In defence and attack, Ireland’s fullback made key contributions at critical times
Ireland’s travails in the first half included losing three of their starting pack to injury, a legacy of which gave the appearance of them being a hair’s breadth off in their traditional attacking fluency, but defensively matters were even more concerning.
Keenan stepped into the breach, so to speak, twice, at a time when the Scots were very much ascendant and threatening to turn pressure into a more tangible reward on the scoreboard. On 31 minutes Keenan’s textbook tackle on Duhan van der Merwe six metres from the Irish line was a thing of beauty, taking the legs from a player who had caused Ireland huge problems until that point.
Arguing the potential upshot of those two moments is a moot point but suffice to say that Ireland would have faced a very different Scottish side if Gregor Townend’s charges had managed to take one, or both of those chances. Scotland players scramble as Hugo Keenan embarks on another run at Murrayfield. Photograph: Jane Barlow/PA
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