Wales vs France Preview

Venue: Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Date: Saturday, 17 March
Kick-off: 1445 GMT

by Dugald Skene

So, this is it, the decider.  Unless there are two freakish results that see Wales and Ireland lose by around 20 points each, Wales have the championship covered.  But despite what the players have being saying the last fortnight, all that people in Wales and elsewhere have been talking about is the big one.  The grand slam.

Should Wales beat France on Saturday, they will join the French as being 3 times 6 Nations grand slam winners, a huge achievement given the size of the country and relative size of the player pool available to them.

It would also mean that the Welsh have a 100% record - 3 titles, 3 grand slams.  That’s better than France who have a 60% grand slam success rate, or England who only have a 25% success rate.  Many would argue that grand slams aren’t everything, and they’re right, but for a nation as especially rugby daft as Wales, it makes it all the sweeter.

Phillipe Saint-Andre has selected a defensive line up to compete with the size of the Welsh backline.  The impressive Wesley Fofana, who is on to set a 6 Nations record of scoring a try in each of the 5 games, has been moved out on to the wing while bulky centre Florien Fritz comes in at 12 for his first appearance in this year’s tournament.  With Vincent Clerc out injured and Julien Malzieu dropped, Alexis Palisson has leap frogged Maxime Mermoz to the starting lineup.  Despite a horrible showing against England, the massively overrated Clement Poitrenaud retains his place at full back.

Up front, all three members of the impressive French back row have recovered from knocks sustained against England.  The changes have come up front where William Servat, arguably the best hooker in world rugby, will make his final start before retiring from international rugby after the tournament.  Alongside him, David Attoub comes in for the inexplicably dropped Nicolas Mas, who has been the best scrummaging prop so far in the tournament.

So what to make of these changes?  It’s clearly thought by Saint-Andre that Wesley Fofana came off second best against Barritt and Tuilagi last week, and so holds little hope the newcomer will stand a better chance against the powerful Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies.  The selection of Fritz is defensively minded, but could actually play into Wales’ hands.

The Welsh squad is about as strong as could be hoped for.  Captain Sam Warburton has recovered from knee trouble to start at openside and will have the chance to get a full 80 minutes against the French after his personal disappointment in the RWC semi-final.

Captain Sam Warburton returns to the Welsh line-up

There is also an opportunity for 3 players, Gethin Jenkins, Adam Jones and substitute Ryan Jones to join an esteemed and short list of Welsh players to have won 3 grand slams.

The consistency of Wales' line-up is one of their strongest factors, and backed up with one of the strongest benches in the championship they have come through the tournament relatively unscathed.  Gatland has heaped praise on the likes of Dan Lydiate who has been one of the quieter performers but influential on the pitch, particularly in Sam Warburton's absence.  Ian Evans has also excelled at the heart of a dynamic pack.

In the backs, Rhys Priestland has done no more than necessary.  He hasn't shone like he did at the RWC other than flashes of brilliance against Ireland in the opening weekend.  Jonathan Davies has grown into the team over the past 12 months and now forms part of one of the strongest centre pairings in world rugby with Jamie Roberts.

George North has been unstoppable, breaking more tackles than any other player in the tournament and Alex Cuthbert has been going from strength to strength with each game.

But the star of the show for Wales has been Leigh Halfpenny.  Having started his international career on the wing, Halfpenny has now made the full back position his own having worked hard on his spacial awareness and positional responsibilities.  He has taken the kicking duties in his stride and with a couple of tries under his belt, is the tournaments highest scoring player.

Given the form of each team coming into this final weekend, it's hard to see Wales losing.  But then, they are playing the French.  Of all teams in world rugby, they are the most unpredictable and anything can happen.  Away from home and with nothing to lose, they present a very real danger for Wales.

I predict a Welsh win and grand slam, but it won't be an easy one for them.  The French have had their successes at the Millennium Stadium in the past (most notably the RWC 2007 QF win over the All Blacks) and will look to upset the odds.  It should be a an absolute cracker!

