Ireland v Scotland, Autumn Nations Cup: live score and latest updates

Ireland are flat in defence and in their demeanour.

It’s a straightforward kick and Van der Walt makes no mistake. It’s his third penalty goal. 

Scotland recover the ball from the restart and rattle through the phases to make 20m progress. They again target the right of Ireland’s defence with a crisp passing move sends Van der Merwe into the 22 before he is stopped. Quick ball gets them to switch flanks at pace and then back into the centre where they win a penalty, only 18m from the posts. Hogg gives the ball to Van der Walt and he sends for the tee. 

Sexton has a chance to put points on the board after Scotland concede a penalty about 8m inside their half. 

He slots this one and halves the deficit. 

Van der Walt nails it, making it two out of three with his second successful penalty goal attempt. 

Before the scrum, Sexton has to have his thigh bandaged after ripping the ball from Van der Walt. Scotland win the scrum against the head when Healy goes down. Scotland penalty – and Van der Walt signals to the sticks. It’s about 40m to goal. 

Hogg at first receiver from the lineout and he feeds it to Van der Merwe with Van der Walt out wide. They force their way into the Ireland half until a knock-on stops the attack with an Ireland scrum. 

Ireland are disrupted at the lineout and Fraser Brown catches as it goes over the top and drives forward. They string a couple of thrusts together until Van der Walt fumbles and Ireland get the scrum about 10m out. Ireland win the scrum and Sexton finds touch just inside his own half. 

Scotland are playing with far more attacking brio than Ireland. Hogg is running the ball at almost every opportunity and Ireland look pretty disorganised in defence as Scotland compete in the air. Zander Fagerson takes a difficult pass and storms down the short side by the left touchline until forced out for an Ireland lineout. 

Van der Walt has a much shorter distance with his second penalty goal attempt and nails it from about 32m. 

Scotland penalty between halfway and the the Ireland 10m line. Jaco van der Walt lines it up. It’s a monster kick but it strikes the right post. The penalty was awarded after Ireland didn’t release the ball in time following punch and counterpunch in midfield. 

Sexton has the range but not the precision, his kick drifting to the right of the uprights. 

Scotland recover from the scrum but concede a clear penalty with Ritchie again the transgressor, competing in breakdown that was going nowhere and entering again from the side. 

Sexton will kick for goal just ahead of the 10m line. 

Penalty to Ireland after Scotland won the scrum, Jamie Ritchie entering from the side. Ireland drive up to the 10m line and then kick high into the 22. Hogg knocks it on and when Stander’s grubber dribbles into touch they come back for a scrum 20m out. 

Bundee Aki makes the catch from the Scotland kick-off and Ireland send up a box kick that they regain on the Scotland 10m line but a knock-on brings it back for a scrum. 

None of this change kit marketing exercise rubbish of the past few weeks. Both sides in their traditional colours. 

After a minute’s reflection they begin with Flower of Scotland. 

On Amazon Prime – we’re still being treated to the end of the the ‘7th-place’ final between Georgia and Fiji.

Fiji have been an absolute treat to watch. 

***Spoiler alert *** (Georgia 24 Fiji 38) 

Ireland Jacob Stockdale (Ulster), Hugo  Keenan (Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Leinster), Bundee Aki (Connacht), Keith Earls (Munster), Johnny Sexton (Leinster, capt), Conor Murray (Munster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Andrew Porter (Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ulster), James Ryan (Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Caelan Doris (Leinster).
Replacements Ronan Kelleher (Leinster), Eric O’Sullivan (Ulster), John Ryan (Munster), Quinn Roux (Connacht), Josh Van Der Flier (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Ross Byrne (Leinster), Chris Farrell (Munster).

Scotland Stuart Hogg (Exeter, captain), Darcy Graham (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Duhan van der Merwe, Jaco van der Walt (both Edinburgh), Ali Price (Glasgow), Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh), Fraser Brown, Zander Fagerson, Scott Cummings (all Glasgow), Jonny Gray (Exeter), Blade Thompson (Scarlets), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow).
Replacements Stuart McInally (Edinburgh), Oli Kebble (Glasgow), WP Nel (Edinburgh), Sam Skinner (Exeter), Blair Cowan (London Irish), Sam Hidalgo-Clyne (Exeter), Huw Jones (Glasgow), Sean Maitland (Saracens).

Referee Matthew Carley (Eng)

And welcome to coverage of Ireland vs Scotland in the plate match for the Autumn Nations Cup. Scotland have not won in Dublin in their last six visits, not since the victory at Croke Park in 2010 and haven’t won  at Landsdowne Road/Aviva since 121 years before that when their current head coach, Gregor Townsend, was in midfield and Gary Armstrong led them to a 17-16 victory. That was the last game in charge of Ireland for an Englishman, Brian Ashton, whose year of increasingly fractious public disagreements with Pat Whelan came to their culmination in his resignation after the defeat. No such fate awaits Andy Farrell today but, my word, he could do with winning. 

Scotland came close to at least a draw during their Six Nations visit in February and had Stuart Hogg not dropped the ball over the line their dominance for much of the match would have been rewarded. Yet when it came to the crunch the execution was not what it should have been, much like his kick late on for touch against France at Murrayfield in France. Today presents the perfect opportunity to put that right and claim the signature victory that would confirm their progress under Townsend in the most impressive currency, away wins. 

Farrell, by contrast, is only at the beginning of his mission, trying to engineer a revival of Ireland’s attacking flair and variety after the structured approach that brought Joe Schmidt such success. They have had a long inquest in the camp about their failures to bury Georgia in the second half of last week’s game but do not sound particularly bullish that they will be immediately able to put that right. “We reviewed the game and were harsh on each other,” said Conor Murray. “It was the way it needed to be and we did not shy away from it. If Scotland had played Georgia last weekend and struggled to put them to the sword, we would be more confident than we usually would.” 

Three home victories today and the ANC table ends up looking exactly like the 2020 Six Nations one. Scotland have the greatest opportunity to change that.