SCOTLAND had not won their opening game in the Six Nations Championship since 2006, and Ireland had won by 30 points on their last visit to Murrayfield, so the mood before this match was one of cautious optimism rather than expectation.
But, superbly marshalled by captain Greig Laidlaw, the home team effectively won the game twice. They dominated the first half and took a 21-8 lead into the break, and then, after Ireland had fought their way back into the game to take a single-point lead, Laidlaw led his side in a rousing fightback which saw them deservedly claim their first four-point win in the tournament following the introduction of the bonus-point system.
It might well have been five. After Stuart Hogg scored a double and Alex Dunbar grabbed a third try with a clever move from a lineout, the Scots had the chance before half-time to claim a fourth try. But their failure to do so perhaps provoked a little self-doubt within the ranks, and a Paddy Jackson penalty just before the break give Ireland a glimmer of hope.
It was a lot more than a glimmer by the time Iain Henderson and Jackson himself added to Keith Earls’ first-half try to put the Irish ahead, but Scotland refused to slip into the role that they have been forced to play so often, that of gallant losers. Laidlaw nudged them in front again to make it 24-22, and added another penalty right on time, letting the clock run down - and the crowd become hysterical with excitement - then delivering his kick just as the 80-minute mark was passed.
Ireland took no more than a losing bonus point from the game, but Scotland took massive heart as well as four points, and prepared for the journey to Paris the following week with a real sense of self-belief.
Scotland coach Vern Cotter, in charge of the team for the third and last Championship before returning to club rugby in France, hailed the victory as the best of his time at the helm. “I think it would have to be,” he said. “I’m just really happy. It certainly changes the dynamic when you start the Six Nations with a win, but it’s only one game.
“We had a good first half, then we probably lost a bit of purchase in the second half,” he continued. “Credit to Greig and the boys, they got it back in the last 10 minutes and got the result.”
Scotland: S Hogg; S Maitland, H Jones (M Bennett 60), A Dunbar, T Seymour; F Russell (temp rep D Weir 46-52), G Laidlaw; A Dell (G Reid 56), F Brown (R Ford 27), Z Fagerson, R Gray, J Gray, R Wilson, H Watson (J Barclay 49), J Strauss (T Swinson 65). Unused substitutes: S Berghan, A Price.
Scorers: Tries: S Hogg 2, Dunbar. Cons: Laidlaw 3. Pens: Laidlaw 2.
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