Wales:

15. L Halfpenny, 14. A Cuthbert, 13. J Davies, 12. J Roberts, 11. G North, 10. R Priestland , 9. M Phillips, 1. G Jenkins, 2. M Rees, 3. A Jones, 4. A Wyn-Jones, 5. I Evans, 6. D Lydiate, 7. S Warburton, 8. T Faletau

Bench: 16. K Owens, 17. P James, 18. L Charteris, 19. R Jones, 20. L Williams, 21. J Hook, 22. S Williams

France:

15. C Poitrenaud, 14. W Fofana, 13. A Rougerie, 12. F Fritz, 11. A Palisson, 10. L Beauxis, 9. D Yachvili, 1. JB Poux, 2. W Servat, 3. D Attoub 4. P Pape, 5. Y Maestri, 6. T Dusautoir (c), 7. J Bonnaire, 8. I Harinoroquy

Bench: 16. D Szarzewski, 17. V Debaty, 18. J Pierre, 19. L Picamoles, 20. M Parra, 21. F Trinh-Duc, 22. J-M Buttin.

The Magic Of Super Saturday

by Dugald Skene

There are days of the year that just can't be missed.  Birthday's, Christmas, anniversaries.  But there is one day that I get more excited about than any of these rolled into one, and that's Super Saturday.

This Saturday sees the climax to the 13th 6 Nations tournament.  Will it be unlucky 13 for Wales, or even lucky 13 for England?  That's the beauty of Super Saturday, it's all up for grabs.  The Triple Crown and Calcutta Cup may already have been settled, but there is still the championship, a grand slam and wooden spoon at stake.

France have won more 6 Nations Championships than

any other team, 5 in total

Being a Scotland fan, Super Saturday tends to be a bittersweet day as more often than not it comes down to the seemingly annual struggle to avoid the wooden spoon.  Scotland haven't finished outside of the bottom two places since 2006 when they came third after home wins against France and England, following that up with the wooden spoon in 2007.  They have come fifth ever since.

But Super Saturday is about so much more than individual results for me.  This is the showpiece day for northern hemisphere rugby, a chance for the 6 best nations in Europe to battle it out and show what they have to offer in one final fling of the tournament.

The expansion of the 5 Nations to the 6 Nations in 2000 was the same year I went to university in Glasgow, and since then I have spent nearly every Super Saturday in the same pub with the same friends each year, the only exceptions being 2001, 2005 and 2007.  This year is no different, despite now living on the east coast.  For me, it's the best annual day of international rugby that never fails to disappoint as a spectacle and as an occasion and that it's synonymous with getting together with my mates and having a few drinks makes it all the more special.

This year may look more predictable than in the past with Wales going for the Grand Slam.  Even if they lose to France, they are likely to take home the championship trophy unless they really do bottle it against the French and England trounce Ireland.  In a way, it's a shame that the Grand Slam decider is the second game in the schedule as a Wales win would make the England v Ireland game a bit of a damp squib.  Regardless, there will still be plenty to play for, not least England looking for their first home win in the tournament.

So let's look at some numbers.  Analysing the previous 12 championships, we can start to get a real feel for which nations are the most consistently good and bad, successful and otherwise:

• France are the most successful team with 5 championship victories, including 3 grand slams (2002, 2004 & 2010).  England have won 4 times including 1 grand slam in 2003.  Wales have a 100% grand slam strike rate so far, landing 2 titles in 2005 and 2008 whilst Ireland won their 1 title and grand slam in 2009.
• France are also the most consistently successful team, scoring a total of 87 points in 60 matches.  Ireland are just behind scoring 85, England 79, Wales 56, Scotland 34 and Italy 17.
• When it comes to scoring tries, England are top of the table with 182, France with 161, Ireland 154, Wales 123, Italy 73 and Scotland bottom of the pile with a lowly 70.
• Wales are the only team to have got both a grand slam and the wooden spoon, but France with 3 grand slams, did come 5th in 2001.
• 2001 was perhaps the oddest year as the disruption caused by food and mouth disease stopped 3 fixtures taking place during the usual spring period and were postponed until September & October of that year with Ireland playing in all 3.
• In both 2000 and 2001, England lost out on the grand slam on the final day, losing to Scotland in 2000 and Ireland in 2001, making them the only team to fail to take their chance on Super Saturday (again though, Super Saturday didn't really happen in 2001 due to the rearranged fixtures).
• The only team to not have beaten the other 5 nations is Italy, who have failed to beat both Ireland and England in 12 attempts.
• The biggest win came in 2001 when England beat Italy 80-23 at Twickenham.
• The most number of tries scored in one tournament was 29 by England in 2001.  The least is 2, achieved by Italy in 2004 and 2009.

