Ireland dispatch Scotland with 27-3 bonus point victory in Yokohama

Chris Wyatt, Yokohama, September 22nd, 2019

?Six Nations rugby fans are familiar with the line, “on any given day, #Scotland is capable of beating any side in the world.” Perhaps this is the case, but they did not bring that level of performance to the pitch on Sunday when the #Irish did pretty much whatever they wanted. On this day at least, the #Scots find themselves needing some introspection. While most fans did not expect to see Scotland win the game, we certainly expected a closer match than we got. Scotland’s coach Gregor #Townsend must be asking himself: who did we bring to Japan? Though to be fair, their 6 Nations season was not pleasant this year either with a single win over Italy and a draw with England at Twickenham being the only highlights. 

Despite Scotland’s poor 2019 Rugby World Cup buildup, this game was still a highly anticipated one.  But the wheels came off quickly with Ireland able to easily play their game. This result should be reassuring to Irish rugby fans. Joe Schmidt’s team gave an excellent performance. A big highlight for fans was Rory Best scoring a try. The 37-year-old hooker seems to be a fan favorite with the Japanese. While Ireland played well, from the opening kickoff until the final hooter, Scotland never seemed to get into any flow in this game. Ultimately, the four try bonus point victory was an easy affair for Ireland for whom the result was never in doubt. 

Scotland’s poor play, more so than the loss itself, may not be disastrous to their chances to advance to the knockout stage, but it certainly raises questions. For host Japan, it also likely raises their own hopes to advance. In 2015, a 45-10 loss to Scotland kept the Brave Blossoms from advancing despite a 3-1 record and an historic win over South Africa in Brighton. This may come down to the final pool game on October 13th, 2019 between Scotland and Japan where the Japanese might have the opportunity to mete out revenge for 2015 by knocking Scotland out of the tournament. Ireland’s next game will be in front of an excited crowd as they take on host Japan at Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa on Saturday September 28th. Scotland pay their second game on Monday September 30th in Kobe against Samoa.