Six Nations 2017: Scotland 27-22 Ireland - Scots stun Irish in Murrayfield thriller
Rugby NewsSaturday, 04 February 2017 at 16:12
Scotland opened their RBS Six Nations campaign with a hard-fought victory over Ireland
Tries from Stuart Hogg (2) and Alex Dunbar gave the Scots a healthy 21-8 lead at the break
Ireland fought back in the second half but two Greig Laidlaw penalties secured a historic victory
Scotland survived a thrilling Ireland comeback at Murrayfield to record only their second opening-round victory in Six Nations history.
The hosts had only beaten Ireland three times out of the last 17 but came into the match after a positive Autumn where they recorded wins against Argentina and Georgia on home soil.
Lions hopeful Stuart Hogg dived over for a first-half brace with skipper Greig Laidlaw slotting both conversions to give the hosts an imposing 14-0 lead with 21 minutes on the clock.
Ireland hit back when Keith Earls finished in the corner but Paddy Jackson's usually reliable boot was wayward, 14-5.
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Nevertheless, Scotland extended their lead before the break when centre Alex Dunbar dived over after an innovative lineout move.
Laidlaw expertly added the touchline conversion to give the hosts a healthy lead although Jackson was able to claw three points back for the visitors with a penalty before the break, 21-8.
Tries from lock Iain Henderson and Jackson after the restart, both converted by the fly-half saw Ireland take a narrow one-point lead for the first time in the game.
Nevertheless, with eight minutes remaining Laidlaw edged the Scots back in front with a penalty before sealing it with another three-pointer late on, 27-22
Scotland: Stuart Hogg
Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (c), 8 Josh Strauss, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Ryan Wilson, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Richie Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Fraser Brown, 1 Allan Dell
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Gordon Reid, 18 Simon Berghan, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 John Barclay, 21 Ali Price, 22 Duncan Weir, 23 Mark Bennett
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Simon Zebo, 10 Paddy Jackson, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O’Brien, 6 CJ Stander, 5 Devin Toner, 4 Iain Henderson, 3 Tadgh Furlong, 2 Rory Best (c), 1 Jack McGrath
Replacements: 16 Niall Scannell, 17 Cian Healy, 18 John Ryan, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Josh van der Flier, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Ian Keatley, 23 Tommy Bowe
Date: Saturday, February 4
Venue: Murrayfield
Kick-off: 15:25 (14:25 GMT)
Referee: Romain Poite (France)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Nick Briant (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
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