Clinical Ireland batter Scots in Yokohama drizzle

Ireland's Tadhg Furlong, center, carries a ball over the line to score the teams' third try against Scotland. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo

Ireland's Tadhg Furlong, center, carries a ball over the line to score the teams' third try against Scotland. Photo: Eugene Hoshiko/AP Photo

Published Sep 22, 2019

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YOKOHAMA –Top-ranked Ireland put

aside their stuttering 2019 form with a clinical 27-3 victory

over their main Pool A rivals Scotland to open their World Cup

campaign in convincing style in Yokohama on Sunday. 

Forwards James Ryan, Rory Best and Tadhg Furlong all crossed

in the first 25 minutes and winger Andrew Conway secured the

bonus point with the fourth try in the second half, with a

single Greig Laidlaw penalty all Scotland had to show. 

 There will be concern though that injury-prone flyhalf

Johnny Sexton gave up kicking duties early on, and flanker Peter

O'Mahony and centre Bundee Aki left early with head injuries.

With the flat, unsuccessful defence of their 2018 Six

Nations title still hanging over them, Ireland were desperate to

get up and running quickly in Japan and did exactly that as the

three early tries put them in total control. 

Encouragingly for coach Joe Schmidt, the first two came from

clean lineout ball, putting to bed some of the concerns over his

team as well as his much-debated call to leave go-to jumper and

caller Devin Toner at home.

The opener on six minutes was all about the rampaging

second-row pair of Iain Henderson and Ryan as Henderson's burst

through the middle to set Ireland's utterly dominant pack up

close to the Scottish line and it did not take long for Ryan to

power his way over the line. 

Ireland's second was a simpler forwards' effort with hooker

Best following up another accurate throw near the Scottish line

to mark his 121st test with a try. 

The clear Scottish intent to test the aerial skills of the

relatively inexperienced back three of Conway, Jordan Larmour

and Jacob Stockdale - forced upon Schmidt by minor injuries to

Keith Earls and Rob Kearney - led to a couple of errors and

helped Laidlaw get them on the board with a penalty.

But it was all too easy for the Irish pack, which can be

unstoppable under Schmidt if allowed to recycle possession. They

obliged again as Furlong made it three tries from three forays

into their opponents' 22 metres. 

The long threatened rain held off until late into the first

half, only galvanising Ireland's stranglehold on the game when

the disappointing Scots tried to have a go early in the second

half but were unable to get through Ireland's well organised

defence. 

The slippery surface ended the game as a spectacle, not that

it mattered to the sea of green around Yokohama's International

Stadium as the travelling Irish fans drowned out the faint sound

of Scottish bagpipes. 

They had one more try to cheer before the end as Conway

added the bonus point just before the hour.

By that stage scrumhalf Conor Murray had assumed kicking

duties and a not-noticeably injured Sexton then left the park,

testing Ireland's already depleted squad. 

With Ireland's impressive pack likely to have too much in

six days time for a Japanese eight who were troubled up front by

Russia in their opener, Schmidt can effectively already start to

prepare for an expected quarter-final against South Africa. 

The consolation prize for Scotland, if they can negotiate

their way out of the pool, will almost certainly be a last eight

encounter with holders New Zealand. 

Reuters

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