It's hard to think that we are nearing the end of the 13th 6 Nations tournament.  It doesn't seem that long since Scotland won the last 5 Nations tournament in 1999 (I had to get that in there!) and Italy joined the fray at the turn of the millennium.  Already, it has produced a rich history, 4 grand slam winners and some truly classic games.

This Saturday will be no different I'm sure, and I don't know about you, but I can't wait.

What are your memories and favourite moments from the final days of the 6 Nations Championship?

Redskins Agree Trade Package With Rams

by Dugald Skene

The Washington Redskins have officially agreed a trade package with the No.2 pick St Louis Rams over the weekend which now puts them in a position to draft highly rated QB Robert Griffin III.

There were weeks of speculation leading up to and after the Combine where RG3 impressed so much as to where the Baylor player would be heading. As soon as the Rams announced that they were prepared to trade, it was the likes of the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins all vying for their position in the draft.

Robert Griffin III looks set to be heading to the capital

Having not faired too well in their NFC East division in 2011, despite doing the double over Superbowl champions the New York Giants, an improved Redskins team in 2012 makes this the most open division in the NFL.  Not only are the Giants obvious contenders, but the Dallas Cowboys are only a couple more wins on last year from making the playoffs (remembering they looked like shoo-ins before finishing 1-4 and ending the season 8-8) and the Philadelphia Eagles, having put last seasons ‘dream team’ debacle behind them look to be many peoples outisde bet for NFC glory this year.  It’s a genuine 4 horse race which can’t be said about any other division.

With the acquisition of Pierre Garcon from the Indianapolis Colts in the last few days, Washington are in full swing to improve upon last season’s 5-11 record.  In a wide open division, they have every chance to make an 8-8 or 9-7 season or better and progress to the playoffs.  From there, who knows what could happen.

Italy vs Scotland Preview

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Date: Saturday, 17 March
Kick-off: 1230 GMT

by Dugald Skene

More often than not, it has been Scotland and Italy who have been contesting their own little battle to avoid walking off with the RBS 6 Nations wooden spoon while the other 4 teams compete for the more esteemed championship title.  Not since the dawn of the 6 Nations in 2000 have Scotland and Italy threatened with a charge for the title while England, France, Ireland and Wales have each one the title in the last 4 years, three of them with Grand Slams.

Regrettably, this year is no different and for the fifth time in 13 years, and second year running, the organisers have pitted Scotland and Italy together on the final day to scrap for their tournament dignity.

These games have always tended to be very close with only the occasional runaway winner, most notably the storming performance by Italy at Murrayfield in 2007.  This year throws up a new dimension and one that heavily favours the Italians – a 72,000 strong stadium filled mostly with home supporters.

There will no doubt be the usual similes and metaphors of gladiators fighting for their lives in the Coliseum, pitting themselves man against man, team against team.  The fact is, this will be a titanic battle and could prove to be one of the best games of the tournament. 

Whatever each team’s aspirations were prior to the start of the tournament, both will have singled this game out as a must win.  As has been the case so often, both teams have ended up coming into the match winless from four games and now that win is not just a must but an absolute necessity.

Italy have swapped the Stadio Flaminio with the

72,000 seat Stadio Olimpico in 2012

The Italians with home advantage will want to show everyone what they are about and that any team coming to Rome will face the toughest of battles.  They spent the first 10 years in the tournament looking to improve their team and gain some sort of consistency.  In the process, they picked up some wins against Scotland and Wales, but they were also more often than not at the tail end of a hiding.  Things are different now, and gone are the days when the Italians get a regular thumping, especially in Rome.  Victory over the French last year was a result that was coming, and few grudged the Italians for it and many were glad it wasn’t them.

What’s intriguing about this fixture is that both teams will be looking to score tries.  Scotland are already doing better than most recent years with 4 tries on the board whilst Italy have the capabilities to capitalise on mistakes, emphasised in their clash with England.

With Martin Castrogiovanni back, the Italian scrum is far superior and so Scotland will want to minimise the amount of scrum time as much as possible.  A more open and broken game will suit the Scots more but they'll have to watch out if they want quick ball as I've been impressed not only with the excellent Sergio Parisse, but the performances of Alessandro Zanni who has been his captain’s equal at the breakdown. 

