Scotland's A team push for caps Irish are bowled over in rush for honours

The Glasgow High/Kelvinside lock was an influential character in

Scotland's heartening victory over Ireland in the A international

yesterday at Millbrae, Ayr, a green oasis when the rest of the country

was wrapped in white.

Munro established even more his prowess as a front-of-the-line jumper,

he was secure in taking restart kicks, and he galloped around to good

effect in the loose, most notably when he earned the last of Scotland's

three tries. He did well to be there to finish a move born deep in his

own half.

Peter Walton, another as yet uncapped, also progressed. The

Northampton flanker justified being the only back-row survivor from the

defeat by Italy 11 days ago, and Kevin McKenzie, responding to the

responsibilities of captaincy, added to his status as an all-rounder in

and out of the set piece.

No-one, however, did more than Iain Morrison to look the goods,

especially so soon after a knee injury. The flanker has had only two

first XV games for London Scottish since his recovery, and yet he

appeared ready to regain the open-side berth that was his throughout the

championship last season.

Morrison's predatory instinct was tuned to a hawk's sharpness, he

enjoyed tilting at the opposition with ball in hand, and he was ever

ready in back-up work. It was that close-support game that procured him

the first try.

Indeed, the back row of Morrison, Walton, and the forthright Rob

Wainwright worked well in harness, and it would be no surprise to see

them together in the international against Wales when the championship

opens on January 15. First, though, they have to come through the

national trial on Monday.

Only Scotland's scrummage gave cause for concern. It creaked

occasionally, but afterwards McKenzie complained that Peter Clohessy

tended to make the scrum fall in. David Davies, the Welsh referee, did

not pick that up, preferring to take the easy option of alternately

penalising each pack, which created uncertainty in the Scottish front

row.

Andy Nicol relished the platform usually set by the forwards, even if

his service wandered waywardly a couple of times, and Gregor Townsend

was confident and mainly efficient, whether prompting a handling game or

testing the opposition with precise punting, though his place-kicking

was too often off line. He converted all three tries, but he kicked only

one of the six penalties he attempted.

It was the selectors' fault for going into the game without a

front-line goal-kicker. Even so, it was a thoroughly satisfying

performance, especially for those who had seen the defeat in Rovigo.

Scottish rugby is alive when it can produce three tries that all

featured liaison between forwards and backs. The Irish were lustreless

in comparison.

Alan McGowan had already kicked two penalty goals for the visitors

whereas Townsend had missed three before the Scots sprung their first

productive assault in 18 minutes. Morrison ripped the ball from the

halted Dan Dooley, Derek Stark chipped through and forced Ciaran Clarke

to concede a scrum-five, and though Wainwright, Ian Jardine, and

Townsend were denied in thrusts at the goal-line, Morrison made sure by

scoring from the stand-off's venture to the posts.

McGowan's third penalty goal regained the lead for Ireland 15 minutes

later, but after another Townsend miss the Scots went ahead again just

before the interval. Jardine typically set up ideal ruck ball, Scott

Nichol's pass skipped the intruding Stark for Kenny Milligan to chip,

chase, and catch, and when the wing was stopped Wainwright scooped up

the ball to drive over from 15 metres out.

Townsend's conversion from well out on the right took Scotland to 14-9

at half-time, and immediately after the interval the home team struck

again when Wainwright, covering deep, ran back a McGowan kick. Milligan

had a go on the right, McKenzie retrieved when the wing was stopped,

Nicol explored the blind side for Kenny Logan and Morrison to exchange

passes, and, as the finale to rugby of admirable continuity, the full

back put Munro over from about 10 metres.

Townsend again converted, and though the only other score was the

stand-off's penalty goal in 62 minutes the Scots were firmly in charge.

Logan once tore through five tackles, Peter Wright was denied from a

short-range tapped penalty, as were Walton and Wainwright, and, lastly,

Ireland needed a try-saving tackle by Dooley to thwart Scott Nichol.

Scotland A -- K M Logan (Stirling County); K R Milligan (Stewart's

Melville FP), S A Nichol (Selkirk), I C Jardine (Stirling County), D A

Stark (Boroughmuir); G P J Townsend (Gala), A D Nicol (Dundee HS FP); A

V Sharp (Bristol), K D McKenzie (Stirling County), captain, P H Wright

(Boroughmuir), D S Munro (Glasgow High/Kelvinside), G W Weir (Melrose),

P Walton (Northampton), R I Wainwright (Edinburgh Academicals), I R

Morrison (London Scottish).

Ireland A -- C P Clark (Terenure College); S P Geoghegan, D R Dooley

(both London Irish), M C McCall (Bangor), N K P Woods; A N McGowan (both

Blackrock College), N A Hogan (Terenure College), captain; H D Hurley

(Old Wesley), K G M Wood (Garryowen), P M Clohessy (Young Munster), D A

Tweed (Ballymena), N J Rigney (Greystones), E Halvey (Shannon), P J

Lawlor (Bective Rangers), L T Tolland (Old Crescent).

Referee -- D R Davies (Wales).