This was a very “Scotland” way to lose out on the coveted third-place spot in this year’s Six Nations.
Luckily, Scotland will still qualify for the Rugby World Cup through WXV2 (ask me about the permutations later!), but they will be disappointed that they lost this game and so the “best of the rest” label; despite the strength of the Irish team this year, this was a result well within Scotland’s grasp.
Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Set Piece
1. Leah Bartlett: Was everywhere in defence but gave away too many penalties. - (A6/D7.5/B5/S7) Overall: 6.5/10
2. Elis Martin: Took her try well and was one of Scotland’s top carriers. Lineout was a mixed bag and she didn’t seem to be striking cleanly in the scrum. Tackled well. - (A7.5/D7/B6.5/S6) Overall: 7/10
3. Christine Belisle: Carried strongly, tackled hard and went well in the scrum. - (A7/D7.5/B6/S7) Overall: 7/10
4. Emma Wassell: Stole two Irish lineouts and carried well, but gave away one of Scotland's penalties. Only Alex Stewart made more tackles. - (A7/D8/B6.5/S7.5) Overall: 7.5/10
5. Louise McMillan: Quieter on Saturday after an excellent tournament. Got held up in attack again, but otherwise was good with ball in hand. - (A6.5/D6.5/B6/S6.5) Overall: 6.5/10
6. Rachel Malcolm (capt): Will be gutted that she didn't manage to keep the ball in contact for what looked like a Scotland try. Tackled well. - (A7/D6.5/B5.5/S6.5) Overall: 6.5/10
7. Alex Stewart: Scotland's top tackler, yet again (although she missed one or two this week). She's been a real bright spark for Scotland in this competition, and has a massive career ahead of her. - (A6.5/D7.5/B7/S6) Overall: 7/10
8. Evie Gallagher: Another week of Evie being excellent. Dominant tackles, abrasive carries and a nuisance in the ruck. Gave away a maul penalty. - (A7.5/D8.5/B6.5/S7) Overall: 7.5/10
Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Influence
9. Caity Mattinson: Looked excellent in the 11 minutes or so before her injury, with rapid rucks and a couple of great tackles. - (A6/D7/B7/I6) Overall: 6.5/10
10. Helen Nelson: Near the top of the leaderboard from Saturday's game in carries, metres made, tackles, dominant tackles, kicks AND passes. Perhaps lucky to get away with a wee neck roll. - (A7.5/D7.5/B6/I7) Overall: 7/10
11. Fran McGhie: Looked strong and fast when she got the ball. Had to think quickly to save a loose ball. Got cleared out viciously at one ruck. - (A7/D6.5/B6/I6.5) Overall: 6.5/10
12. Lisa Thomson : Took a great line for her try and made 130 carrying metres overall. Defended vigorously and kicked well. - (A8/D7.5/B7/I7.5) Overall: 7.5/10
13. Emma Orr: Two dominant tackles, evasive carrying, and she holds her own in the ruck. In the 'not rolling away' penalty that put Ireland in the lead, it looked like Orr was being held in by Irish hands. - (A7/D8/B6/I7) Overall: 7/10
14. Coreen Grant: Didn't get too much of the ball. Tackled hard but missed a couple. - (A6/D6.5/B6.5/I6) Overall: 6.5/10
15. Meryl Smith: Great pass for Lisa Thomson's try. Looked fairly assured both passing and kicking. - (A7/D6/B6/I6.5) Overall: 6.5/10
Rated on Attack, Defence, Breakdown and Impact
16. Molly Wright: An inconsistent lineout similar to Elis Martin's. Looked good enough in the loose but was part of a worse Scotland scrum later in the game. - (A6/D6/B6/I6) Overall: 6/10
17. Lisa Cockburn: Couldn't hold her own in the scrum as well as Bartlett had been. - (A6/D6/B6/I6) Overall: 6/10
18. Elliann Clarke: Strong in the scrum and relentless in attack. - (A7/D6/B6/I7) Overall: 6.5/10
19. Eva Donaldson: I was once again impressed with Donaldson as she has come through the illustrious second row ranks this year. - (A6.5/D6/B6.5/I6.5) Overall: 6.5/10
20. Rachel McLachlan: Didn't make as big an impact as previous weeks but didn't do much wrong. - (A6/D6.5/B6.5/I6) Overall: 6.5/10
21. Mairi McDonald: Dealt well with Ireland doing their best to slow down the ruck, getting her hands dirty when she needed to as well. Gave away a silly penalty for being spectacularly off her feet at a ruck, and did one box kick that, on tv at least, you could have told her in advance would be charged down. - (A7/D6.5/B7/I6.5) Overall: 7/10
22. Cieron Bell: N/A, remains uncapped. - (A5/D5/B5/I5) Overall: 5/10
23. Nicole Flynn: N/A, remains uncapped. - (A5/D5/B5/I5) Overall: 5/10
