5 Things You Missed: Ireland 43-21 Scotland – Farrell's men win Triple Crown in Dublin epic
Rugby NewsSaturday, 14 March 2026 at 16:37
By Liam Reynolds at the Aviva Stadium
Ireland secured the Triple Crown with a hard-fought victory over Scotland. With the an outside crack at the Championship on the line, Andy Farrell's men did enough to play their part in the reckoning. It has now been left to England in Paris, for a potential shot at a third title for Ireland under Farrell.
Watch the Guinness Six Nations at your local Greene King sports pub.
Ireland opened the scoring due to a period of excellence from out-half Jack Crowley, who set up a score and then crashed over for his own in the opening 20 minutes. After Robert Balcoune widened the gap further, it was Six Nations debutant Darragh Murray who secured the all-important bonus point try to give Ireland some breathing room.
SCROLL DOWN FOR 5 THINGS YOU MISSED FROM THE AVIVA STADIUM
THE ON FIELD ACTION: IRELAND 43-21 SCOTLAND
By Tom Sansom at the Aviva Stadium
Ireland claimed the Triple Crown from the 2026 Guinness Men's Six Nations, following a tremendous fifth round victory over Scotland at the Aviva Stadium. Andy Farrell's men ran in six tries against the Scots, for a 43-21 triumph and a 12th straight victory in this all-Celtic encounter.
The match began at a meteoric rate, with Ireland over the line for the opening try after just three minutes. A sweeping line-out move sent Caelan Doris crashing at the gain-line, before the captain shipped a neat offload to Jack Crowley. The fly half then found Jamie Osborne to explode under the sticks for the finish.
Crowley nailed the conversion, yet the seven-point lead was promptly nullified as Scotland launched their retaliation. A thunderous carry from Pierre Schoeman splintered the Irish defence, enabling Huw Jones to ship a pass out wide to Darcy Graham for a walk-in score. Finn Russell tied the score at seven apiece with no mistake from the tee.
The remaining first half saw Ireland run in two unanswered tries, as hooker Dan Sheehan crossed from close range just three minutes later. In-form Ulster wing Robert Baloucoune then showcased his pace, with a blistering break to score from 35m out, after he gathered the wide miss pass from Stu McCloskey. One missed conversion from Crowley left the scoreboard at 19-7 in favour of the men in green, as the sides departed at half-time.
Scotland broke the scoring deadlock 12 minutes after half-time, as Finn Russell skipped through the fatigued Irish defence, after some relentless phases of short drives from the men in blue. Ireland then soon returned the favour, as Six Nations debutant Darragh Murray capped off the milestone with a try from close range. The Connacht lock replaced a bloodied Tadhg Beirne off the bench, and wrestled his way across the line after sustained phases of short Irish drives.
Momentum would continue to swing, with Rory Darge on hand to bag Scotland a try on the hour mark. Quick hands from lock Grant Gilchrist played the back row through a gap, with Russell accurate from the tee to make it a tense five-point game for the final 20 minutes, with the score-line poised at 26-21.
However, Andy Farrell would then empty out his Ireland bench for an instant impact, as he made five substitutes upon the 65th minute. Ciaran Frawley was quick to influence the match, as he offloaded to Tommy O'Brien for Ireland's fifth try after 68 minutes. Crowley then added a penalty to breathe more daylight between the sides, as before Tommy O'Brien's second try secured Ireland the Triple Crown in flying fashion.
