another

:17:04. > :17:18.try and the crowd willing them on. Scotland defending only for pride

:17:19. > :17:28.now. Cronin for the line but just repelled. Still they come, Ireland.

:17:29. > :17:34.So close! A little chip through and it might work well for Ireland.

:17:35. > :17:39.Kearney - did he get it down? WHISTLE BLOWS

:17:40. > :17:48.There may well be a final try to celebrate for Ireland. If he has got

:17:49. > :17:58.this down, try or no try is the question. Well, it looked unlikely

:17:59. > :18:05.when Paddy Jackson put the kick in that anybody was going to get it.

:18:06. > :18:20.There was the bounce. I think it's a try. He's got it down but where did

:18:21. > :18:24.it bounce? It was a wicked bounce. Logic would have said it should have

:18:25. > :18:31.kicked on but it didn't. I think it's inside the line. It has bounced

:18:32. > :18:40.on the line, though. Has it? We can't see. No, that's clearly out.

:18:41. > :18:46.So, no final try but a great effort to get it down from David Kearney.

:18:47. > :18:55.It's not a try. Touchline. REFEREE: The ball has bounced in and

:18:56. > :18:59.gone. No try. A whistle goes immediately to end the match and the

:19:00. > :19:02.blues will turn to cheers for a good Irish effort. -- the brewing will

:19:03. > :19:14.turn to Cheers. They found their way in the second

:19:15. > :19:19.half and started taking Scotland a bit deeper in their own 22 and the

:19:20. > :19:25.points came from there. A long way ahead in this Six Nations for

:19:26. > :19:28.Scotland. They have six days to dust themselves down and take on England.

:19:29. > :19:34.Ireland grew stronger and stronger as the game went on. Scotland have

:19:35. > :19:38.to go back home, look at it and it's a big challenge next Saturday at

:19:39. > :19:42.Murrayfield. Ireland convincing winners, 28-6.

:19:43. > :19:49.Keith, your thoughts on that? I think Ireland will be happy. The

:19:50. > :19:53.increased the intensity. They put Scotland under pressure all the

:19:54. > :19:58.time. They seemed to have a lot of space. I think Scotland lost any

:19:59. > :20:06.intensity that they had. The defensive line started drifting back

:20:07. > :20:09.and it was a facile win at the end. Ireland topped the table at the end

:20:10. > :20:13.of this first weekend on points difference. Ireland have a chance to

:20:14. > :20:18.follow it up against Wales next weekend. Andy, what do you say about

:20:19. > :20:23.that from a Scottish perspective? Disappointed. In the first half

:20:24. > :20:27.there was some good build-up but no cutting edge. Second half, not even

:20:28. > :20:30.any good build-up play. A lot of effort and endeavour but that's a

:20:31. > :20:36.given, the bare minimum you could expect. There were five points in it

:20:37. > :20:40.after 46 minutes and then suddenly, the waves parted. Let's hear from

:20:41. > :20:44.one of the key figures in Ireland's victory.

:20:45. > :20:51.Many congratulations. A great way to mark your 50th cap. It's nice to get

:20:52. > :20:55.off to a winning start. It's something every team wants to do in

:20:56. > :21:03.the Six Nations. We're really happy with that. A big second-half - what

:21:04. > :21:07.was the key message at half-time? We needed to go after it. We had a bit

:21:08. > :21:12.of breathing space and we felt that we could just keep building phases

:21:13. > :21:17.and attacking and if we got off to a good start in the second-half, we

:21:18. > :21:21.could build on it. Your little brother nearly got on the scoresheet

:21:22. > :21:27.at the end of the second half. When you saw the try-line, there was no

:21:28. > :21:32.holding you. I think that Dan Tuohy made a great off-load. Scotland's

:21:33. > :21:39.defence was struggling a bit so I saw a bit of a gap. The rest

:21:40. > :21:45.happened from there. A quick six day turn around before you take on

:21:46. > :21:50.Wales. A massive challenge for us. We're under no illusions. We have to

:21:51. > :21:57.recover well. They've had an extra day's recovery so we certainly know

:21:58. > :22:02.it's a massive challenge coming. They have won three in a row

:22:03. > :22:06.Championships, as Warren Gatland has alluded to. A bit of extra spice? I

:22:07. > :22:17.think so. Did Scotland get worse audit Ireland

:22:18. > :22:24.get better? I think Ireland got better and they picked the tempo up

:22:25. > :22:34.and dominated every facet of play. They didn't look tired. I think they

:22:35. > :22:37.tried just before half-time to put it out of Scotland and they scored

:22:38. > :22:46.straightaway after six minutes. It must be very difficult when you go

:22:47. > :22:48.two scores behind, not only are you struggling to score tries yourself

:22:49. > :22:54.but mentally trying to get back in the game. You must feel a little bit

:22:55. > :22:59.flat. They kept on trying but just haven't got the spark. Regular

:23:00. > :23:01.viewers, who've been listening to Brian Moore four years talking about

:23:02. > :23:05.putting the ball in straight at scrums, will almost have taken

:23:06. > :23:11.pleasure in what was almost the defining moment of the game. Explain

:23:12. > :23:19.what's happening. The ball has to be struck and it isn't. I've done a

:23:20. > :23:26.couple of sessions with forward packs over the last few months and

:23:27. > :23:30.their 3-34-macro elements of skills that are gone from the game, of how

:23:31. > :23:38.to drop your right shoulder to make certain you get the angle. The panic

:23:39. > :23:43.is lifting one foot off the ground. They haven't had to do that for

:23:44. > :23:54.nearly ten years. That was genuinely down the middle. He was delighted.

:23:55. > :24:00.It's all he ever wanted. They would want to get the ball to Dave

:24:01. > :24:04.Denton's feet as quick as possible. That comes from a quick strike,

:24:05. > :24:10.which is a lost art. They don't do it. The net result of that was the

:24:11. > :24:16.position that allowed Ireland to score the decisive try. A really

:24:17. > :24:23.good setup and a fantastic take at the back. It's the pace. You don't

:24:24. > :24:28.really know who scores this - whether it's Rory Best or Jamie

:24:29. > :24:35.Heaslip. You can see them fighting for the ball and I'd say they had a

:24:36. > :24:41.good scrap about it. It's between Jamie Heaslip and Rory Best. But

:24:42. > :24:45.technically, for Scotland, if they're going to compete, they need

:24:46. > :24:51.somebody else to stop the ball. They competed in the air and there was a

:24:52. > :25:00.gap for Ireland. They defended the first half ready well, Scotland, but

:25:01. > :25:04.three of them took to ground. Suddenly there was nobody defending.

:25:05. > :25:11.There was a shift and Ireland moved it away. As a neutral, you were

:25:12. > :25:17.getting very area it is about Kearney being allowed to score the

:25:18. > :25:21.try. Watch this. He always does it. He gets the ball. There is no way he

:25:22. > :25:28.should score there. Five defenders, fullback, three tackles. He fend

:25:29. > :25:37.them off an scores. He said himself that he shouldn't score there. That

:25:38. > :25:45.sums up the contrast between the two teams. It's not just the cutting

:25:46. > :25:51.out. Scotland's intensity in defence dropped off. When you get a sniff of

:25:52. > :25:56.an opportunity, you've got to raise the pace of the game. Look at the

:25:57. > :26:00.best sides in the world - once they've seen the opportunity, Wang!

:26:01. > :26:10.They switch on and score and start again. -- Bang. We have our forum

:26:11. > :26:15.coming up. Give us a shout with our hashtag or on our Facebook site.

:26:16. > :26:18.It's very unfair in a way to pick up one incident and say it sums up how

:26:19. > :26:25.Scotland's formed a generated, but... The penalty is given. Greig

:26:26. > :26:32.Laidlaw gets it. He goes and Max Evans comes in, comes across,

:26:33. > :26:39.off-load it to Sean Lamont. He goes across. There's no pace. We have

:26:40. > :26:42.just highlighted a ten second piece but that really summed up

:26:43. > :26:48.Scotland's performance. Nobody was joined up, there was no execution,

:26:49. > :26:51.no cutting-edge. Here we are in the first instalment of this year's

:26:52. > :26:55.championship. We had a great day yesterday and perhaps that was the

:26:56. > :27:01.flattest of the three. Where is the balance of power after what we've

:27:02. > :27:04.seen? I think the balance of power may have been in Paris. The two best

:27:05. > :27:11.performances were from England and France. Great games coming on next

:27:12. > :27:17.week and in many ways, teams just want to get the first game out of it

:27:18. > :27:20.and still have a lot to play for. I would say Ireland, Wales, England

:27:21. > :27:26.and France all have a lot to play for. I thought England played

:27:27. > :27:33.exceptionally well and should have won yesterday. A big game next week.

:27:34. > :27:36.Wales come to Dublin. With Gatland and O'Driscoll and everything else

:27:37. > :27:43.that goes on between Ireland and Wales, a massive game! Quite a gig

:27:44. > :27:46.Wood big game at Murrayfield. I don't think Scotland supporters will

:27:47. > :27:52.be looking forward to it. They've got to get it right. Plenty more

:27:53. > :28:09.sport for you on BBC TV over the next 24 hours.

:28:10. > :28:16.Thanks to people from Dundee who said that I said the USA were

:28:17. > :28:22.playing England in the Davis Cup. Great Britain, obviously! The

:28:23. > :28:27.matches on the red button from 7pm this evening and is then on BBC

:28:28. > :28:31.Three after that. Talking of the red button, if you have any thoughts on

:28:32. > :28:37.the events in Dublin, Cardiff or Paris over the last 24 hours, use

:28:38. > :28:39.our hashtag and we'll talk to you in a few moments on the red button.

:28:40. > :28:45.Goodbye.