Player Ratings: Scotland

Yesterday at 01:04 PM

OPINION: Scotland's hopes of launching a credible Six Nations challenge suffered a major setback as they suffered an 11th successive defeat by Ireland, equalling their worst-ever sequence against their Celtic cousins.

The Scots were not helped by the double whammy of losing both wing Darcy Graham and Finn Russell to head injuries after 21 minutes, but the Irish were already well in charge even at that early stage.

Here is how the Scotland players fared:

15. Blair Kinghorn – 6.5
Scotland's leading carrier against Italy and the Toulouse full-back again saw plenty of ball here. One early chip-and-gather was a sign of his intent and stretched his legs in a second-half break, but went for line himself when a simple pass could have released Van der Merwe. Slipped off tackle on Lowe for Ireland's third try and had one clearing kick charged down. Kicked three out of four at goal after taking over from the departed Russell.

14. Darcy Graham – 5
Looked lively early on, coming off his wing looking for work and raising the mood with a big tackle on Nash which led to a penalty. But his afternoon ended in horrible fashion after just 21 minutes, taken off in a head brace on a cart after a sickening clash of heads with Russell. After so long on the sidelines in the past couple of years, we can only hope this setback proves a short-term one.

13. Huw Jones – 6
One missed tackle amid the Irish onslaught in the first half but also made his fair share. Played a part in the move which led to Van der Merwe's try and grew more influential as Scotland saw more ball in attack, but couldn't find the space he enjoyed the previous week against Italy.

12. Tom Jordan – 7
Promoted to the starting line-up after an impressive entrance off the bench against Italy, Jordan had his hands full defensively early on and was then switched to fly-half after the early departure of Russell. One courageous cut-out pass to Jones launched Scotland's best attack and continued to take the fight to Ireland in a losing cause.

11. Duhan van der Merwe – 5
Exposed defensively early on when he got caught inside, leaving Nash in acres of space for Ireland's opening try. A clumsy off-the-ball shove on the Irish wing then cost him a yellow card after 13 minutes. Looked keen to make up for his faux pas thereafter and a stunning finish to leap over Prendergast's tackle and dot down in the left corner for his 31st Test try, but only six carries weren't enough on a day when Scotland needed more.

10. Finn Russell – 4.5
Lost a couple of high hanging kicks in the aerial battle in the first quarter, when he had little ball to work with in attack such was Ireland's early dominance. Forced into a couple of hurried clearances and then forced off completely after 21 minutes when he failed an HIA after colliding heads with Graham in a double whammy for the Scots.

9. Ben White – 6.5
Had to step up after the early loss of half-back partner Russell, taking on more responsibility as the game went on. Rewarded with his sixth Test try – and fifth in the Six Nations – late on after forcing his way over from a close-range snipe. Kept his service reasonably sharp in a rare 80-minute outing.

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1. Rory Sutherland – 5
Promoted to the starting side for only his third start since RWC23 and first in the Six Nations for three years, but Scotland's scrum creaked a couple of times in first half. Carried hard in heavy traffic but made way for Schoeman after 47 minutes.

2. Dave Cherry – 6.5
After his fine outing against Italy, the 34-year-old hooker was again conspicuous again around the field, tidying up loose ball and getting underneath an Irish maul to prevent a try in the first half. One lost lineout after Scotland had kicked a penalty into the Irish 22, but otherwise came out in credit.

3. Zander Fagerson – 7
Has to take his share of responsibility for the early issues at scrum time, but recovered well and got through his usual power of work with ball in hand, registering 11 carries before departing with 12 minutes left. In the continued absence of Tadgh Furlong, still appears a good bet for Lions Test spot.

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4. Jonny Gray – 5
On the day he joined brother Richie on 79 caps for his country, the second-row warhorse toiled away in the tight exchanges but struggled to make any great impact on the game and was replaced by the more energetic Brown early in the second half.

5. Grant Gilchrist – 6
The veteran Edinburgh lock was Scotland's go-to man at the lineout, pouching half a dozen takes and getting through plenty of spadework in his 77th Test. Also made a few carries into contact but still an impression Scotland could do with more muscle in the engine room.

6. Matt Fagerson – 6
Reverting to blindside in place of Ritchie after Dempsey's return at No. 8, Fagerson gave away a daft early penalty for a push on Henshaw but managed to disrupt a couple of Irish lineouts as well as providing a safe target at the tail on Scotland's ball. Seven carries and six tackles in a solid display.

7. Rory Darge – 7
The co-captain was a Trojan in defence, topping the Scots' tackle count with 17, over twice as many as anyone else in blue, as he tried manfully to stem the green tide. Unable to influence matters at the breakdown as much as he would have liked though.

8. Jack Dempsey – 6.5
Restored at No. 8 after only his second game back off the bench against Italy following a shoulder injury, Dempsey took the fight to Ireland with 15 muscular carries around the fringes in his hour on the pitch and was also second in the Scots' tackle count when he departed. Gave it his all.

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Replacements:
16. Ewan Ashman – 5
Replaced Cherry after 47 minutes and kept the Scottish lineout ticking over with some accurate darts, but not so conspicuous as usual with ball in hand.

17. Pierre Schoeman – 5.5
Took over from Sutherland early in the second half, there were a few rumbles with ball in hand but pinged for holding on at one breakdown as he ran out of support.

18. Will Hurd – 4
Took over from Zander Fagerson for the final 12 minutes, the Leicester tighthead held his end up at scrum-time but little time to make an impression elsewhere.

19. Sam Skinner – 4
Sent on for Gilchrist after 68 minutes. Put himself about but the game was pretty much up by the time he joined the fray.

20. Gregor Brown – 5.5
Brought greater energy and an athletic presence when he came on for Gray early in the second half.

21. Jamie Ritchie – 5
Replaced Dempsey for the final quarter and had a few carries and made a few tackles, but up against the powerful Irish back row.

22. Jamie Dobie – 5.5
Into the action after just 21 minutes as part of the double substitution necessitated by the clash of heads between Russell and Graham. But most of his work was done in defence, with little opportunity to escape in attack.

23. Stafford McDowall – 6.5
Also came on after 21 minutes as part of the backline reshuffle necessitated by the departure of Russell and Graham, stepping into his usual position at 12. Sliced kick to touch was an inauspicious start but a brilliant offload for Van der Merwe's try as he grew into the game impressively.

By Bryn Palmer