IRELAND: 43
TRIES: 6 (Osborne 3', Sheehan 10', Baloucoune 19', Murray 57', O'Brien 68', 79')
CONVERSIONS: 4 (Crowley 3', 10', 57', 80')
PENALTIES: 1 (Crowley 73')
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
STARTING XV: 15. Jamie Osborne 14. Rob Baloucoune 13. Garry Ringrose 12. Stuart McCloskey 11. Tommy O'Brien 10. Jack Crowley 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 1. Tom O'Toole 2. Dan Sheehan 3. Tadhg Furlong 4. Joe McCarthy 5. Tadhg Beirne 6. Jack Conan 7. Josh van der Flier 8. Caelan Doris
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Ronan Kelleher 17. Michel Milne 18. Finlay Bealham 19. Darragh Murray 20. Nick Timoney 21. Craig Casey 22. Ciaran Frawley 23. Bundee Aki
SCOTLAND: 21
TRIES: 3 (Graham 7', Russell 52', Darge 60')
CONVERSIONS: 3 (Russell 7', 52, 60')
PENALTIES: 0
DROP GOALS: 0
YELLOW CARDS: 0
RED CARDS: 0
STARTING XV: 15. Blair Kinghorn 14. Darcy Graham 13. Huw Jones 12. Sione Tuipulotu 11. Kyle Steyn 10. Finn Russell 9. Ben White 1. Pierre Schoeman 2. George Turner 3. Zander Fagerson 4. Max Williamson 5. Grant Gilchrist 6. Matt Fagerson 7. Rory Darge 8. Jack Dempsey
REPLACEMENTS: 16. Ewan Ashman 17. Rory Sutherland 18. D'Arcy Rae 19. Alex Craig 20. Magnus Bradbury 21. George Horne 22. Kyle Rowe 23. Tom Jordan
5 THINGS YOU MISSED: IRELAND 43-21 SCOTLAND
JOSH VAN DER FLIER RETURNS FROM THE DARK TO REMIND ANDY FARRELL OF 2022 FORM
Across the 2026 Six Nations, while he started all of Ireland's significant matchups, Josh Van Der Flier spent his fair share of time amongst the replacements. With Nick Timoney coming into the squad over the last few weeks, with standout performances against Wales and France, the Ulster back row may have put up a challenge to the 2022 World Player of the Year.
“A lot of lads are playing well, Nick Timoney’s been playing brilliantly. So, aside from myself, it was great to see him starting on the weekend just gone, and he’s played really, really good stuff. Back rows have been brilliant throughout, it’s a very competitive place.”
“He’s [Nick Timoney] remarkably calm. He doesn’t seem to get too bothered or nervous – if he does, he doesn’t seem to let anyone see it anyway. He’s been brilliant. He’s pretty meticulous in his preparation. Anytime we’re both in camp over the years, we worked together quite a bit because we’re both in the back row, so we do a lot of work together, a lot of video stuff – he’s a brilliant player."
However, the Irish backrow proved his worth again today, like he has done so many times over the past few years. Going into halftime with the most tackles made, a staggering 12 tackles across 40 minutes, it was the Leinster star's elite defense that made the difference as Ireland took their early dominant lead. Not missing a single step, Ireland were able to keep Scotland out in the 22 on three separate occasions, thanks to the relentless work both on the opposite side of the ball, and in the breakdown by the Ireland 7.
TOM O'TOOLE STARS AS IRELAND SCRUM DELIVERS IN TRIPLE CROWN VICTORY.
Going into today's game, it was the flip of a coin that separated both sides' set pieces. With both sides statistically having the worst scrum in the Six Nations, it was Andy Farrell's decision to start Ulster's Tom O'Toole for the second week running that paid dividends. After a significantly improved set-piece performance against Wales, Ireland started the game against Scotland as they meant to go on with an early scrum penalty.
After mostly playing on the opposite side of the scrum for his province, O'Toole looked like an international standard scrummager today. With him on the field, Ireland were able to win 100% of their scrum opportunities, while Scotland struggled to get a platform from the set piece with a 50% win rate. Even with the upcoming return of Andrew Porter, O'Toole will undoubtedly have value in Andy Farrell's eyes ahead of the Nations Championship in July.
“The dynamics are going to keep unfolding in front of our face but you know you’ve got Ports who can play both sides, you’ve got Tom O’Toole who can do that and you’ve got all the young kids there at loosehead who are going to be competing.”
“When we do get them all back, I mean, it’s been a nightmare, hasn’t it, as far as that type of position is concerned, but when they all do come back, it’s going to be massive for us."
