SCOT
No.Name
15Chris Paterson, FB
5
14Simon Danielli, W
13Max Evans, C
12Graeme Morrison, C
11Thom Evans, W
10Phil Godman, FH
9Mike Blair, SH
1Alasdair Dickinson, P
2Ross Ford, H
3Euan Murray, P
4Jason White, L
5Jim Hamilton, L
6Alasdair Strokosch, FL
7John Barclay, FL
8Simon Taylor, N8
Replacements
16Dougie Hall, H
17Moray Low, -
18Nathan Hines, L
19Scott Gray, FL
20Chris Cusiter, SH
21Nick de Luca, C
22Hugo Southwell, -

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: Scottish Gas Murrayfield
5:00 PM, March 14, 2009
Attendance: 55,000
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

81'15-22 End of half
81'15-22 End of half
81'15-22 End of second half
80'Jonathan Kaplan asks for the time and Ireland sensibly wait for the word before putting it into touch to secure the win. Fantastic turnaround from the Irish there, that's the first time they've come from behind to win a Six Nations game in nine years. They really hit their stride at the start of the second half and thanks to the invention of Peter Stringer they can still dream of their first Grand Slam in 51 years. Attention will turn to Cardiff in a week's time, where the Welsh will look to crush Irish dreams and maybe win the championship, but the Irish will be looking to turn the Millennium Stadium green and give Declan Kidney the perfect start to his Six Nations coaching career.
79'Time for another? Ireland go through the phases and Murphy almost breaks through at the Scottish 22.
78'Big shove from the Scots at the scrum but Ireland keep it and ship it wide to D'Arcy.
77'Creaky scrum from Ireland but Heaslip gets it and makes a few yards. O'Leary's kick over the top is straight at Danielli, but it's another knock-on and it'll be an Irish scrum, the wheels have really come off Scotland here.
76'Textbook game-closing from the Irish pack, keeping it tight and running down the clock. O'Leary clears to Godman, who in turn sends it back up to Murphy. The new man sends it back but Scotland knock on and it'll be an Irish scrum on the Scottish 10m line.
76'Substitute on - Geordan Murphy , Ireland
76'Player substituted - Rob Kearney , Ireland
75'Ireland penalised at the ensuing scrum but Godman misses touch with the clearance. An ambitious drop goal attempt gives Scotland the ball back and touch is found this time around halfway.
74'Ireland pile the pressure on at the breakdown and Cusiter's kick from in-goal is charged down by Wallace, but it goes out the back of in goal.
73'Taylor pressured by Ferris at the scrum but they recycle the ball as they try to create something in midfield but the handling is poor and the move slows down. Cusiter clears to Kearney who kicks it back to him, Cusiter doesn't deal with it and allows Kearney to hack on, it's a footrace between Cusiter and Kearney and the Scot gets there just before the tryline.
72'A sloppy Irish restart but they just hang on to it. Fitzgerald almost squeezes through at the 10m line but is caught. O'Leary's pass to Hayes is poor and the prop knocks it on.
72'15-22 Penalty goal - Ronan O'Gara , Ireland
71'O'Gara squeezes it over from the right hand side and they stretch the lead. Things looking bleak for Scotland now.
71'Player substituted - Graeme Morrison , Scotland
71'Substitute on - Nick de Luca , Scotland
70'Scotland secure the lineout but are penalised at the breakdown and O'Gara will go for the posts from a tight angle.
69'The ball is shipped to Max Evans who loses it in contact, and the Irish clear, Godman's on his own and he panics as three green shirts bear down on him, he fumbles the ball looking to pass and D'Arcy nearly gets a hand to it just a metre or two out, but he only knocks it into touch.
68'Good lineout just outside the 22 for Scotland but it's slow ball and they'll have to run it through the forwards.
68'Substitute on - Scott Gray , Scotland
68'Player substituted - John Barclay , Scotland
67'Ireland win the lineout, but they're penalised for holding on and the Scots will kick for territory.
66'Cusiter ends the game by clearing to touch from his own 22.
66'Player substituted - Peter Stringer , Ireland
66'Substitute on - Tomas O'Leary , Ireland
65'Ireland keeping it tight, they don't want to give anything away. O'Leary box kicks and Paterson counters from outside the 22. The ball goes into contact but it comes back to Godman, who clears and it's a bit of tennis.
64'O'Gara's long kick is off target and it's a 22 drop out.
63'Sloppy lineout from Ireland, flies over the top and O'Gara only just gets to it, Strokosch rips the ball and Scotland look to move on. Hamilton takes the ball into contact, but he's penalised for holding on and it's an Irish penalty.
