Scotland 10-40 Ireland, Six Nations 2015 - The Verdict
'Days like today build coronaries for coaches' - Ireland play the ultimate waiting game
Tristan Barclay at Murrayfield
March 21, 2015
Paul O'Connell leads the Irish team's celebrations with the new Six Nations trophy © Getty Images
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It used to all be so simple. Last year, Ireland went into the final game of the Six Nations knowing victory over France would ensure they were champions. Flash forward 12 months and it could barely have been any more different. Ireland had to play the waiting game. It would prove to be one of the most nerve-shredding imaginable.

In the end, they were once again indebted to French efforts to seal their second successive title. Although alarmingly erratic, Philippe Saint-Andre's side did just enough at Twickenham to ensure England ended the evening with an inferior points difference to Ireland's. That statistic handed Ireland their first outright back-to-back championships since 1948-9 and brought jubilant scenes from the Ireland fans who stayed behind at Murrayfield to witness England's glorious failure on the big screen.

Nerves were already jangling among Ireland supporters by kick-off in Edinburgh. After Wales' eye-watering demolition of Italy, their team took to field needing to do something they struggled to do all championship - score tries. Head coach Joe Schmidt had supposedly built a side only capable of grinding out brutal wins, blasting through opponents with a grimly effective forward effort and stifling kicking game. What, then, did he say to his troops in midweek? They came out of the blocks like a train and rarely slowed down. Before this final round of fixtures, Ireland had scored just four tries. In defeating Scotland, they doubled that total.

 
It was tumultuous, exhausting. Days like today build coronaries for coaches Ireland coach Joe Schmidt
 

Central to Ireland's new-found running game was the returning Luke Fitzgerald. The Leinster man has been out of international reckoning for four years after a nightmare run of groin injuries, but his energy down the left wing tore huge holes in Scotland's defence early on. His combinations with centre Robbie Henshaw injected some genuine excitement into the Irish backline and will have done little for Simon Zebo's hopes of a recall going into the World Cup.

"It was tumultuous, exhausting," Schmidt said as his captain Paul O'Connell lifted the trophy under the Murrayfield spotlights. "I'm delighted on behalf of the team. I spare a thought for England, they were superb today and probably deserved a share of the spoils. Days like today build coronaries for coaches. But it also builds character. We're delighted and relieved."

Casting a wry smile over this reinvented Ireland will have been Vern Cotter. The Scotland coach knows Schmidt well from their time together at Clermont, where the latter was backs coach in the former's set-up. He will have known Ireland's direct approach during this tournament was one born out of pragmatism rather than any hard-headed Schmidt philosophy. And at Murrayfield he witnessed Schmidt's ability to coach a squad for any occasion - an ability that makes his former understudy a stand-out candidate for the next Lions role.

Scotland have been whitewashed, leaving a promising squad with nothing to show for their efforts. After a November in which they beat Argentina and ran New Zealand close, hopes were high heading into this Six Nations, but five defeats from five - including one at home to Italy - is a lamentable record. Skipper Greig Laidlaw is a dedicated Scot, but those in dark blue lacked leaders at Murrayfield as the green shirts forced their way through. There is quality in the side and Cotter's insistence on an attacking brand of rugby is creditable, but Scotland need more weight to hold things down when the going gets tough.

Let's not be too harsh on Scotland, though. Bright sparks do exist. It is almost a cliché to say it these days, but Stuart Hogg is a top-class fullback. He looked like a one-man defensive line against England last weekend but roll forward seven days and he was driving Scotland's attacking threat. He was instrumental in making space for Finn Russell's try and was cruelly denied one of his own as he dropped the ball under pressure from a brilliant Jamie Heaslip tackle. Russell and Matt Scott at times channelled the Harlem Globetrotters in midfield and David Denton tackled his heart out, to no avail.

Paul O'Connell lunges to score Ireland's first try at Murrayfield, Scotland v Ireland, Six Nations, Murrayfield, Edinburgh, March 21, 2015
Paul O'Connell scores Ireland's first try and becomes this nation's oldest ever try scorer © Getty Images
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If Scotland lacked leaders, Ireland had a man who defines the genre. Paul O'Connell, quite possibly playing in his final Six Nations, was a titan both in the pack and the loose. Guns ablaze as soon as kick-off was taken, the skipper needed just four minutes to touch down for Ireland's first try. At 35 years and 152 days old, that made the lock his country's oldest ever try scorer. A few hours later, he would be lifting his third Six Nations trophy.

"I never would have predicted such a game at Twickenham, fair play to England and fair play to France." O'Connell said, as gracious in victory as he is determined in defeat. "I've never received a trophy in such a bizarre situation. It's strange. In some ways it's better than last year."

Ireland might have struggled to catch the eye at times during this championship, but Schmidt has instilled in them a winning mentality. Theirs is a brand of rugby designed to win tournaments, not try-scoring bonus points, although they were able to turn on the taps when it mattered against Scotland. Wales deprived them of a grand slam with victory in Cardiff last weekend and England had them chewing their fingernails as darkness fell in Edinburgh, but their name is on the trophy and that is what matters.

No one in the Ireland camp will mention it publicly, but they are sure to be looking at the World Cup later this year with eager eyes.

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