Eddie O'Sullivan was pleased with his Irish sides improved performance © Getty Images

Enlarge

Related Links

Head to Head: Head to head: Ireland heap woe on Scots

Match Pack: Match report: Ireland heap woe on Scots

Preview: Preview: Ireland heap woe on Scots

Matches: Ireland 34 - 13 Scotland

Players/Officials: Tommy Bowe

Ireland coach Eddie O'Sullivan acclaimed the finishing that underpinned the 34-13 RBS 6 Nations victory over Scotland at Croke Park. Recalled Ulster winger Tommy Bowe ran in two tries while David Wallace, Rob Kearney and Marcus Horan also breached the whitewash.

The Scots dominated territory and possession yet finished with a solitary Simon Webster try and could only marvel at Ireland's ruthless streak. Victory chalked up O'Sullivan's 50th Test win since becoming coach in 2002 - a fitting response to his critics.

''We created opportunities and took them. We worked very hard this week on two things,'' he said. ''One of those was playing without the ball because we knew Scotland would keep possession and that's how it transpired. We had to work our socks off. Having been under pressure we then scored through David with our first chance and that gave us confidence.

''We were a lot more clinical today and that was pleasing. It wasn't perfect but when you score five tries in a Six Nations match you have to be upbeat about it.''

Geordan Murphy was named man of the match, capping a tumultuous week for the Leicester full-back who was initially dropped from the 22 only to be reinstated when Girvan Dempsey sustained a hip injury.

There had been speculation that Murphy's Test career was all but over, but instead his performance has reignited the debate over who should wear the number 15 jersey.

''It's been a tough time for Geordan but he's finished on top,'' said O'Sullivan. ''It does knock a player's confidence when he is dropped from the team but you want to see how he responds and he did that very well. That's what you want from a player. Geordan's preference is to play at full-back but he's more than capable of operating on the wing. I'm delighted for him.''

O'Sullivan would not be drawn on who was his first choice full-back. ''Girvan has been outstanding for us and has been unfairly maligned. His strike rate is extraordinary,'' he said. ''Players can be written off very quickly but Girvan has done an outstanding job.''

Ireland have now won two of their three Six Nations matches and the post World Cup revival begun against Italy is gathering pace. ''Winning through the Six Nations builds momentum and the key for us now is to continue that,'' he said. ''Scotland came to Dublin with nothing to lose and everything to prove. They played some very good rugby. ''If we didn't have the right headset we wouldn't have got through the game like we did. This was another step forward for us and we need to keep heading in the right direction.''

Brian O'Driscoll left the pitch in the 73rd minute and sat on the bench with his right calf - which was subject to a fitness test yesterday - strapped. But the Ireland skipper revealed there was no recurrence of the problem that restricted his training during the week.

Hadden finds defeat hard to take

Scotland coach Frank Hadden found the scoreline in the 34-13 defeat by Ireland hard to accept after his side had dominated possession in the opening quarter of the RBS 6 Nations game. Ireland struggled to get out of their half in the opening 10 minutes but Scotland could not turn possession into points.

In contrast, David Wallace scored from Ireland's first chance in the 22nd minute and Hadden admitted his ''immature'' side's lack of cutting edge had told. After Rob Kearney's quick second, Scotland mounted a comeback before the break but they were repelled on the line on several occasions, before Nathan Hines reversed a penalty decision by swinging his arms at an opponent.

All Scotland had to show for plenty of possession was Simon Webster's try - the only one Scotland have scored in three Six Nations games - while the Irish ran in five. And a grim day took a turn for the worse in the closing stages when lock Jim Hamilton was carried off with a suspected broken leg.

Hadden said: ''Looking at the scoreboard at the end of the game was hard to bear, we put a lot of work into that game. We got ourselves some excellent territory, our fair share of possession and still we have crossed for one try. It is extremely disappointing considering we conceded one or two soft ones.

''Two lineouts in the opposition 22 came back to haunt us, giving away a stupid penalty on the opposition's line.I believe it's a sign of lack of composure of this maturing but still relatively immature side.''

Hadden insisted he had seen signs of progress despite their third comfortable defeat in the championship - and he believes Scotland have nothing to fear from England in two weeks' time. ''In some ways it was a wee bit better than last time,'' he said. ''We played with a little bit more rhythm but not enough to break through the Irish side. The difference between the teams was the cutting edge - they have taken their opportunities extremely well and we have lacked that cutting edge.

''It sounds ridiculous to say it's a step forward because the scoreboard doesn't lie but we felt progress was made. We felt preparations had gone better, there was a bit more understanding in the players about what we are trying to do.''