Allegations of Scotland’s misplaced bullishness in advance of Ireland matches since 2018 are a bit of a misnomer, the comments of Darcy Graham this week, and Blair Kinghorn before the 2023 World Cup clash at the Stade de France notwithstanding. You take umbrage where you can find it as O’Mahony did after the game last season.
“Always great to win in an Irish jersey but particularly in Murrayfield. I’d like to say a special thanks to the crowd yesterday for the boos coming off the pitch. One of the biggest compliments I’ve ever received. Thank you,” he posted on Instagram with a picture of Caelan Doris lifting the Centenary Quaich.
On Saturday Ireland will be looking to extend the run to a dozen matches. Here are some of the headlines from that run down through the years.
2025
Six Nations: Scotland 18 Ireland 32
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It was interim Ireland head coach Simon Easterby’s second match in charge. Cian Healy made his 66th Six Nations appearance, breaking the record previously held by Brian O’Driscoll. The Scots saw Finn Russell and Graham succumb to injury in the first half.
Gregor Townsend said in the aftermath: “After that game against Ireland in the World Cup we changed a lot, who we select, who we are as a team, and that was done with the players as well. We’ve carried on that; we’ve added bits to it and we’ve been really competitive since then. This was probably our most disappointing performance, defeat let’s say, since Ireland, but it happens every now and again.”
2024
Six Nations: Ireland 17 Scotland 13
O’Mahony got to lift the Six Nations trophy for the fifth time in his career – joined by Healy, Conor Murray and Iain Henderson in that achievement – as Ireland claimed tournament honours for the second year in succession, the third time they managed that feat in Irish rugby history. The Grand Slam champions of the previous year had lost to England in the previous game. Hugo Keenan cried off in the warm-up, replaced by Jordan Larmour playing his first Six Nations game since 2021. Ireland had to survive a fraught end game as a late try from Huw Jones, converted by Russell, gave the visitors a sniff at an unlikely victory.
2023
World Cup: Ireland 36 Scotland 14
“It’s win or go home. Everyone is pumped for it. They have been on a good run of form recently, but we’ll end that on Saturday.” Blair Kinghorn’s prematch comments, probably represent the only time that a Scottish player overtly called out Ireland in a run of 11 defeats. Kinghorn’s words rang hollow as Ireland had the win and the bonus point secured by half-time in their clash at the Stade de France.
Are Scotland primed to finally beat Ireland?
Andy Farrell’s side were forced to play the entirety of the second half with no wingers on the pitch, as first-half knocks to Mack Hansen and James Lowe saw Garry Ringrose and scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park shift to the flanks. O’Mahony became Ireland’s latest centurion.
Six Nations: Scotland 7 Ireland 22
Healy reprised a role from his school days in Belvedere College by moving into hooker following injuries to Dan Sheehan and Rónan Kelleher, while flanker Josh van der Flier got to unveil all those hours spent lineout throwing in training, in a match environment.
Townsend was magnanimous in defeat, but the frustration was palpable in his words. “We’re close to working it out. Delivering it is the other part, because we showed enough in attack and defence in the first half. There’s a game there and a playing group there that can really trouble Ireland, but you’ve got to do it for 80 minutes. Obviously, a World Cup is an even bigger stage with more consequences. We’ll learn and we’ll be better in a few months’ time.”
2022
Six Nations: Ireland 26 Scotland 5
Ireland won the Triple Crown for the first time since 2018 and on home soil. You had to go back to 2004 for the last occasion they achieved that feat in Dublin. Blair Kinghorn was selected in advance of Russell at outhalf, Keenan denied Stuart Hogg with a stunning last-ditch tackle, and it took a late try by Conor Murray, Ireland’s 24th of that campaign, to guarantee a bonus point.
In similar but not the same circumstances that pertain to this season, Ireland awaited the outcome of a clash between France and England in Paris to see if they could pinch the title. The French side won 25-13 to complete a Grand Slam, their first since 2010.
2021
Six Nations: Scotland 24 Ireland 27
Ireland’s current assistant coach Johnny Sexton was the star turn in this match as the Scots outscored the visitors by three tries to two in front of an empty Murrayfield after the Omicron variant of Covid-19 kept the stadiums closed all through the Six Nations. Sexton kicked five penalties, including a brilliant strike from the left touchline that effectively won the match, and a conversion as the captain led Ireland to victory in every sense after Huw Jones and Hamish Watson scored late tries to draw the home side level. CJ Stander won a 50th cap.
Ireland had lost their opening two matches of the tournament against Wales and France before beating Italy and finishing with a win against England in Dublin. It was the first time in history that Ireland went in advance of Scotland in the head-to-head contest with the win, 67-66.
2020
Autumn Nations Cup: Ireland 31 Scotland 16
Keith Earls’s brace of tries that took him to second in the Irish all-time list helped his side to a win that saw them finish in third place in the tournament. Ireland led by just 11-9 at the interval but pulled away in the second half. Scotland captain Hogg said afterwards: “I felt for 70 minutes we could have been in control. In the 10 minutes after half-time, we let them into the game and they scored two tries. On the whole, I’m pretty pleased with everything that we’ve done. We’re on the right track to achieving something special, but along the way, we’ve got a lot to learn.”
Six Nations: Ireland 19 Scotland 12
The Covid Six Nations tournament started in February and finished in October. This was the first match under Farrell who switched from assistant to head coach at Ireland. Doris and Kelleher made their respective Irish debuts, but the match is probably best remembered for Hogg’s glaring faux pas when self-proclaimed “schoolboy error” when dropping the ball as he crossed the Ireland line. He said: “I’m gutted with how that happened. I just need to get on with it. It was a pivotal moment. I apologised to the boys.” Sexton scored all of Ireland’s points with a try, four penalties and a conversion to start Farrell’s tenure on a winning note.
2019
World Cup: Ireland 27 Scotland 3
Ireland were utterly dominant in a bonus-point victory in Yokohama. Townsend’s post-match interview underlined his frustration. “Ireland are probably the best team in world rugby if you give them a 15- to 20-point start. We didn’t start with the energy, accuracy and aggression that is required to beat a team like Ireland.” Why?
“That’s what we’re asking each other. We didn’t show our best version of ourselves. I’ve seen that in training and in the last two or three games, but when you don’t do that against the best teams in the world, they will punish you.”
Townsend made big changes to selection and playing patterns following on from this tournament, a watershed defeat.
Six Nations: Scotland 13 Ireland 22
Ireland, the reigning Grand Slam champions, had been derailed by England’s 32-20 win in Dublin, Joe Schmidt’s first home defeat in a Six Nations match, while Scotland had been unbeaten at home in the championship for three years, since the opening round of the 2016 tournament.
Early tries by Murray and Jacob Stockdale earned a 12-0 lead before Russell intercepted a pass by Joey Carbery, a 26th-minute replacement for Sexton, to set up Sam Johnson’s try. But Carbery showed his character and quality to slice through the Scotland defensive line and find Earls with a fabulous left-hand pass. He kicked flawlessly off the tee too.
2018
Ireland 28 Scotland 8
The start of Scotland’s run of 11 defeats in succession and few would have gleaned what lay in store, least of all head coach Townsend based on his thoughts in the aftermath.
“On quiet reflection I am very proud of the way that the team played. We played some really good rugby around the set piece, around the contact area, how we defended and how we attacked. Ireland are a top-quality team and we caused them problems. We created clear try-scoring opportunities, that’s a frustration, that we didn’t take them. Pleased, proud how we played but very frustrated we didn’t get more out of that game.”
Little did he know.
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