Dominic Crotty: Static Ireland caught on the back foot

Dominic Crotty looks for the positives from the defeat inflicted on Ireland in Murrayfield last Saturday.

Boy, that wasn’t the result we were expecting, was it?

Far from laying down a marker for the rest of the world, Ireland fizzled in comparison to a fantastic Scottish performance. In terrible conditions for handling, the Scots displayed wonderful skill and a level of intelligent running that Ireland rarely matched. Both teams appeared in fantastic physical condition after preseason training, but in terms of on-field cohesion and direction the Scots were streets ahead of their opponents and Ireland finished a far-distant second.