62'Ireland penalised for holding on but Cusiter takes it quick, the Scots burst through up to halfway and Max Evans is just caught. He's isolated though and the Irish turn it over and clear. The ball is received by Thom Evans but he shanks the clearance out on the full.
62'Substitute on - Jerry Flannery , Ireland
62'Player substituted - Rory Best , Ireland
61'Poor restart from the Scots and the Irish rumble forward.
61'15-19 Penalty goal - Chris Paterson , Scotland
60'Paterson looks like he might have missed, but at the last moment it hooks just inside the posts and the Scots are within four.
59'Kaplan doesn't like John Hayes' binding at the scrum and it's a penalty to Scotland just to the left of the posts.
58'Best's throw isn't straight and it's a Scottish scrum. Scotland win a free kick but a poor pass from Godman falls into O'Driscoll's hands. The Irish captain clears but it's out on the full and it's a Scottish scrum.
58'Substitute on - Dougie Hall , Scotland
58'Player substituted - Ross Ford , Scotland
57'Seven points is the lead and Scotland have it all to do. The kickoff is handled well by the Irish and Kearney blasts it to Godman, who spots some space and makes a dangerous looking run. The other Scottish backs aren't in on the act though and his pass goes into touch.
57'12-19 Drop goal - Ronan O'Gara , Ireland
56'O'Gara is back in the pocket just outside the 22 and he takes the ball and casually strokes over the drop goal. Things looking ominous for Scotland now.
55'Lovely pop pass to O'Driscoll and the Irish are starting to fizz, they're just outside the Scottish 22. They keep it tight and trying to push on in Munster style.
54'Sloppy lineout from Scotland and Cusiter is isolated in midfield. An Irish penalty is given and Hines' backchat will give them another 10m.
53'Irish lineout is solid and Stringer looks to box kick, but Hines flies in to charge down but it bounces into touch. Good second lineout from the Irish and this time Stringer clears up to the 22.
52'Thom Evans is flying in to the challenges here but he's come off the worse and he's down and looking in some pain. Paterson makes a pinpoint kick into space and Scotland will look to pressure the Irish lineout in the 22
52'12-16 Conversion - Ronan O'Gara , Ireland
52'Player substituted - Mike Blair , Scotland
52'Substitute on - Chris Cusiter , Scotland
51'Luckily for the Leinsterman there's no problem with the TMO and the try is awarded, but he'll get some stick for that later. O'Gara takes the extras and it's more woe for Scotland as Blair looks to be injured and will have to go off.
51'12-14 Try - Jamie Heaslip , Ireland
51'Player substituted - Jason White , Scotland
51'Substitute on - Nathan Hines , Scotland
50'Peter Stringer makes an uncharacteristic break from the lineout and he catches the Scots napping. His zig-zag run takes him to within five metres before he's caught, but he manages to offload to the onrushing Jamie Heaslip who starts celebrating before he even touches down. Eyebrows raised by Heaslip's touchdown and the referee will go to the TMO to check the one-handed grounding.
49'Ireland really turning the screw at the lineout, they look to attack out wide. Fitzgerald cuts the defence to pieces out on the left is only just caught by Strokosch, he's turned the wrong way and the Scots turn it over. Paterson clears to touch.
48'Fitzgerald takes Blair's box kick with confidence. The Irish run out wide and make ground to the Scottish half. O'Driscoll goes on the short side but he's got nowhere to go, he kicks but it's out on the full.
46'Slow ball from Ireland, and the Scots get a turnover inside their 22, Paterson's clearance is ugly however. It bounces around and Patterson flies up and almost latches on to his own ball, if he had he would have been off to the races for sure. But Bowe just gets to it and Kearney clears.
45'Ball is shipped out from the scrum and Kearney breaks through, he offloads to Bowe but the Ospreys man is put into touch. Stringer gets a hand on the lineout clearance and Ireland will have another chance to attack outside the Scottish 22.
44'Silly mistake from Ford at the lineout the throw's not straight and it's an Irish ball.
43'Evans takes O'Gara's clearance and Evans sends an Ugly kick to Kearney. Looking to make up for his errors Kearney looks to counter from the 10m line, but Evans flies up and puts him into touch.
42'Kearney continues to have a shocker, the clearance from the Scottish scrum comes to him but he delays and slices the clearance, Scotland gather inside the Irish half but are driven into touch.
41'The 22 dropout taken by Ireland and they look much sharper already, Kearney comes into the line and the pass is delayed then drifted to him. But with running room in front of him the full back spills the ball and it's a Scottish scrum.
41'+112-9 End of first half
40'O'Gara gets the second half under way. Ireland challenge well and secure the ball. O'Gara goes for a long drop goal but it doesn't have the legs and it bounces into in-goal.
40'Ireland win the lineout and clear, then steal the Scottish throw and look to press at the end of the half, Bowe makes a nice half break and the ball is sent out to the far right hand side. O'Driscoll and D'Arcy look to link up outside the Scottish 22 but the pass is forward and that'll be the half.
40'12-9 Start of second half
39'Terrific counter attack from Thom Evans, he chips over the top near the left touchline and the Irish defence are nowhere near it. He gathers superbly outside the 22 and Kearney just gets there to prevent the try. He makes the offload to Paterson but he's put into touch just short as O'Driscoll gets back superbly to make the tackle.
38'Paterson almost fumbles the kick, but clears, Kearney sends it back.
37'Good lineout on halfway from Ireland, ball is shipped to midfield and then Fitzgerald makes a half break to get them towards the 10m line. Aggressive Scottish defence pushes them pack to halfway and O'Gara is pack for the kick.
36'Max Evans makes a nice break up to the 22, but O'Driscoll is there to wrap him up, support arrives for Ireland, and Evans is penalised for holding on.
35'Sloppy from the Scots, Ben Blair gets the ball and has no idea what to do with it. He runs around then has a poor kick through easily gathered. O'Gara's clearance is charged down though and the Scots gather it.
34'Good restart from Ireland and they clear to halfway. Ford's lineout throw is long to Barclay and Jason White takes it on.
34'12-9 Penalty goal - Ronan O'Gara , Ireland
33'Silly from the Scots as Jason White is pinged for being offside at the restart and they'll probably give the points right back to Ireland.
33'12-6 Penalty goal - Chris Paterson , Scotland
32'Paterson makes it look easy and he stretches the lead.
31'Scotland get the penalty at the scrum, doesn't seem to be much in it there but it looks to be Hayes in trouble for illegally wheeling. Paterson will kick a long penalty.
31'Substitute on - Jamie Heaslip , Ireland
31'Player substituted - Denis Leamy , Ireland
30'Irish look to press inside the Scottish half O'Driscoll fakes the pass but is smothered, he's got the strength to push on. John Hayes knocks on at the ruck and it's a Scottish scrum. An early change for Ireland, Leamy is off, but he doesn't seem to be in much discomfort. Leinster's Jamie Heaslip is on.
29'A rare maul from Scotland and they make a few yards, Patterson takes it out wide and almost makes it through, the cover is there and he tries to offload, but it's knocked on by Barclay. Kearney gathers the loose ball and sends a thunderous kick up to inside the Scottish half.
28'Hamilton takes well off the top of the lineout after Ireland clear from the restart, Ferris makes a big tackle to slow the backs down though. It's shipped out and Paterson comes into the line, he's hauled down inside the Irish 10m line but it's slow from Scotland and the Irish can reorganise.
28'9-6 Penalty goal - Ronan O'Gara , Ireland
27'O'Gara lines up the straightforward kick, which he converts and that's the Irishman surpassing Johnny Wilkinson as the Six Nations record points scorer with 481.
25'Desperate defence from the Scots and O'Connell takes it on, Scotland are penalised for being offside at the ruck and it's a penalty in front of the posts for Ireland.
24'Scotland backchat at the scrum and the ref moves them back 10m and the Irish take a scrum in sight of the tryline. Irish win it and move it through the forwards.
23'Good Irish scrums and the backs are unleashed with pace, Kearney comes into the line and pushes forward. A half break from Fitzgerald wide on the left nearly has O'Driscoll away but it's ruled to be a forward pass.
22'O'Gara's kick through is deflected and the ball ends up in Thom Evan's hands. He looks to be off to the races, but Wallace just gets a hand on him. Kaplan spots a Scottish knock-on at the ensuing breakdown and it's an Irish scrum.
21'White does well from O'Gara's restart, Blair clears to Kearney and the Irish run it from deep. Good work in the loose from the Irish forwards as they push up to the Scottish 10m line.
21'9-3 Penalty goal - Chris Paterson , Scotland
20'An easy three points extends the Scottish lead.
19'Huge scrum from Scotland as Taylor and Strokosch burst into the 22. Ireland appear to do well, but O'Driscoll is flagged for using his feet in the ruck. Penalty in front of the posts for Scotland.
18'Good scrum and Scotland look to establish a platform, they just hang on to the ball and it's a scrum for not coming out.
17'A bit of aerial tennis which is ended by a poor kick from Bowe which leads to several Irish players being caught offside.
16'Great work from Scotland, the ball gets out wide but the Scottish defence is up quickly, Leamy and is penalised for holding on and Godman clears up to halfway. A ropey lineout is just secured but the Irish hold firm and Godman kicks over to Kearney who pings one back.
