Ireland v Scotland: Facts & Figures
We look at some of the facts and figures ahead of this weekend’s trio of Ireland v Scotland Six Nations matches – Friday’s Under-20 duel in Athlone, the Women’s encounter in Ashbourne on Saturday and the headline act at the Aviva Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
RBS UNDER-20 6 NATIONS: Friday, January 31
IRELAND UNDER-20s v SCOTLAND UNDER-20s, Dubarry Park, 7.05pm (live RTÉ Two/RTÉ website (island of Ireland only))
– Ireland are attempting to win a first Championship since 2010 after finishing in eighth place in the recent IRB Junior World Championship
– Ireland have won their last five home games in the Under-20 Six Nations, all played in Athlone, since England beat them there in 2011
– Scotland last season equalled their best ever finish (fourth) in the Under-20 Six Nations since it began in 2007. They were 10th at the recent IRB Junior World Championship
– Scotland’s only two away wins in the U-20 Six Nations have both been in Italy (in 2010 and 2012)
– Scotland beat Ireland 21-20 last season at Galashiels to end a five-match losing run against Ireland
Match Ticket Info: Tickets for the first match of the Electric Ireland home series in Athlone can be purchased in advance at either Buccaneers RFC or the Bounty.
Tickets can also be bought at the turnstiles on match nights, but do come along early especially as pyrotechnics prior to kick-off will add to the fantastic atmosphere.
Stand seats generally sell out in advance of each match. Ticket prices are as follows: Stand €;20; Terrace €;15; Children/OAP €;5; Family (two adults and two children to ground) €;30.
Group discounts are available to clubs/schools, etc. Contact Buccaneers administrator Geraldine 0861732711 (during office hours) or email rugby@dubarrypark.com.
Full match ticket information is available here, and details of the pre-match offerings at Buccaneers RFC are available here.
IRELAND U-20: David Busby (Queen’s University/Ulster); Adam Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Gary Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Peter Robb (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Ian Fitzpatrick (Lansdowne/Leinster); Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Nick McCarthy (UCD/Leinster); Peter Dooley (Lansdowne/Leinster), Max Abbott (Cork Constitution/Munster), Rory Burke (Cork Constitution/Munster), Sean O’Brien (Galwegians/Connacht), Ross Molony (UCD/Leinster), Peadar Timmins (UCD/Leinster), Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster) (capt), Jack O’Donoghue (UL Bohemians/Munster).
Replacements: Shane Delahunt (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jacob Walshe (Buccaneers/Connacht), Oisin Heffernan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Joe Joyce (Bristol/Exiles), Rory Moloney (Buccaneers/Connacht), Jack Cullen (Bruff/Munster), Conor McKeon (Lansdowne/Leinster), Dan Goggin (Young Munster/Munster).
SCOTLAND U-20: Gavin Lowe (Glasgow Hawks/Glasgow Warriors); Jamie Farndale (Edinburgh Accies/Edinburgh), Damien Hoyland (Melrose), Neil Herron (Glasgow Hawks), Sam Pecqueur (Edinburgh Accies); Ben Chalmers (Melrose), Murdo McAndrew (Clermont Auvergne); James Malcolm (Ayr), Sam James (London Wasps), D’arcy Rae (Ayr/Glasgow Warriors), Andrew Cramond (Aberdeen Grammar), Glen Young (Newcastle Falcons), Magnus Bradbury (Boroughmuir/Edinburgh), Tommy Spinks (London Scottish) (capt), Buchan Richardson (London Scottish).
Replacements: Ross Graham (Hawick), Philip Cringle (Edinburgh Accies/Edinburgh), Jack Cosgrove (Worcester Warriors), Lewis Carmicheal (Melrose), Neil Irvine-Hess (Watsonians/Edinburgh), Ben Vellacott (Worcester Warriors/Hartpury), Ben Cooper (Boroughmuir), Ruairidh Young (Edinburgh Accies).
Referee: Claudio Blessano (Italy)
Assistant Referees: Filippo Bertelli, Gianluigi Rossi (both Italy)
Television Match Official: Alan Falzone (Italy)
WOMEN’S RBS 6 NATIONS: Friday, January 31
IRELAND WOMEN v SCOTLAND WOMEN, Ashbourne RFC, 7.30pm (live Irish Rugby TV stream/’Game On’ RTÉ 2fm)
– Ireland Women achieved their first ever Grand Slam last season and have won eight of their last nine Six Nations matches
– Ireland have not been beaten at Ashbourne since England were the visitors in 2011
– Scotland Women are on a poor run which has seen them suffer three successive whitewashes with their most recent victory in the Six Nations coming in the opening round of the 2010 campaign at home to France
– Fortunes have switched in contests between Ireland and Scotland at Women’s level, the first 14 encounters between 1993-2006 were all won by Scotland but the eight most recent fixtures have all been won by Ireland
Match Ticket/Travel Info: Tickets for the Ireland Women’s matches against Scotland and Wales at Ashbourne RFC will be available for purchase at the gate on matchdays.
Tickets prices are as follows: Adult €;10; Student/child €;5; Cars/buses of more than four people, €;5 per person.
For the two Friday night games, Old Belvedere RFC are running supporters’ buses to Ashbourne from Dublin city. The buses will leave Old Belvedere RFC on Anglesea Road at 6pm sharp and pick up at Jury’s Hotel, Custom House Quay at 6.15pm. The buses will return at about 11pm.
