Ireland Defeat Scotland 32-18 to Stay Unbeaten

Early Dominance Sets the Tone

The reigning champions wasted no time in taking control. Calvin Nash opened the scoring in the 8th minute, finishing off a superb offload from Sam Prendergast, who then converted and added a penalty to put Ireland 10-0 ahead.

Scotland’s woes deepened when Darcy Graham suffered a serious head injury following a collision with Finn Russell, forcing both players off the field. Moments later, Caelan Doris powered over the line, extending Ireland’s lead to 17-0.

Scotland Fights Back

Just before halftime, Duhan van der Merwe produced a moment of magic, diving into the corner for Scotland’s first try. However, Blair Kinghorn missed the conversion, leaving the score at 5-17 at the break.

Scotland came out stronger in the second half, with Kinghorn slotting two penalties to narrow the gap to 11-17. However, Ireland quickly responded.

Ireland Seals the Win

As Scotland started to gain momentum, James Lowe bulldozed through three defenders to score Ireland’s third try. Just five minutes later, Jack Conan secured the bonus-point try, extending the lead to 29-11.

A late consolation try from Ben White brought Scotland some relief, but Prendergast capped off a stellar performance with a final penalty to seal Ireland’s 32-18 victory.

What’s Next?

Ireland remains the only unbeaten side in the tournament and will face Wales in Cardiff on February 22. Scotland, on the other hand, will take on England in the historic Calcutta Cup.

Line-ups

Scotland

Starting XV: B Kinghorn, D Graham, H Jones, T Jordan, D Van der Merwe, F Russell, B White; R Sutherland, D Cherry, Z Fagerson, J Gray, G Gilchrist, M Fagerson, R Darge, J Dempsey

Replacements: E Ashman, P Schoeman, W Hurd, S Skinner, G Brown, J Ritchie, J Dobie, S McDowall