Ireland A 60 Scotland A 3 :Champagne rugby for a champagne night. Ireland completed their second Triple Crown of the night and their second in three years at A level when easily brushing aside a surprisingly unexceptional Scottish challenge. Cutting loose in the second half when scoring six of their seven tries, the last two were made to order by local heroes Andy Ward and Paddy Wallace.
Ravenhill loved it, another sizeable Belfast crowd having been reminded of their sense of history beforehand when it was announced that this was the Ireland's first tilt at a Triple Crown of any hue in Ravenhill since Ireland's grand slam vintage of 1948.
As a gentle nudge in the ribs for the Irish side today, this win won't go unnoticed. Most of all it was a compelling collective effort which demonstrated what a fine team this A outfit are developing into. The lineouts were a rich attacking platform, they mauled well, they defended with hardly a missed tackle all night and then gradually cut loose, attacking in clusters which the Scots' bedraggled defence couldn't cope with.
From the nitty gritty work of Alan Quinlan close in to the unfussy ceativity of Jason Holland and to the increasingly confident running of Paddy Wallace, by the end it was exhibition, run-it-from-anywhere stuff. But the hard yards had to be done first by the likes of Reggie Corrigan and Bob Casey, who confirmed the impression of Northampton that he is back to his best. Keith Gleeson was an excellent link man cum spoiler all night and the dynamic Mike Mullins was forever dangerous.
It took a while to get going. True to type, twice in the first 10 minutes the Scottish midfield pushed up offside and twice Paul Burke landed penalties, the second after a good rumble by Corrigan. Even Steve Leyshon's somewhat bizarre decision to sinbin Keith Gleeson for a first offence when killing the ball fully 45 metres out didn't unduly perturb the Irish, who were rewarded for having the better of the next 10 minutes with a Jason Holland drop goal after good yardage by Quinlan, Mullins and Victor Costello.
On his return Gleeson's half-break up the blindside and clever offload inside launched Casey on an extraordinary 40 metre burst after which Howe made some inroads. Killing ruck ball then under the Scottish posts didn't warrant a yellow card in Leyshon's eyes and Ireland had to be content with another Burke penalty.
Another followed and though a Howe 'try' was overruled for crossing Ireland were making increasing inroads. Opting for a penalty to touch they were rewarded when Costello adroitly reached for the line one-handed from the drive off Casey's clean take. A Gordon Ross penalty with the last kick made it 20-3 at the break but merely served to briefly remind that there was a second team on the pitch.
Ireland went for the jugular on the resumption. Burke having taken the ball into contact from another fine lineout drive, Neil Doak went back blind and Gleeson's transfer put Costello over for a nonchalant touchdown in the corner.
Better followed when Holland created the hole for Mullins to steam onto the ball and sidestep two defenders without breaking stride to run in a superb try from 35 metres out. What has this guy done wrong? Ben Willis wriggled over after concerted forward pressure and then Ireland really cut loose, Paddy Wallace kickstarting an audacious, length-of-the-pitch counter-attack with Willis and Burke as they moved the ball across their goal-line, the full-back featuring twice more as Gavin Hickie was held up in one corner before the ball was transferred across the line for Quinlan to put Ward over in the opposite corner.
The coup de grace couldn't have been more fitting, Quinlan making a fine muscular steal inside halfway, the ball being moved across the line for Wallace to cheekily chip ahead from his own 10-metre line, gather 45 metres out and run it in. Bring on Italy in two weeks' time then, when another victory will set up an attempt at a historic grand slam against the French.
SCORING SEQUENCE: 7 mins: Burke pen, 3-0; 10: Burke pen, 6-0; 21: Holland drop goal, 9-0; 27: Burke pen, 12-0; 30: Burke pen, 15-0; 39: Costello try, 20-0; 40: Ross pen, 20-3; Half-time: 20-3; 45: Costello try, 25-3; 49: Mullins try, Burke con, 32-3; 61: Staunton try, Burke con, 39-3; 68: Willis try, Burke con,6-3; 73: Ward try, Burke con, 53-3; 79: Wallace try, Burke con, 60-3.
IRELAND A: P Wallace (Ballymena and Ulster); G D'Arcy (Lansdowne and Leinster), M Mullins (Young Munster and Munster), J Holland (Midleton and Munster), T Howe (Dungannon and Ulster); P Burke (Harlequins), N Doak (Ballymena and Ulster); R Corrigan (Lansdowne and Leinster, capt), P Shields (Ballymena and Ulster), S Best (Belfast Harlequins and Ulster), L Cullen (Blackrock and Leinster), B Casey (Blackrock and Leinster), A Quinlan (Shannon and Munster), V Costello (St May's and Leinster), K Gleeson (St Mary's and Leinster). Replacements: S Coulter (Belfasst Harlequins and Ulster) for D'Arcy (10 mins), J Staunton (Garryowen and Munster) for Howe (44 mins), M Horan (Shannon and Munster) for Best, A Ward (Ballynahinch and Ulster) for Costello (both 51 mins), G Hickie (St Mary's and Leinster) for Shields (59 mins), B Willis (Blackrock and Leinster) for Doak (65 mins), D O'Callaghan (Cork Con and Munster) for Cullen (67 mins). Sinbinned: Gleeson (13 mins).
SCOTLAND: D Lee (Edinburgh); R Kerr (Glasgow), C Murray (Edinburgh), M di Rollo (Edinburgh), C Moir (Northampton); G Ross (Edinburgh), G Burns (Edinburgh); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), S Scott (Edinburgh), G Kerr (Leeds), S Griffiths (Glasgow), I Fullerton (Leeds), N Hines (Edinburgh), G Dall (Edinburgh), A Mower (Newcastle). Replacements: A Bulloch (Glasgow) for Kerr (25 mins), C Smith (Edinburgh) for G Kerr (49 mins), N Ross (Glasgow) for Griffiths (59 mins), D Officer (Edinburgh) for Lee (64 mins), D McFadyen (Glasgow) for Mower, K Sinclair for di Rollo (both 69 mins), S Brotherstone (Newcastle) for Scott (73 mins). Sinbinned: Smith (51 mins).
Referee: S Leyshon (England).