The Italian backline will be looking to flex their muscle having not really shone since their last home game against England when new additions Giovanbattista Venditti and Tommaso Benvenuti impressed so much.  There is plenty of pace and experience with veterans like Andrea Masi and Gonzalo Canale to trouble Scotland.

Scotland have 5 excellent ball carriers in the pack with captain Ross Ford, Richie Gray, John Barclay, David Denton and Ross Rennie providing most of the positive elements of Scotland’s play through the tournament so far.  Italy will have watched the Irish go to town on the Scots and will look to replicate many of the methods that slowed Barclay, Ford and Rennie down so much in that game.

In the backs, Scotland will again see opportunities to expose the Italians and will look to the likes of Max Evans and Stuart Hogg to stretch their legs in attack.  Hogg particularly has a natural talent to enter the back line from full back at the opportune time, creating overlaps and making ground.  During his debut against the Welsh, he was the one Scottish back who made significant yards beyond the gain line with direct running and both Andy Robinson and the player himself will want to repeat that success.

Perhaps the one surprise in the team lineup is the inclusion of Greig Laidlaw.  For the first time against Ireland, Laidlaw’s weaknesses were exposed, particularly his kicking where he has never been blessed with a booming boot.  So it surprises me that with such a successful lineout in both defence and attack for Scotland, someone with the kicking prowess of Duncan Weir hasn’t been selected to the 22.

I think on the whole, Scotland will nick this one, but as has been the case in the majority of matches so far in the 2012 6 Nations, it's going to be tight.  I hope Laidlaw has his kicking boots on becasue this one will come down to small margins.  Scotland will look to open the game out and tire the Italians and it could prove for a more expansive game than most expect.  It may only be the hors d'ouevres of the day's rugby but it will set up nicely a day of fixtures that promise to deliver so much.

Italy:

15. A Masi, 14. G Venditti, 13. T Benvenuti, 12. G Canale, 11. M Bergamasco, 10. K Burton, 9. E Gori, 1. A Lo Cicero, 2. L Ghiraldini (c), 3. M Castrogiovanni, 4. Q Geldenhuys, 5.  M Bortolami, 6. A Zanni, 7. R Barbieri, 8. S Parisse (c)

Bench: 16. T D'Alpici, 17. L Cittadini, 18. J Furno, 19. S Favaro, 20. M Vosawai, 21. T Botes, 22. G Toniolatti

Scotland:

15. S Hogg, 14. M Evans, 13. N de Luca, 12. G Morrison, 11. S Lamont, 10. G Laidlaw, 9. M Blair, 1. A Jacobsen, 2. R Ford (c), 3. G Cross, 4. R Gray, 5. J Hamilton, 6. J Barclay, 7. R Rennie, 8. D Denton

Bench: 16. S Lawson, 17. E Murray, 18. A Kellock, 19. R Vernon, 20. C Cusiter, 21. R Jackson, 22. J Cuthbert

Scotland Announce Team To Prevent Wooden Spoon Ignominy

by Dugald Skene

Andy Robinson has today announced his team to take on the Italians in Rome on Saturday and there is one change to the line-up from the team that took on the Irish.

Nick de Luca returns to the fold at centre after pulling up in the warm up last week with a hamstring strain.  Following the injury to Lee Jones (concussion), Max Evans moves out to the wing.

Nick de Luca returns to starting XV

Laidlaw and Blair are again preferred as the starting half back combination whilst Cusiter and Jackson are on the bench.

The pack remains the same, with Geoff Cross keeping his berth at tighthead and Euan Murray is again on the bench.

Elsewhere on the bench, it's a first call up for Jack Cuthbert as the contingency for the backs.

Scotland:

15. S Hogg, 14. M Evans, 13. N de Luca, 12. G Morrison, 11. S Lamont, 10. G Laidlaw, 9. M Blair, 1. A Jacobsen, 2. R Ford (c), 3. G Cross, 4. R Gray, 5. J Hamilton, 6. J Barclay, 7. R Rennie, 8. D Denton

Bench: 16. S Lawson, 17. E Murray, 18. A Kellock, 19. R Vernon, 20. C Cusiter, 21. R Jackson, 22. J Cuthbert

RBS 6 Nations Player Of The Tournament Shortlist

by Dugald Skene

You may have seen by now the official 12 man RBS 6 Nations shortlist for the Player of the Championship award.  It should be noted that it is made up from those players that have won Man of the Match awards in the 12 games played so far, hence why it looks so skewed.

