The conclusion was somewhat underwhelming, particularly for those with no allegiance. The post-game scenes at Aviva Stadium were reminiscent. Ireland triumphed once again, marking their 19th consecutive home victory and securing the Six Nations title. However, it was not achieved with the dominant aura that has become characteristic of this team.

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Despite enduring a tough second half, Scotland managed to limit the opponent’s scoring to just 10 points. In the final minutes of the match, they were able to score a crucial try through Huw Jones, who skillfully moved through the Irish defense to reduce the gap to four points. Meanwhile, Ireland was aiming for their own achievement, the triple crown, but their chances were reduced when Harry Byrne was given a yellow card for an unintentional head collision.

The Irish supporters may have been anxious at that moment, but Ireland made a long kick, causing Scotland to fumble as they attempted the nearly impossible. This secured the desired outcome for Ireland and their second consecutive Six Nations championship. They will regret their loss at Twickenham, as this team has shown itself to be exceptionally deserving of recognition. Becoming the first team to achieve back-to-back grand slams would have been an impressive achievement.

The conclusion of the event may have been recognizable, but it was not a convincing performance, especially in comparison to last week. Ireland’s 7-6 lead at half-time was not reflective of their abilities. They appeared disjointed and lacked the motivation to recover from their unexpected loss at Twickenham.

Scotland are as familiar as anyone at suffering an Irish full-frontal. But they often come here following some euphoric victory over, say, England at Murrayfield and duly implode. This time, they arrived on the back of a sobering defeat of their own, in Rome. They hardly lit up the Aviva Stadium from the word go, but they absolutely looked comfortable handling ­whatever it was Ireland threw at them.

At halftime, Finn Russell scored two penalties for Scotland but it wasn’t due to extreme pressure. On the other hand, Ireland’s score was handed to them. They struggled to execute their usual lineout-and-drive play, resulting in a penalty and ultimately falling short of the try line against Scotland.

During the following lineout, Ireland managed to score when George Turner failed to locate Grant Gilchrist. Instead, Dan Sheehan was able to retrieve the ball from the end of the lineout. Scotland’s defense was unable to prevent a strong player like Sheehan from charging towards the goal line.

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In the first half, it appeared that Ireland had no chances of scoring. Their kicking strategy was not precise. Andy Christie came closest to scoring when he blocked James Lowe’s kick.

The lack of excitement during the first half extended beyond the playing field. The fans in the stadium were also subdued, but there is a strong connection between them and their team. As expected, Ireland increased their speed at the beginning of the second half and the atmosphere in the stadium ignited once more.

Lowe and Bundee Aki worked together on the left side as Ireland showed a renewed enthusiasm. The supporters sang “The Fields of Athenry” as a familiar atmosphere filled the field. However, the score remained slow-paced. Jack Crowley, who had previously missed a penalty, successfully scored when Zander Fagerson was penalized for offside during that attack.

The number of tackles made by Scotland was already quite high, and it increased suddenly even though they were comfortable. The number of penalties against them also increased. However, Ireland was unable to take advantage of this. They could have extended their lead by seven points by converting one of their many penalty opportunities while they were in Scotland’s 22. Despite only needing a draw to win the title, they chose to kick for touch or continue playing instead.

Scotland has faced difficulties with the TMO in this tournament, but they were fortunate this time. Tadhg Furlong believed he had scored, but Fagerson was able to knock the ball out. It was challenging to determine if Furlong had still managed to touch it down, but it appeared that Fagerson had knocked it forward. As a result, Scotland was given possession.

In the last quarter, Robbie Henshaw scored a try. Garry Ringrose, who had just returned from an injury, was substituted onto the wing and made an interception during a rare Scotland attack. This resulted in Henshaw attempting to score, but he was held up by the Scottish defense. The buildup to this play included Scotland giving up multiple penalty advantages. Ewan Ashman committed the third penalty and was given a yellow card as a result.

That was the straw. Ireland tapped again in front of the posts, and Rónan Kelleher’s reverse flick sent Andrew Porter charging to the line, which opened an 11-point lead with 15 minutes remaining.

Ireland did not require every point, but took advantage of the chance to kick the ball out and secure the victory with open arms. They had met the necessary criteria. Successful teams always do.

Source: theguardian.com