There isn’t much I can add to the general view of the Scotland-Ireland game, not least because I only saw the second half.
What is patently obvious is that Ireland have failed to develop a crop of young players and give them the opportunity needed so that when the likes of Gordon d’Arcy, Jonny Sexton and Ronan O’Gara aren’t available, the team can still produce.
They did produce on Sunday, to the tune of dominating possession and territory and they have completed 92% of their tackles in the Six Nations so far. They were unable to translate that dominance into points and their frustration played right into Scotland’s hands.
Having held out in the first half, and even when they were behind, they must have known that even a few points on the board would make Ireland nervous. In the event, they were ruthless, more often than not following up a visit to Ireland’s 22 with a penalty scored, thanks in part to Irish indiscipline.
It was a game that had some parallels with England-France. O’Gara’s impact on the bench was as disastrous as Michalak’s and he was brought on for the same reason, to try to ensure that penalties and conversions would turn into points and not missed opportunities. It didn’t happen and his cross-field kick was simply bizarre.
Scotland remain in the hunt for the title, not that they will win it, but to clinch victory in this sort of a game is a huge feather in their cap. If they don’t tie Scott Johnson down to a longer deal at the end of the competition, they might come to regret it as he and his team seem to be moving them forward at a startling rate.
England won’t be too disappointed to see Scotland win, either. It means that there is everything to play for when Wales come to town next and a more confident Scotland side could well turn them over, or at the very least keep the points difference down.