You can see the list and vote here: http://www.rbs6nations.com/en/player_of_rbs_6_nations.php

It is clearly farcical that the likes of Stephen Ferris, Owen Farrell and Wesley Fofana are not on the list, so it's only right that I compile my own list which I think is a truer representation of form through the 2012 6 Nations to date:

• Stephen Ferris
• Leigh Halfpenny
• Thierry Dusautoir
• Sam Warburton
• David Denton
• Richie Gray
• Owen Farrell
• Wesley Fofana
• Brad Barritt
• Tommy Bowe
• Ross Rennie
• Sergio Parisse

What do you think?  Honourable mentions to Imanol Harinordoquy, Rory Best, Ross Ford, George North, Alex Cuthbert, Rob Kearney, Nicolas Mas, Alessandro Zani & Dan Lydiate.

Townsend Heads To Glasgow As Lineen Goes Global

by Dugald Skene

So what do we make of the ‘role swapping’ between Gregor Townsend and Sean Lineen?  The announcement has come out of the blue and the timing has to be questioned.  For whatever reasons, the SRU do have a knack for orchestrating these things so badly.  That aside, let's look at the details with these changes of guard.

Firstly, it's not a direct swap.  Lineen is being installed by the SRU in a global scouting role, or 'Head of Player Acquistion', seeking out eligible Scottish talent from around the world as well as developing the talent at home.  He will be working closely with the quietest man in Scottish Rugby Graham Lowe, Scottish Rugby’s director of performance rugby.

On the face of it, this may sound desperate - looking for inspiration from outside - but this isn't new for Scotland.  Ever since the dawn of the professional era, many New Zealand and Australian born players amongst others have represented Scotland (see the imminent arrival of Dutch born Tim Visser in a Scotland shirt in the summer).  It's also not stupid.  With a relatively small player pool in relation to population compared to the like of England or Wales, it is only prudent that Scotland look around for others who are eligible.  Lineen will also become the Scotland U-20 coach.

About his time with Glasgow and his future role, Lineen said on Sunday "Seven years as head coach is more than some people get and I will support Gregor and help make it as smooth a transition as possible for him and the squad and staff we have here.

“I will still have a role within Scottish rugby, which I’m very enthusiastic about. I can’t say too much about it at the moment, but it will involve the player acquisition side of things and looking to develop more Scottish talent here and outside Scotland.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for Gregor. He is a good coach, with good ideas, very good technically, and we have been working with him quite closely. He works well one-on-one with the players and while he lacks coaching experience with a club, he will have a lot of support here. He will have to learn quickly, but I wish him all the best.”

Sean Lineen has been in charge of Glasgow since 2006

So how does this impact both Glasgow and the national team?  Firstly, with Glasgow, it’s a bit of an unknown.  Townsend will be familiar with many of the players, particularly the backs like Jackson, Cusiter, Morrison and more recently Weir and Hogg.  When you throw in other players involved in the Scotland set-up like John Barclay, Ed Kalman, Moray Low, Al Kellock and the rest, you start to think that there may be a fairly fluid transition.

Townsend certainly is saying the right things at the moment, stating “When the time comes for me to step in, I’ll be doing everything I can to ensure the club continues to progress."

Any uncertainty however comes from where and how Townsend will take the team as the top dog at the club.  He has never been in control of an entire outfit before, never mind at this level and it’s this inexperience that holds so many unknowns.  Lineen leaves a legacy at the club which has gone from strength to strength under his stewardship.  The biggest question of all is whether Townsend can not only maintain that, but add to it too.

For Scotland, it’s slightly different.  Despite having a global role rather than a more hands-on role with the national team, Lineen will be able to provide detailed and intimate knowledge of many of the players from either coaching them directly or coaching against them with the likes of the Edinburgh players.  Like Townsend, he brings international experience and an understanding of what it takes to play for your country, albeit his adopted nation. 

