SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP Scotland 15 Ireland 22:IT DOESN'T get any easier, does it? Unsurprisingly, the Scots were in the mood to spoil the party and up for it big time in what was another taut, fraught, emotionally exhausting affair. And the players must have been pretty drained too.

By all accounts they were shattered by the end of it. Such is the way of modern-day rugby, and at times on Saturday as you watched Ireland go through phase after punishing phase, only to see the Scots strung out with numbers aplenty.

Pitches look over-crowded and Murrayfield was no different. Games such as this one look like 20-a-side.

Ireland were far from their best in the first half, and seemed almost too constrained and respectful of Scotland for their own good. Either the weight of expectations had overburdened them or they were simply a little nervous, but in truth they were clinging on a fair bit.

Perhaps too they were rattled as much by referee Jonathan Kaplan as the Scots or the ghosts of the past as yet again a referee’s decisions and interpretations were the dominant theme of the first 40 minutes particularly.

Previously the most disciplined side in the tournament, not for the first time in an often edgy relationship dating back to when Kaplan controversially refereed a 12-6 win by Western Province in Cape Town 11 years ago, Ireland fell foul of the South African official.

Seven of the 12 penalties they conceded here came in that first period. “Ref links” are almost compulsory in this tournament, and it was striking how often Kaplan engaged the voluble Mike Blair or other Scots in explaining some of his decisions whereas the one time an Irish player dared to speak – Brian O’Driscoll even beginning his response by saying ‘sir’ – he was given short shrift.

The Ireland captain had been penalised for seemingly trying to free ruck ball with his right foot three times. As with another couple of Chris Paterson three-pointers for scrum infringements, it was reasonable to wonder whether another referee would have made the same calls.

It allowed the unerring Paterson to keep them in front, though it could have been worse. Ronan O’Gara was playing quite deeply, and the Scots’ line speed in defence was noticeably quicker, whereas Ireland were unusually softer in midfield and out wide.

All of this contributed to the Scots winning the collisions as Graeme Morrison made too many yards for comfort up the middle and from there they went wide, where the Evans brothers and Simon Danielli had their moments.

The Scots’ scrum was on top, though conceded a few indirect penalties for their binding from which Denis Leamy rumbled, and the home side had 61 per cent of their territory.

The two teams had markedly contrasting restart games. Scotland invariably kicked long for Ireland to concede the throw around half-way – Peter Stringer’s box kicking has possibly never been better in his 88 Tests. This contributed to the Scots having eight of the 10 first-half line-outs, but Ireland achieved greater joy from Ronan O’Gara’s hanging restarts, re-claiming four of them for valuable possession, territory and points.

Had David Wallace not collared Thom Evans to stop a break out, with only Rory Best on the flanker’s outside, or had Tommy Bowe and O’Driscoll not made those try-saving covering tackles on the Scottish winger and Phil Godman, the Scots would have been 10 points ahead at the break.

Ireland needed the interval more than the Scots, not that they appeared to have seriously doubted their ability to see themselves through this minor little crisis. During it they resolved to up their intensity significantly. O’Gara and Gordon D’Arcy led the line up in defence much harder, and the outhalf also took the ball flatter as Stringer zipped the ball out. Most of all, their clear-outs were much more clinical and Paul O’Connell and co were making inroads into the Scottish line-out as they dominated the territory.

There was an inevitability about the match-turning Ireland try that followed, if less so about its origins. Ireland were going through the phases and Scotland were relying on their stealthy steals but were also now conceding line-outs. From Jamie Heaslip’s ball off the top, Peter Stringer spotted John Barclay drifting on to O’Gara and sniped through the gap, eluding Nathan Hines, who had only just come on and was standing in at scrumhalf as Mike Blair adopted a deep, defensive position.

The Irish number nine showed incredible presence of mind and footwork to stand up Blair, buying some time in the process, and swivel and offload for Heaslip to score, as Declan Kidney put it, “eventually”. As the coach also pointed out, had Heaslip not grounded the ball properly he would have had some explaining to do to his 14 team-mates. Though his exuberance at scoring was entirely understandable, one ventures that Heaslip will be slagged unmercifully by those team-mates for showboating and waving to the crowd before touching the ball down one-handed, and that, eh, he won’t be doing it again.

But with that the huge Ireland crowd and team alike could breathe a little easier. O’Gara landed a sweetly-struck drop goal and showed remarkable nerve to take on and land a difficult angled penalty to restore Ireland’s seven-point lead.

It was disappointing that they didn’t push on and win a little more clinically and comfortably. Even so, when it came down to the last five minutes, Ireland showed composure and control in abundance to close the game out with a minimum of fuss.

Scoring sequence: 7 mins: Paterson penalty, 3-0; 11 mins: O’Gara penalty, 3-3; 15 mins: Paterson penalty, 6-3; 21 mins: Paterson penalty, 9-3; 27 mins: O’Gara penalty, 9-6; 33 mins: Paterson penalty, 12-6; 34 mins: O’Gara penalty, 12-9. (Half-time: 12-9). 51 mins: Heaslip try, O’Gara conversion, 12-16; 57 mins: O’Gara drop goal, 12-19; 61 mins: Paterson penalty, 15-19; 72 mins: O’Gara penalty, 15-22.

SCOTLAND: C Paterson (Edinburgh); S Danielli (Ulster), M Evans (Glasgow), G Morrison (Glasgow), T Evans (Glasgow); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh (Edinburgh, capt); A Dickinson (Gloucester), R Ford (Edinburgh), E Murray (Northampton); J White (Sale), J Hamilton (Edinburgh); A Strokosch (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), S Taylor (Stade Francais). Replacements: N Hines (Perpignan) for White (50 mins); C Cussiter (Perpignan) for Blair (52 mins); D Hall (Glasgow) for Ford (57 mins); S Gray (Northampton) for Barclay (67 mins); N de Luca (Edinburgh) for Morrison (70 mins).

IRELAND: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), G D'Arcy (Leinster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), P Stringer (Munster); M Horan (Munster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster); D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster); S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), D Leamy (Munster). Replacements: J Heaslip (Leinster) for Leamy (31 mins); J Flannery (Munster) for Best (61 mins); T O'Leary (Munster) for Stringer (66 mins); G Murphy (Leicester) for Kearney (76 mins).

Referee: J Kaplan(South Africa).