February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The Irish knew that on form they had a real chance of kicking off rugby’s Six Nations championship with a win on Sunday, but no one was expecting a 30-point demolition.
By refusing to dwell on history, Brian O’Driscoll and his teammates soaked up the predictable Scotland pressure with some outstanding defense, and then struck for tries at exactly the right times. With playmaker Ronan O’Gara out with an injury, there was some apprehension about how his replacement, David Humphreys, might perform, but Humphreys answered all the questions with a magnificent individual performance that yielded 26 points.
His total made him Ireland’s highest points scorer in the championship as his 216 overhauled Michael Kiernan’s old record of 207. Elsewhere, the winning margin was the biggest over the Scots in the 115 times the countries have met, and to cap a memorable occasion, Ireland had won seven matches in a row for the first time ever.
So there was more than relief among the players. The margin might not have reflected the highly competitive nature of the game for the first hour, but there was never any doubt that the Irish were in control. O’Driscoll proved too sharp for a ponderous Scottish midfield, Humphreys availed of every opportunity that came his way and Keith Gleeson once again delivered an impressive display at wing forward.
“The mental toughness that we’d talked about showed through,” coach Eddie O’Sullivan said. “We controlled the game in the opening stages, which was so important, and even when there was an onslaught from the Scots, we didn’t concede a try. There was great character and spirit out there.”
Even though Scotland launched a series of attacks in the opening minutes, Ireland coped well and were soon 13-0 in front courtesy of a try by wing Denis Hickie and two penalties and a conversion by Humphreys. The loss of wing Shane Horgan with a thigh strain didn’t upset the plans, as Humphreys put Ireland further ahead with his third penalty soon after the interval.
Scotland then had their best spell, but when Geordan Murphy, who had replaced Horgan, scored a breakaway try, the result was never in doubt.
“We went after them, we went after them legally and kept them on their toes,” said number eight Anthony Foley. “Eventually, they began to wonder when they were going to get quality possession.”
As the Scots faded, Humphreys kicked another penalty and then scored a try after Hickie’s strong run. Now Ireland go to Rome on Saturday to take on Italy, who registered a surprise 30-22 win over Wales in their first game. With England beating France 25-17, the championship could yet come down to two teams.
But then, it’s a little too early to dream about meeting the English in Dublin with the championship and the Grand Slam on the line.
Ireland: G. Dempsey; S. Horgan, B. O’Driscoll (capt.), K. Maggs, D. Hickie; D. Humphreys, P. Stringer; R. Corrigan, S. Byrne, J. Hayes, M. O’Kelly, G. Longwell, V. Costello, K. Gleeson, A. Foley. Subs: G. Murphy for Horgan, 26 mins.; L. Cullen for Longwell, 66 mins.; A. Quinlan for Costello, 69 mins.; M. Horan for Corrigan, 74 mins.; F. Sheahan for Byrne, G. Easterby for Stringer, both 77 mins.; P. Burke for O’Driscoll, 79 mins.