It is particularly good news for certain players.  It has long been recognised that Ruaridh Jackson is Andy Robinson’s longterm vision for fly half for Scotland.  This vision may have been clouded slightly by good if unspectacular performances by Greig Laidlaw during Jackson’s absence through injury, but I would reckon Jackson is still front of the queue going forward.  Lineen’s intimate knowledge of Jackson’s qualities and constraints will be valuable in setting up a successful and balanced backline and game strategy.

It’s also good news for Duncan Weir.  For many of the same reasons as Jackson, there suddenly becomes a slightly more open door for Weir to walk through and try and grab the supporting role slot, and maybe even the leading role should he perform well.  At only 20 years old he holds much promise for Scotland and with a huge boot on him, lends himself to a more tactical kicking game which seems to be coming more into play with tough defences dominating the game at present.

It’s clear that work is needed on the Scotland back line, and Lineen's input will help newly installed skills coach Scott Williams immeasurably.  With this combination, I think we can all look forward to improvement in the backs. Gregor Townsend’s inexperience in coaching has shown, but it shouldn’t be something to pit against him.

Robinson’s own expertise in the forwards has borne much for the Scotland fans to be happy about.  The Scottish pack is as consistent as it has been for years, excellent in the loose and at the lineout.  However, the scrum is still a worry and there seems to be a national shortage of top class props. 

With such focus south of the border on the desire to have an English coach lead the national team, it seems Scotland is heading in the opposite direction with the removal of Townsend and Graham Steadman from the set-up and the introduction of Antipodean instalments Lineen, Williams and Matt Taylor (who also takes over from Gary Mercer as Glasgow's defence coach).

I do believe that Scotland have improved of late, despite the results suggesting otherwise, but I also feel that this particular coaching team has taken the team as far as they can.  Changing that team is healthy as well as a requirement in my opinion, and experience is key.  Keeping Robinson makes sense has he has done little wrong during his time.  That consistency will be good for the players and having experienced coaches who have had responsibility of making those similar decisions for successful clubs will only help Robinson, particularly when it comes to mid-match decisions like substitutions.

This is a bigger loss for Glasgow than it is for Scotland.  The timing seems a little odd as well, but hopefully the effect of Lineen's departure will be to galvanise the Glasgow team as they continue their pursuit of a playoff place in the RaboDirect league.

6 Nations Round 4: Team Of The Round

by Dugald Skene

Here's my take on the outstanding performers in this weekends RBS 6 Nations. What do you think?

1. Cian Healy
2. Rory Best
3. Dan Cole
4. Richie Gray
5. Ian Evans
6. Tom Croft
7. Julien Bonnaire
8. Sergio Parisse

9. Eoin Reddan
10. Owen Farrell
11. Andrew Trimble
12. Jamie Roberts
13. Manu Tuilagi
14. Alex Cuthbert
15. Leigh Halfpenny

Jamie Roberts scoring for Wales against Italy

Honourable mentions go to Imanol Harinordoquy, Lee Dickson, Chris Robshaw, Keith Earls, David Denton, Wesley Fofana, Brad Barritt, Stephen Ferris and Donnacha Ryan.

What do you think? Who would you change?

Scotland Lose Battle To Forget In Dublin

Ireland 32-14 Scotland

by Dugald Skene

"We are where we are" were the strikingly resigned words from Andy Robinson during the press conference following Saturday's Scotland defeat to Ireland in Dublin.

It's easy to understand his frustrations. As seems to be the way with Scotland in this tournament, it was individual errors and lapses in concentration that led to Scotland's downfall, rather than coaches tactics or decisions.  Take the Irish tries, at least two of which could be considered soft from Scotland's point of view.  Certainly, Eoin Reddan's squirm from the tackle area to touch down for Ireland's second should never have been allowed by the Scottish forwards and Andrew Trimble should never have been allowed over the line from where he first made contact with Lee Jones.

Many of the pre-match issues and players that were singled out before the match never really came into play.  Ross Rennie had a relatively quiet game by his standards, rarely capitalising on the breakdown advantage that Scotland gained following the withdrawal of Sean O'Brien.  Tommy Bowe, with 5 tries already to his name, never really featured in a game where he was perhaps judged unlucky to not to be awarded a try after an almost comical wrestling match with Graeme Morrison.