15'Worries for Ireland as Stringer is down needing treatment but he seems to be okay and the veteran is ready for the scrum. Barclay infringes at the scrum for Scotland and Irish take a quick free kick and start to move towards the 22 through the forwards.
14'O'Connell chases the restart well and forces a knock on from Jim Hamilton. Irish scrum.
14'6-3 Penalty goal - Chris Paterson , Scotland
13'Strong wind inside Murrayfield today, blowing the ball of the kicking tee. Strokosch comes over to hold the ball in place and Scotland's leading points scorer strokes it over.
12'Scotland playing route one rugby, running it through the phases. Wallace is penalised for not releasing the tackler, a bit harsh perhaps but Paterson will have a shot out wide on the left.
11'Leamy fumbles the restart but referee Jonathan Kaplan says it went backwards and O'Gara clears from inside his in-goal area. Scotland secure lineout ball and put it through the phases.
11'3-3 Penalty goal - Ronan O'Gara , Ireland
10'O'Gara calmly strokes it over and we're all level.
9'Ireland get the free kick at the scrum and it's taken by Stringer. They push into the 22 and Scotland infringe at the breakdown. It's an easy kick for O'Gara in front of the posts.
7'O'Gara receives the clearance and sends it over, Ireland win the turnover inside the Scottish half. It's on but Ireland are penalised for going in over the top. Godman's kick is fluffed and we'll come back for an Irish scrum.
6'3-0 Penalty goal - Chris Paterson , Scotland
5'Ronan O'Gara is penalised at the ruck for hands on the floor and Scotland will have their first shot at goal. Paterson does exactly what we expect of him and he strokes over the penalty from wide on the right.
4'Strokosch athletically takes at the back of the lineout and Scotland ship it out wide to the left. Godman quickly switches and Max Evans makes a half break but he fluffs the offload to his brother Thom.
3'Ireland clear from the lineout and it's into touch. Scotland secure the ball and continue to press, really bright start here from the Scots. Thom Evans chips over the top and Kearny nervously watches it go into touch. Stringer takes the ball from the lineout and clears up to the 10m line.
2'Ireland get the turnover on their 10m line and Stringer ships it out to the midfield, but it's bobbled and Scotland can counter and they've got numbers out wide on the right. Godman unleashes Danielli but the winger is just put into touch a few metres out.
1'Well it's the battle of the fly halves so far, in spite of the 40mph winds. Irish Grand Slam ambitions look to be hanging by a thread, despite some occasional good work Scotland have played all the rugby and could have had a few tries. Worrying times for Declan Kidney but they've got 40 minutes to put things right. Things are still very close, but they'll need to cut out the stupid penalties. Will Scotland rue the missed chances from Simon Danielli and Thom Evans if the Irish come out firing in the second half?
1'Cracking atmosphere at Murray field today, both Irish and Scottish fans in great voice and the anthems were delivered with gusto. Both sets of players clearly absolutely buzzing after that. Phil Godman gets things underway with a long kickoff, Wallace receives and O'Gara clears but it misses touch and Scotland can counter. Sloppy in midfield and the Scots only just keep hold of it and they start to make slow inroads into the Irish half.
1'Ireland travel to Murrayfield for the day's late kickoff looking to continue their quest for an elusive Grand Slam. But their travels to the Scottish capital have hardly been the most comfortable experience in the last two years, getting run close in the 2007 Six Nations and being beaten by ten points in a World Cup warm up later that year. Irish coach Declan Kidney has perhaps reflected his concerns about this game by calling some experienced heads into a team that has remained consistent up until now in the tournament. Gordon D'Arcy makes his first start for Ireland since breaking his arm at the start of last year's tournament, restoring the tried and tested Leinster midfield partnership with captain Brian O'Driscoll at the expense of Ulster's Paddy Wallace. Experience is also the order of the day at scrum half, where Peter Stringer returns to continue his long association with Ronan O'Gara. Perhaps the biggest eyebrow raiser has been the replacement of Leinster's in-form No. 8 Jamie Heaslip with Munster veteran David Wallace. Scotland coach Frank Hadden is feeling the pressure also, but for very different reasons. Much was made of Scotland's potential in this year's tournament, but asides from the emergence of youngsters Thom and Max Evans, they have just a solitary win for their efforts. Perhaps sensing that being Grand Slam spoilers might be the most Scotland can hope for this year, metronomic kicker Chris Paterson gets his first start of the tournament at full back, and the presence of Perpignan lock Nathan Hines suggests that free-flowing rugby might not be at the forefront of Hadden's thinking. So can Scotland spoil Ireland's party and make the men in green's trip to Cardiff next week even more interesting, or will the Irish continue their march towards their first Grand Slam since 1948? Join us at 17.00 GMT to find out.
1'0-0 Start of first half

Six Nations Championship 2009 News