Ireland 20 - 23 Scotland
Dan Parks was named man of the match
Also In The News
|
By Sam Ross. |  |
Saturday, 20, Mar 2010 08:28
By Sarah Garrod.
A sensational last-minute Dan Parks penalty handed Scotland a historic 23-20 win over Ireland in the last ever game at Croke Park.
The result denied Ireland the Tripled Crown as well as ensuring Italy pick up the wooden spoon in this year's Six Nations championship.
By half time in the game Scotland had built a 14-7 lead, following a Johnnie Beattie try and two penalties, as well as a drop-goal from Parks.
Ireland, who were playing their last game at Croke Park, secured their first-half points come from a Brian O'Driscoll try, converted by Jonathan Sexton.
Scotland put the pressure on from the outset of the second period and following a missed Sexton penalty, Parks kicked them 17-7 into the lead.
However, the Irish soon came back, and a kick in front of the posts from Sexton, followed by a converted try led by Bowe and Ronan O'Gara, saw the home side gain on the visitors.
With the scores level, both sides upped their game, and after a Park's penalty O'Gara was afforded a penalty after Euan Murray offended in the scrum. With both sides on 20 points, it was Parks who denied Ireland the Triple Crown, converting a final penalty - after Rob Kearney was penalised for holding on - in the final nail-biting two minutes of the game.
Man of the match Parks said after the game, Scotland had "everything to play for" and had achieved their "just reward".
Ireland: G Murphy, T Bowe, B O'Driscoll (captain), G D'Arcy, K Earls, J Sexton, T O'Leary, C Healy, R Best, J Hayes, D O'Callaghan, P O'Connell, S Ferris, D Wallace, J Heaslip.
Replacements: S Cronin, T Buckley for Hayes (80), L Cullen, S Jennings, E Reddan, R O'Gara for Sexton (52), R Kearney for Murphy (26) .
Scotland: H Southwell, S Lamont, N De Luca, G Morrison, M Evans, D Parks, C Cusiter (captain); A Jacobsen, R Ford, E Murray, J Hamilton, A Kellock, K Brown, J Barclay, J Beattie.
Replacements: S Lawson for Ford (72), A Dickinson for Jacobsen (67), R Gray for Hamilton (52), A MacDonald, M Blair for Cusiter (52), P Godman, S Danielli for Lamont (73).
Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa)