Was faultless under the high ball and threatened to create an opening with a couple of explosive breaks. Rewarded with a try in the second-half and was awarded the man-of-the-match by Sky Sports.
Zebo stuck his hand up with a fine all-round performance. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Tommy Bowe: 6
Was relatively quiet but went about his business efficiently.
Jared Payne: 6
Saw very little of the Ulsterman throughout, although he did see more of the ball after the break. That said, was strong in defence and put in a fine shift.
Gordon D’Arcy: 5
Much like his centre partner, D’Arcy didn’t make much of an impression and was guilty of missing a couple of crucial tackles in defence. Didn’t look particularly sharp.
Luke Fitzgerald: 5
Other than his try, it wasn’t a particularly stand-out performance from Fitzgerald. Up until that point, he was left frustrated by a lack of service. Inexcusably missed touch to allow Horne to score.
Ian Madigan: 9
Was terrific and stood up when given the chance. An exquisite cross-field kick for Fitzgerald was the highlight but he added a touch of class to an otherwise disjointed game. His inside step and offload for Zebo’s try was another memorable moment.
Madigan pulled the strings and was involved in everything that was good about Ireland. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
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Isaac Boss: 5
Poor game from start to finish as he was unable to inject any pace into Ireland’s play in the first-half and was also guilty of a couple of handling errors to boot. Lacked the energy of Reddan.
Dave Kilcoyne: 8
Fine performance by the Munster man in the loose as he displayed all his credentials in both attack and defence. A couple of bulldozing carries were Healy-esque.
Sean Cronin: 6
Rounded off a trademark rolling maul and stuck his hand up with a productive performance in the front-row.
Mike Ross: 5
As the only player to survive from last week’s win in Cardiff, Ross look tired and didn’t have his usual impact. That said, was still a totem in the scrum before being replaced early in the second-half.
Cronin capped his day with a try. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Devin Toner: 6
Typically reliable in the line-out and was hard-working throughout.
Dan Tuohy: 5
Missed opportunity as he didn’t provide any evidence to persuade Schmidt to include him in the 31-man squad.
Jack Conan: 7
A satisfactory debut for the 22-year-old. Didn’t do anything spectacular but did everything asked of him.
Chris Henry: 7
Still working his way back to his best form after his health scare but didn’t really get the chance to run one-on-one where he can be most destructive.
Sean O’Brien: 9
Just like last week, Ireland’s best player wore the number 8 jersey as O’Brien produced another typically domineering display as he bullied the Scots at the breakdown on more than one occasion.
O'Brien enjoyed his day as captain. Billy Stickland / INPHO
Billy Stickland / INPHO / INPHO
Replacements:
Paddy Jackson: 6
Was introduced for the final two minutes.
Dave Kearney: 7
An impressive cameo as he pierced through the Scottish defence in the build-up to Zebo’s try with his first involvement.
Eoin Reddan: 6
Added energy and controlled proceedings as Ireland closed out the game in the final ten minutes.
Michael Bent: 6
Ensured Ireland’s dominance of the scrum continued up until the end.
Richardt Strauss: 6
Didn’t put a foot wrong during his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Nathan White: 6
Replaced Kilcoyne for his debut and was solid.
O'Connell made a brief cameo. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Paul O’Connell: 6
Received a huge ovation on what was his first appearance of the season and his introduction lifted the crowd. But will be disappointed to miss a tackle in the build-up to Horne’s try.
Out of 10: How Ireland's players rated in their win over Scotland
IRELAND RECORDED THEIR second successive World Cup warm-up win this afternoon as they outlasted Scotland in a see-sawing encounter at the Aviva Stadium.
Here’s how we rated those in green:
Simon Zebo: 9
Was faultless under the high ball and threatened to create an opening with a couple of explosive breaks. Rewarded with a try in the second-half and was awarded the man-of-the-match by Sky Sports.
Tommy Bowe: 6
Was relatively quiet but went about his business efficiently.
Jared Payne: 6
Saw very little of the Ulsterman throughout, although he did see more of the ball after the break. That said, was strong in defence and put in a fine shift.
Gordon D’Arcy: 5
Much like his centre partner, D’Arcy didn’t make much of an impression and was guilty of missing a couple of crucial tackles in defence. Didn’t look particularly sharp.
Luke Fitzgerald: 5
Other than his try, it wasn’t a particularly stand-out performance from Fitzgerald. Up until that point, he was left frustrated by a lack of service. Inexcusably missed touch to allow Horne to score.
Ian Madigan: 9
Was terrific and stood up when given the chance. An exquisite cross-field kick for Fitzgerald was the highlight but he added a touch of class to an otherwise disjointed game. His inside step and offload for Zebo’s try was another memorable moment.
Isaac Boss: 5
Poor game from start to finish as he was unable to inject any pace into Ireland’s play in the first-half and was also guilty of a couple of handling errors to boot. Lacked the energy of Reddan.
Dave Kilcoyne: 8
Fine performance by the Munster man in the loose as he displayed all his credentials in both attack and defence. A couple of bulldozing carries were Healy-esque.
Sean Cronin: 6
Rounded off a trademark rolling maul and stuck his hand up with a productive performance in the front-row.
Mike Ross: 5
As the only player to survive from last week’s win in Cardiff, Ross look tired and didn’t have his usual impact. That said, was still a totem in the scrum before being replaced early in the second-half.
Devin Toner: 6
Typically reliable in the line-out and was hard-working throughout.
Dan Tuohy: 5
Missed opportunity as he didn’t provide any evidence to persuade Schmidt to include him in the 31-man squad.
Jack Conan: 7
A satisfactory debut for the 22-year-old. Didn’t do anything spectacular but did everything asked of him.
Chris Henry: 7
Still working his way back to his best form after his health scare but didn’t really get the chance to run one-on-one where he can be most destructive.
Sean O’Brien: 9
Just like last week, Ireland’s best player wore the number 8 jersey as O’Brien produced another typically domineering display as he bullied the Scots at the breakdown on more than one occasion.
Replacements:
Paddy Jackson: 6
Was introduced for the final two minutes.
Dave Kearney: 7
An impressive cameo as he pierced through the Scottish defence in the build-up to Zebo’s try with his first involvement.
Eoin Reddan: 6
Added energy and controlled proceedings as Ireland closed out the game in the final ten minutes.
Michael Bent: 6
Ensured Ireland’s dominance of the scrum continued up until the end.
Richardt Strauss: 6
Didn’t put a foot wrong during his 20 minutes on the pitch.
Nathan White: 6
Replaced Kilcoyne for his debut and was solid.
Paul O’Connell: 6
Received a huge ovation on what was his first appearance of the season and his introduction lifted the crowd. But will be disappointed to miss a tackle in the build-up to Horne’s try.
Jordi Murphy: 6
A late introduction.
Impressive Zebo helps Schmidt’s Ireland to hard-fought win over Scotland
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Ireland Marks out of 10 player ratings Scotland