PHYSICAL BATTLE SWINGS AS DOMINANT IRELAND BACK ROW CARRIES TO VICTORY
Speaking to the media on Friday, it was Ireland captain Caelan Doris who stressed the importance of being dominant in contact for today's game. With a back row of Ireland's best ball carriers, Josh Van Der Flier, Doris, and Jack Conan, Ireland were able to shut down the dangers of the likes of Sione Tuipilotu and Zander Faegerson. Being forced to make 18 tackles between them in the opening 18 minutes.
“Yeah, I think there’s an opportunity in each moment to be dominant. Whether we’re kicking off or receiving, it’s a clean exit if we’re receiving, trying to get as much field position as possible. But yeah, like you say, it is as literal as first contact, the feeling that you can give those around you from a dominant position, from a dominant carry. But, I mean, you grow into the game as well. It’s backing up moments and moments and trying to win more.”
By the end of the game, it was Ireland's back row, including Van Der Flier, that did all the heavy lifting to deny Scotland multiple opportunities in the 22, as well as having a significant number of carries on the opposite end of the field. Between the three starting backrowers, having 25 carries between them, as Doris led the way with 15.
JACK CROWLEY OUTSHINES FINN RUSSELL ON THE DAY TO SILENCE CRITICS
After comments during the week from Ireland legend Ronan O'Gara criticizing the 10, Jack Crowley stepped up against Scotland in what may have been his best performance of the tournament. Easily carving open Scotland's back three across the opening 25 minutes, the 26-year-old took multiple dominant hits. However, he continued to appear on the channel despite that, playing as both a creative outlet and a carrying threat.
Meanwhile, Scotland star Finn Russell, similar to his team, showed up in glimpses on the day. Showing his usual talent in flashes, Gregor Townsend's attack was completely shut down by Andy Farrell's dominant defence. Forcing the Scottish outhalf to go to the boot rather than carry with the ball in hand, Russell had no answer for Ireland's defensive line speed.
ROB BALOCOUNE CAPS OFF ELECTRIC SIX NATIONS WITH TRY-SCORING PERFORMANCE
Nearing the end of the tournament, Robert Baloucoune’s electric form has him sitting near the top of the board for tries scored, coming out as one of Ireland’s best performers. On the day, the Ulster winger capitalized on Ireland's and Crowley's electric set play, with Townsend's back 3 of Blair Kinghorn, Kyle Steyn, and Darcy Graham having zero answers on how to stop the electric winger on the try line.
Finally, at the end of the tournament, after being in the dark for so long, Baloucune, besides the triple crown, has been the best thing to come out of Ireland's 2026 campaign, being named the rising player of the tournament. After returning from injury, the Ulster winger's goal was simply to get back to playing Rugby at a high level. Instead, alongside Stuart McCloskey, barring any injuries, Richie Murphy's Ulster side will have some significant representation in Ireland's 2027 World Cup squad.
Finally, at the end of the tournament, after being in the dark for so long, Baloucune, besides the triple crown, has been the best thing to come out of Ireland's 2026 campaign. After returning from injury, the Ulster winger's goal was simply to get back to playing Rugby at a high level. Instead, alongside Stuart McCloskey, barring any injuries, Richie Murphy's Ulster side will have some significant representation in Ireland's 2027 World Cup squad.
"“It’s been a full turnaround since last season. The level that I’m playing and the minutes has been unbelievable. My ability just to play games repeatedly is something that’s been a big focus of mine, trying to be in training consistently and being able to do that. I feel like that allowed me to build confidence each game I’m playing, and being able to do that continuously is a big factor in my game.”
IRELAND MAKE HISTORY WITH FOURTH TRIPLE CROWN UNDER HEAD COACH ANDY FARRELL
Ireland have won their last nine matches against Scotland in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, with their last defeat in this fixture coming at Murrayfield in 2017. Additionally, Scotland has won just once in Dublin in the Men’s Six Nations, that victory coming back in 2010 in Ireland’s final game at Croke Park. Continuing that streak today, they picked up their fourth Triple crown in Farrell's tenure, with a potential third championship to boot should England deliver.
LATEST SIX NATIONS NEWS:
TRENDING
LATEST NEWS
LATEST COMMENTS
Loading