Scotland 23, Ireland 20
Something funny happened on Saturday. Ireland missed out on a triple crown and nobody I know was too upset.
Lots of comments like, "sure the Scots deserved it" or "our own fault for not bringing O'Gara on sooner" but I reckon if it had been any orther nation who had beaten us to a Triple Crown or Grand Slam on the last weekend of the season everyone would have been gutted.
It was interesting to see the way the game was played. This past year Ireland have been playing Munster rugby. Gutsy defensive displays, grinding out victories but from the kick-off they tried to play Leinster rugby and came unstuck. It took them until half-time to settle down and get back to the grinding and by then they had given away the scottish try.
Rory Best got the yips in the lineout and the scrum was the usual mess for everyone. I reckon the ref could have penalised each prop in each scrum. If the Irish loosehead was not driving straight, then the scottish tight-head always bound on the arm. But the scots were out-scrummaging the Irish and so well-deserved the rub of the green.
The Scots also kicked very well. England and Wales both played into Irish hands, they seemed to either run straight at an excellent Irish defense or kick directly to the back three. The Scots varied their kicking and used the space between the defensive line and the backs..
I almost expected them to crack in the last few minutes but they didn't. The Scots played so well for much of the season they deserved a win. I wish it hadn't been against Ireland, but we still finished second and won the games that really, really, mattered - Wales and England.
Perhaps this is more a Northern Ireland thing. The Scots and Northern Irish have very close ties and always have had. When a few of my Uncle's sold their farms to, "The Lignite Mine than never was", they moved to the Dumfrees and Galloway area. The countryside looked almost the same and the people acted and spoke in almost exactly the same way. More like home than home they said. So maybe when the Scots beat us, we, in the North at least, can take it a little more in good heart.