No. | Name | |
---|---|---|
15Stuart Hogg, - | ||
14Tommy Seymour, - | ||
13Huw Jones, - | ||
12Sam Johnson, - | ||
11Sean Maitland, - | ||
10Finn Russell, - | ||
9Greig Laidlaw, - 2 | ||
1Allan Dell, - | ||
2Stuart McInally, - | ||
3Simon Berghan, - | ||
4Grant Gilchrist, - | ||
5Jonny Gray, - | ||
6Ryan Wilson, - | ||
7Jamie Ritchie, - | ||
8Josh Strauss, - | ||
Replacements | ||
16Fraser Brown, - | ||
17Jamie Bhatti, - | ||
18D'Arcy Rae, - | ||
19Ben Toolis, - | ||
20Rob Harley, - | ||
21Ali Price, - | ||
22Peter Horne, - | ||
23Blair Kinghorn, - |
*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold
Match Commentary
We'll bring you further reaction to Ireland's win over Scotland but for now, the rugby keeps on coming.
Hop over to our live coverage of Italy-Wales to see if Warren Gatland's side can extend their winning run to 11 matches. Bye for now!
To recap
Where to begin? Ireland took the lead through Conor Murray after a mix-up between Scotland's backs Tommy Seymour and Sean Maitland allowed the scrum-half to collect a bouncing kick and cross.
Jacob Stockdale then extended Ireland's lead with his first try of this year's championships. It came from a slick move which carved Scotland open, with Johnny Sexton slipping his winger into space with a reverse pass on halfway.
There was then some sublime magic from Finn Russell to set up Sam Johnson for Scotland's score. Russell was lying on the ground when he found Johnson, popping the ball into the onrunning centre's hands.
Both teams have also lost key men due to injuries. Stuart Hogg and Johnny Sexton will play no part in the second half.
What. A. Half.
There have been almost no stoppages and we were treated to 40 minutes of full-on, free-flowing attacking rugby. Ireland are ahead but Scotland have had the majority of the ball and have had chances to score their second try. Ireland's tries pretty much came out of nowhere, but that's what champions do, right?
Missed conversion
Sexton's kick is...ugly, and left of the posts from a pretty straightforward position. It remains 5-3 Ireland.The teams are out
This should be a cracker. Ireland need to get back on track if they want to retain their Six Nations crown and will be desperate to right the wrongs from last weekend.
And what a massive opportunity this is for Scotland to go two-from-two. With trips to Paris and London to come, home form is vital if the Scots are to challenge for the title. Flower of Scotland rings around Murrayfield.
Fantasy Rugby: Players to watch
There are plenty of star players to watch out for this afternoon for all you ESPN Fantasy Rugby managers. Ireland's Jacob Stockdale is owned by a massive 66 percent of Fantasy bosses but failed to cross against England last week and only scored three points. Can he get his 2019 campaign going at Murrayfield?
For the hosts, look no further than Stuart Hogg, who, again, is owned by a ridiculous 73.3 percent of managers. Hogg scored 11 points against Italy and you can back him to be involved if Scotland manage to score this afternoon.
If you haven't signed up for ESPN Fantasy Rugby (first, what are you doing?), sign ups are still open!
Hat-trick hero Kinghorn dropped by Scotland
Scotland have made four changes from their opening win against Italy, and it's Townsend's decision to bench winger Blair Kinghorn that has raised eyebrows. Kinghorn's hat-trick against Italy took his international tally to an impressive six tries in eight appearances, but he has made way for Sean Maitland for the visit of Ireland, who will need to do his fair share of defending this afternoon.
Elsewhere, prop Simon Berghan and back-row Josh Strauss come in for forwards Willem Nel and Sam Skinner, who are nursing calf and ankle injuries, respectively. Jonny Gray's recovery from a shoulder injury sees him start ahead of second-row Ben Toolis, who will be a replacement.
Injury concern for Ireland?
Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt is without three key men for the visit to Murrayfield, with centre Garry Ringrose and back row CJ Stander out due to injury. Add that to yesterday's news that man-mountain lock Devin Toner will miss the rest of the Six Nations after undergoing ankle surgery and could Schmidt have a potential injury crisis on his hands?
Well, let's not get too carried away. Ireland can rely on impressive strength in depth and have brought in centre Chris Farrell and lock Quinn Roux while Sean O'Brien and Jack Conan come into the back row. Rob Kearney also comes in at fullback for Robbie Henshaw, who struggled against England last week.
Good afternoon and welcome to ESPN's live coverage of the Six Nations second-round clash between Scotland and Ireland.
If the opening weekend was anything to go by, we're set for a cracker at Murrayfield, with defending champions Ireland looking to bounce back from their shock defeat against England in Dublin.
They face a tough test against the Scots, who, despite conceding three late tries, cruised to an opening win against Italy last week. Gregor Townsend's side have not lost a home Six Nations match since 2016. Stay tuned for all the action from 2:15 p.m. GMT.