MATCH REPORT: Ireland kept their Six Nations Grand Slam hopes firmly on track with an 11th victory in a row over a disappointing Scotland at Murrayfield.

The game burst into life from the first whistle, with both teams laying down an early marker in what proved to be a bruising contest.

Ireland hit the ground running, their attacking rhythm too sharp for Scotland in the opening exchanges. The hosts struggled to match the pace of the game and conceded a penalty, giving flyhalf Sam Prendergast the chance to kick to the corner.

A clever maul breakout had the Irish defence scrambling, but with numbers committed, Prendergast spotted space out wide and fired a pinpoint 25-meter pass – the longest of the 2025 Guinness Men’s Six Nations so far—into the hands of Calvin Nash, who strolled over untouched. The young fly-half then nailed the touchline conversion: 0-7.

Referee James Doleman halted play in the 13th minute to review a shove from Scotland powerhouse Duhan van der Merwe on Ireland winger Nash. After a TMO check, Van der Merwe was shown a yellow card for foul play.

Ireland looked to capitalise on their numerical advantage, hammering away at the Scottish line, but the home side’s defence stood firm under relentless pressure.

A lengthy stoppage followed when Darcy Graham suffered a head injury in a collision with Finn Russell, briefly silencing the Murrayfield faithful.

Prendergast kept his flawless kicking record intact, slotting a penalty to stretch Ireland’s lead into double digits.

Scotland’s resistance finally gave way when captain Caelan Doris powered over following a slick first-phase move and a half-break from Prendergast. The conversion was routine for Ireland’s fly-half: 0-17.

Then, Murrayfield erupted. Van der Merwe, back from the sin-bin and with a point to prove, produced a moment of magic, diving acrobatically into the corner for Scotland’s first try—his 31st in the famous blue jersey.

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Blair Kinghorn’s touchline conversion drifted wide, which left the half-time score at 5-17, with work to do for Gregor Townsend’s men.

Scotland came out firing in the second half, and their early pressure earned them a straightforward penalty in front of the posts. Blair Kinghorn made no mistake, narrowing the gap to 8-17.

Moments later, referee James Doleman consulted the TMO over a potential deliberate knock-on by Robbie Henshaw. After review, it was deemed a natural part of the tackle, and Ireland escaped with just a scrum. Scotland, however, was beginning to show real attacking intent.

The home side’s momentum continued as Ireland’s backs were caught offside, gifting Kinghorn another simple penalty from close range. He slotted it comfortably, bringing Scotland within six points.

But just as the pressure was mounting, Ireland’s talisman James Lowe produced a moment of brilliance. With dazzling footwork and brute strength, he powered past three defenders to touch down for Ireland’s first try of the second half. Sam Prendergast added the extras, restoring a commanding lead at 11-24.

A miscommunication in Scotland’s backfield had handed Ireland their bonus-point try, with Jack Conan pouncing to power over from close range. Sam Prendergast’s conversion, however, had drifted wide (11-29).

Scotland then conceded a scrum penalty, allowing Prendergast to extend Ireland’s advantage from 45 metres out. The young fly-half made no mistake, taking Ireland’s tally to 32 points with 10 minutes remaining.

There was also a moment of history as Cian Healy entered the fray to win his 66th Six Nations cap, surpassing Irish great Brian O’Driscoll as the most-capped player in the tournament’s history.

Scotland weren’t finished yet. A powerful driving maul was held up just short of the Irish line, but scrum-half Ben White sniped over the try line with five minutes remaining. Kinghorn added the conversion, bringing the score to 18-32.

Young fly-half Prendergast was deservedly named Guinness Six Nations Player of the Match after a stellar performance, kicking 12 points and orchestrating play with remarkable precision and maturity well beyond his years.

As referee Doleman blew his whistle for the final time, it signalled another victory for Ireland, securing their second win from two in the 2025 Guinness Six Nations making them the only unbeaten side in this year’s Championship. For Gregor Townsend and his Scotland team, their losing streak against Ireland extended to 11 consecutive matches.

Man of the Match: Sam Prendergast was one of the shining lights and one of the best performers on the pitch.

Villian of the match: Scotland didn’t have any attitude in the first half. It was like they didn’t think they could win the game.

 

Scorers:

For Scotland:
Tries: Van der Merwe, White
Cons: Kinghorn
Pens: Kinghorn 2

For Ireland:
Tries: Nash, Doris, Lowe, Conan
Cons: Prendergast 3
Pens: Prendergast 2

Yellow card: Duhan van der Merwe (for Scotland – foul play, 13’)

Teams

Scotland: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Tom Jordan, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (co-captain), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge (co-captain), 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Dave Cherry, 1 Rory Sutherland.
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Gregor Brown, 20 Gregow Brown, 21 Jamie Ritchie, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Stafford McDowall.

Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Rónan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose.

Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Luc Ramos (France)
TMO: Richard Kelly (New Zealand)

Source @SixNations