London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Monday, Oct 27, 2025

Ireland one win from Grand Slam after beating Scots

Ireland one win from Grand Slam after beating Scots

Ireland need a home win against England next week to complete a Grand Slam after grinding out a clinical victory over Scotland at Murrayfield.

The improving hosts matched the side ranked number one in the world in an enthralling first half, with Huw Jones and Mack Hansen trading tries.

Despite a glut of injuries, including both hookers, Ireland found a way to earn an eighth successive win over Scotland as James Lowe and Jack Conan touched down against opponents who badly lost their way after the break.

With out-of-sorts England suffering a record home loss to France on Saturday, Andy Farrell's formidable squad are now heavy favourites for a repeat of 2018's clean sweep.

This was billed as one of the matches of the championship. Scotland's best team of the Six Nations era against Ireland's best team ever.

Scotland were led out by Stuart Hogg on the occasion of his 100th cap and if there were nerves in the Hawick man's stomach, they were mirrored by his team-mates in the opening exchanges.

One of the key elements of Ireland's victory on their last visit to Edinburgh in 2021 was the disastrous meltdown of the Scottish line-out.

The memories came flooding back when George Turner failed to find his man with his first two throws, one of which led to Ireland crossing the try-line, only for the score to be ruled out because Turner had taken the quick throw with a new ball. Saved by the rulebook.

After limiting the damage to just three points, the Scots went down the other end and battered the Irish line until the door was prised ajar and Sione Tuipulotu sent Jones careering through to score.

The world's number one side were unlikely to be spooked so easily and Hansen finished off a fine passage of play to edge Ireland back in front.

Where the Irish have had the edge on Scotland, and indeed most teams these days, is in the collisions, but the home side were giving as good as they were getting. At times it was brutal and a lock on either side - Richie Gray and Iain Henderson - departed with injuries early on.

There has been an inevitability about matches between these two in recent times, a sense of Ireland simply softening Scotland up before putting them away with a bit to spare.

In the first-half it felt different, like two serious sides slugging it out. Both teams managed to work their way to the brink of the try-line only to be denied by some extraordinary defence.


Sexton level as Six Nations record points-scorer


With both Irish hookers, Dan Sheehan and his replacement Ronan Kelleher, forced off, it seemed there may never be a better time for Scotland to break a long pattern of Irish dominance.

For most sides losing two hookers is a crisis, but Farrell's men barely noticed. Josh van der Flier threw perfectly well into the line-out, while substitute prop Cian Healy slotted in at number two and promptly helped his side win a scrum penalty.

Rather than induce panic, Ireland's misfortune seemed to inspire them.

Having laid a decent platform from which to kick on, Scotland could not get going after the interval. On several occasions they found the unlikely figure of Hansen over the ball at the breakdown to puncture their momentum.

The winger was emerging as the game's dominant force and a brilliant take in the air from a Jamison Gibson-Park high-ball put Scotland in trouble from which they could not recover, Lowe going over in the corner to put Ireland in the box seat.

Ireland were smelling blood. The green jerseys were now powering over the gain-line and Hansen put Conan away for a third try. Johnny Sexton's successful conversion drew him level with Ronan O'Gara as the Six Nations record points-scorer.

Scotland had rallied from 19-0 down to give France an almighty scare in Paris, but this particular situation was never going to be rescued.

Garry Ringrose was the latest to be added to the casualty list with a nasty head knock before Scottish star Finn Russell hobbled off in the final moments.

These teams will meet again in the final match in Pool B of the World Cup in France later this year. Scotland have proved they can compete with Ireland, they can hurt them. They have yet to prove they can beat them.

Given the feeble nature of England's defeat to France, there is little to suggest this championship will end in anything other than huge celebrations in Dublin.


What they said


Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend: "I'd rather talk about the first half than the second half, because the second half was disappointing.

"We created chances in that first half - it was a real high energy performance. What you'd call a proper test match.

"Both teams were a little fatigued at the start of the second half, it was there for us to lift the energy. We didn't, we weren't accurate enough. Ireland grew in confidence and were clearly the better team in the second half."

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: "That was an amazing test match. A bit of organised chaos at half-time, but everyone had a smile on their face. Scotland probably didn't know what was going on second half at hooker!

"The lads can do anything at this moment in time - how we looked after each other was the most impressive thing.

"If we get any more injuries in the week we might have to have a look at Old Belvedere under 12s. We'll lick our wounds and go again. England will be dangerous, but it'll be one hell of a weekend on St Patrick's Day."


Line-ups


Scotland: Hogg; Steyn, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, White; Schoeman, Turner, Z. Fagerson, R. Gray, J Gray, M. Fagerson, Ritchie (capt), Dempsey.

Replacements: Brown, Bhatti, Berghan, Cummings, Watson, Price, Kinghorn, Harris.

Ireland: Keenan; Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Sexton (capt), Murray; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong, Henderson, Ryan, O'Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris.

Replacements: Kelleher, Healy, O'Toole, Baird, Conan, Jamison-Park, Bryne, Henshaw.

Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng)

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. and China Near Deal to Avert Rare-Earth Export Controls Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit
Justin time: Justin Herbert Shields Madison Beer with Impressive Reflex at Lakers Game
Russia’s President Putin Declares Burevestnik Nuclear Cruise Missile Ready for Deployment
Giuffre’s Memoir Alleges Maxwell Claimed Sexual Act with Clooney
House Republicans Move to Strip NYC Mayoral Front-Runner Zohran Mamdani of U.S. Citizenship
Record-High Spoiled Ballots Signal Voter Discontent in Ireland’s 2025 Presidential Election
Philippines’ Taal Volcano Erupts Overnight with 2.4 km Ash Plume
Albania’s Virtual AI 'Minister' Diella Set to 'Birth' Eighty-Three Digital Assistants for MPs
Tesla Unveils Vision for Optimus V3 as ‘Biggest Product of All Time’, Including Surgical Capabilities
Francis Ford Coppola Auctions Luxury Watches After Self-Financed Film Flop
Convicted Sex Offender Mistakenly Freed by UK Prison Service Arrested in London
United States and China Begin Constructive Trade Negotiations Ahead of Trump–Xi Summit
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
×