Another away game in the 6 Nations, and another Scotland defeat, but despite the scoreline plenty to be pleased with. Here is how the men in blue fared:
15. S.Hogg: Looked electric every time he was on the ball. One horror pass, and one missed touch aside, a very good performance – 7/10
14. B.Kinghorn: Excellent first start. Was stood up in defence for Stockdale’s second try (Visser, McGuigan et al would have done no better) but took his try very well and looked exciting – and comfortable – when he got some ball – 7/10
13. H.Jones: Oh that pass…sure to give him nightmares for years. Shackled well by Ringrose but still could have set up the try of the tournament. Shows how high the standards are now that this could be called a poor performance – 6/10
12. P.Horne: There are a couple more in the ‘horror pass’ gang, including the interception for Ireland’s first, but otherwise another decent showing. Its very evident the option what Horne gives in both attack and defence but the execution was not right. Might come under pressure from Dunbar for Italy – 5/10
11. S.Maitland: Looked very interested and was an early target for Ireland’s kicks but in general got no change out of Keith Earls (Booooo!) – 6/10
10. F.Russell: Composed, entertaining, probing. Worked well with Horne, Hogg and made the Irish defence work hard. Very solid performance – 7/10
9. G.Laidlaw: Bit of a return for ‘Captain Slow’ sadly, but the pace was not helped by Irish breakdown ‘dominance’ – 5/10
1. G.Reid: Scrum was solid but didn’t offer much in the loose. Might find himself back down the pecking order after this one – 5/10
2. S.McInally: It’s always said that the lineout is not the sole responsibility of the hooker. The question here is why it improved so much after McInally went off. Otherwise decent enough, but the lineout cost Scotland territory by the bucketload – 5/10
3. S.Berghan: A couple of big hits and solid in the scrum, but nothing else. WP Nel will regain the tighthead shirt next week I think – 5/10
4. G.Gilchrist: Worked hard, but ultimately overpowered by his Irish counterparts – 6/10
5. J.Gray: Tackled to a standstill, but couldn’t make a dent in the Irish defence – 6/10
6. J.Barclay: Made an absurd amount of tackles, but got little change out of Wayne Barnes over the ball – 7/10
7. H.Watson: Carried like a man possessed from minutes 1 to 80. Struggled to affect the breakdown but another decent performance from Pinball – 6/10
8. R.Wilson: Started well, but subbed off for Denton after taking a heavy head knock. Scotland missed his intensity level a little afterwards. Might struggle to be available for next week. – 6/10
Replacements:
16. F.Brown: The step up in lineout was surprising. The breakdown work was excellent. A solid 30 mins and a welcome return – 7/10
17. J.Bhatti: Continues his apprenticeship and has stood up well in every game. Carried well, links well with his backs and the scrum stayed stable which wasn’t a feature of his early appearances. – 6/10
18. WP Nel: Looked strong and healthy. Scrum was secure, but game was well gone by his arrival – 6/10
19. T.Swinson: Mostly ineffectual. Lineout improved, but couldn’t stop the Irish tide by that point – 6/10
20. D.Denton: Loreal Thorsen (as my wife dubbed him) had a full 65 minutes. He was always a one trick, flat track bully and he continues to be this. He is not the answer at 8 in a Townsend gameplan – 6/10
21. A.Price: Game well gone by his arrival. Looked sharp though, and delivery was pinpoint – 6/10
22. N.Grigg: Plenty of rumble from the diminutive centre. Does offer a different approach but Ireland were furiously controlling the ball by the time he got on – 6/10
23. L.Jones: On briefly whilst Kinghorn had HIA.- N/A
SQUAD UPDATE: It has been announced today (Monday) that Scott Cummings, Matt Fagerson, Adam Hastings and Richie Vernon earn their first call-up of 2018, alongside returning Matt Scott, who was involved earlier this year. Magnus Bradbury, Cornell du Preez, John Hardie, Ben Toolis, Henry Pyrgos, Alex Dunbar and Mark Bennett drop out of the squad to return to their clubs.