Following a 22-7 defeat to Ireland in their Six Nations Test at Murrayfield on Sunday, here are the player ratings for Scotland.
15 Stuart Hogg: A proud day on his 100th Test as his son, Archie, brought out the match ball, but that was as good as it got for the full-back. There were some good things, but not enough of them. 6
14 Kyle Steyn: Carried hard throughout but struggled to break free as Ireland handled him pretty well. 6
13 Huw Jones: One of the best players in this season’s Championship. He scored another try and caused the Irish problems. 8
12 Sione Tuipulotu: Has formed an excellent partnership with Jones at both club and international level. Tends to make the right decisions with and without the ball. 7
11 Duhan van der Merwe: A strange game for the big wing. He always looked dangerous but, to be perfectly honest, Ireland shackled him very well. He should have scored in the first half but Hugo Keenan put in a magnificent tackle. 6
10 Finn Russell: Controlled the backline nicely and created opportunities, but credit must go to Ireland’s defence who restricted the Scots to one try. 7
9 Ben White: Is turning into a very, very good scrum-half. His service is fast, pass is bullet-like and he kicks well too. Just lost his way slightly in the second period. 7
Back-row fronts up well
8 Jack Dempsey: A big performance from the number eight as he made 70 metres with ball in hand and a staggering 23 tackles on defence. An excellent display. 8
7 Jamie Ritchie (c): Like Dempsey, was busy in defence, while he carried well at times and also helped out in the lineout. 7
6 Matt Fagerson: Part of a tireless back-row, who matched up well to Ireland’s excellent unit. 7
5 Jonny Gray: Rarely misses a tackle, this time making 20 hits without missing. Continually scythed down Irishmen. 7
4 Richie Gray: Went off after six minutes so had no time to make his mark. N/A
3 Zander Fagerson: Don’t understand why he was taken off before the hour mark as he was part of a very good front-row. 7
2 George Turner: See Fagerson. Lineout had a few issues but Turner was once again busy throughout the contest. Becoming one of the best hookers in Europe. 7
1 Pierre Schoeman: See Fagerson and Turner! Schoeman was superb once again, making his presence felt in most areas of the game. Should never have gone off after 54 minutes as Scotland suffered upfront after that. 8
Replacements: Scotland’s issue has always been depth and there was just a massive drop-off at prop. Jamie Bhatti and Simon Berghan were completely dominated in the set-piece. Blair Kinghorn had his moments but that was about it. 4
READ MORE: Ireland player ratings: Brilliant backs and bench keeps the Grand Slam dream alive
The article Scotland player ratings: Huw Jones once again shines as they fall just short of Triple Crown despite battling performance appeared first on Planetrugby.com.
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