And then there was the much vaunted 'choke' tackle.  Was it because one of it's key exponents Sean O'Brien was missing?  Was it because the Irish pulled back on their use of it following a week of talk on it? Or was it because Scotland played to avoid it happening so much?  Maybe it was a bit of all three, but ultimately it didn't play a part in the game as much as many predicted.  If anything, it was the Scots who tried it on the Irish every so often, with Rennie on at least two occasions seen to be holding the man up.

Instead of any of these, it was the lesser known names on the pitch that made much of the impact on this fixture.  With Paul O'Connell missing, it was Donacha Ryan who stepped up to give a man of the match performance, competing at the breakdown well, carrying efficiently and also was the first man in the tournament to steal ball from the Scottish lineout, twice.

The Irish as a whole were in a very aggressive mood throughout the fixture.  Cian Healy was like a bull in a china shop at times, constantly looking for carries and puncturing holes in the Scottish defensive line.  Simply, he was a pest for the Scots.  Johnny Sexton too, continued to provide evidence of his new found defensive confidence.  Rory Best was also feeling in confident mood as captain, choosing to kick to the corner when his team were 6-0 down.  His decision proved to be the right one as he himself scored in the corner from the resultant set play from the lineout, flooring Mike Blair in the process.

If there were signs of the Irish flagging after only a 6 day turnaround from the French game,I didn't see them. They looked more like the team that had the extra week preparation and that says a lot about the game.  Scotland looked tired at times and the usual perpetual ball carrying of Rennie and Ford didn't happen. 

I think the late withdrawal of Nick de Luca during the warm up due to a hamstring strain played a bigger factor than most recognise in the game.  With Max Evans taking his place at 13 and leaving Sean Lamont on the wing to look after Tommy Bowe, their was suddenly an imbalance in the midfield which Keith Earls did well to expose several times.  Had de Luca remained in the line up and played like he had against France, I think Scotland would have had the upper hand in the midfield, particularly in defence where he is more accustomed to the blitz defence.

There were positive performances from Scotland.  Denton was everywhere once again and Richie Gray had another fine game, scoring after selling fullback Rob Kearney the most audacious of dummies.

Richie Gray was in imperious form in the loose against Ireland

That try 3 minutes before half time should have seen Scotland go into half time with only a 3 point deficit but instead they allowed the Irish to come back at them, ending with Trimble scoring in the corner after Lee Jones missed his tackle.  What Gray's try did expose were the occasional defensive frailties of the Irish team in that first half, something that Scotland again failed to capitalise on.

With Scotland seep into Irish territory midway through the first half, Ross Ford made the decision to kick to the corner and work the ball from there rather than plump for the 3 points on offer.  Although Scotland didn't strike from the lineout play, the Irish were penalised, and warned for foul play from the referee.  What Ford did next, for me, showed his inexperience as captain.  By then opting for the 3 points, he not only undermined his own earlier decision to kick for touch, but also missed an opportunity to pile pressure on an Irish team in their own 5 metre zone whilst on a warning.  Any infringement would likely have taken the Irish down to 14 men at a time when Scotland were playing good rugby.

Scotland's frustration was epitomised by the Max Evans sinbinning. Hogg, who had a very quiet game, had the danger covered as Keith Earls poked through an over-egged kick towards the try line, but Evans felt compelled to tug on the Irishman who made the most of the contact.  It meant Evans was out for the final 7 minutes or so of the game.  Scotland were then camped within 10 metres of their own line for the remainder while Ireland capitalised on the numerical advantage with Fergus McFadden scoring under the posts.

There isn't a great deal that Scotland can take from this one.  After the weeks of promise accumulated from the performances against Wales and France particularly, much of the good work was undone to an extent.  Players underperformed or weren't allowed to perform.  I felt Greig Laidlaw's weaknesses were exposed by Ireland and he looked lost at times and very very small.  Stuart Hogg was quiet and Lee Jones missed tackle was the second time in this tournament he has been run over and a try has resulted.  His later clash with Andrew Trimble knocked him out cold on the pitch.  He was taken to hospital with his parents for precautionary scans. 

In truth, it was all of Scotland who were knocked out in Ireland and will want to forget this one quickly.  With a week before facing a tough Italian side in the 72,000 seat Stadio Olimpico in Rome, Scotland have a lot of work to do to avoid a wooden spoon and a seventh consecutive defeat.