There are two options for those wishing to travel to games on the Old Belvedere buses, and both include entry into the game and the return trip on the bus: a one-game ticket costs €;20 and a two-game ticket costs €;35.
If you would like to reserve seats on the buses, please contact Old Belvedere’s Emer McElhinney (0868892166) or Ann Marie Ruttledge (0871253853).
IRELAND WOMEN: Jackie Shiels (Richmond/Exile); Hannah Casey (Saracens/Exile), Lynne Cantwell (Richmond/Exile), Jenny Murphy (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Alison Miller (Portlaoise/UCC/Connacht); Nora Stapleton (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Amy Davis (Blackrock/Ulster); Fiona Coghlan (UL Bohemians/Leinster) (capt), Stacey-Lea Kennedy (Cooke/Ulster), Ailis Egan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Sophie Spence (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Marie Louise Reilly (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Siobhan Fleming (Tralee/Munster), Claire Molloy (Bristol/Connacht), Heather O’Brien (Highfield/Munster).
Replacements: Gill Bourke (UL Bohemians/Munster), Fiona Hayes (UL Bohemians/Munster), Kerrie-Ann Craddock (Saracens/Exile), Orla Fitzsimmons (St. Mary’s/Leinster), Paula Fitzpatrick (St. Mary’s/Leinster), Larissa Muldoon (Bristol/Exile), Grace Davitt (Cooke/Ulster), Niamh Briggs (UL Bohemians/Munster).
SCOTLAND WOMEN: Stephanie Johnston (Worcester); Katy Green (Darlington Mowden Park), Annabel Sergeant (Richmond), Gillian Inglis (Melrose), Megan Gaffney (Hillhead-Jordanhill); Lisa Martin (Murrayfield Wanderers), Sarah Law (Murrayfield Wanderers); Tracy Balmer (Worcester) (capt), Sarah Quick (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lindsay Smith (Hillhead-Jordanhill), Jade Konkel (Hillhead-Jordanhill), Deborah McCormack (Richmond), Tess Forsberg (Richmond), Ruth Slaven (Murrayfield Wanderers), Lindsay Wheeler (Saracens).
Replacements: Nikki McLeod (Stirling County), Lisa Robertson (Murrayfield Wanderers), Heather Lockhart (Hillhead-Jordanhill), Emma Wassel (Murrayfield Wanderers), Anna Stodter (Loughborough University), Louise Dalgliesh (RHC Cougars), Tanya Griffiths (RHC Cougars), Laura Steven (Murrayfield Wanderers).
Referee: Claire Hodnett (England)
Assistant Referees: Ken Henley-Willis, Susan Carty (both Ireland)
RBS 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Sunday, February 2
IRELAND v SCOTLAND, Aviva Stadium, 3pm (live RTÉ Two/BBC OneRTÉ Radio 1)
STATS & FACTS
– Ireland’s only three victories since the opening round of last season’s RBS 6 Nations have been against the USA, Canada and Samoa while they have won just one of their past five fixtures at the Aviva Stadium
– Ireland have lost their last four RBS 6 Nations matches but have never lost five in-a-row in the 14-year history of the tournament
– Ireland’s only round 1 loss since 2004 came at home to Wales in 2012
– Scotland have won just two of their last eight Test matches, against Italy and Japan
– The Scots’ only away win in the RBS 6 Nations in their last 17 fixtures since 2006 was 23-20 over Ireland at Croke Park in 2010
– Scotland have only once before started an RBS 6 Nations campaign with a victory: 20-16 at home to France in 2006
– Scotland have won just once in Dublin since 1998, prevailing at Croke Park in 2010
ON THE PITCH
– Of players to make over ten carries, Keith Earls had the best average gain rate of anyone, making 10 metres per carry (18 carries, 180 metres) in last season’s RBS 6 Nations
– Scotland scored five tries from phase one play during the 2013 tournament, the same as the other five nations combined. Conversely, they were the only team not to score a try from 7+ phases of play
– All five of the tries Ireland conceded in the 2013 Six Nations came in the second 40 minutes
– Donnacha Ryan won four more lineouts than anyone else during the 2013 tournament, to top the list with 23
– Rory Best was the best lineout thrower last season with an 81% success rate
– Scotland had the best place-kickers in 2013 with a combined 85% place-kicking rate
– Scotland conceded the most penalties last season: an average of almost 15 per match
IRELAND: Team to be announced on Friday afternoon
SCOTLAND: Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors); Sean Maitland (Glasgow Warriors), Alex Dunbar (Glasgow Warriors), Duncan Taylor (Saracens), Sean Lamont (Glasgow Warriors); Duncan Weir (Glasgow Warriors), Greig Laidlaw (Edinburgh); Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors), Ross Ford (Edinburgh), Moray Low (Glasgow Warriors), Tim Swinson (Glasgow Warriors), Jim Hamilton (Montpellier), Ryan Wilson (Glasgow Warriors), Kelly Brown (Saracens) (capt), David Denton (Edinburgh).
Replacements: Pat MacArthur (Glasgow Warriors), Alasdair Dickinson (Edinburgh), Geoff Cross (Edinburgh), Richie Gray (Castres Olympique), Johnnie Beattie (Montpellier), Chris Cusiter (Glasgow Warriors), Matt Scott (Edinburgh), Max Evans (Castres Olympique).
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Mike Fraser (New Zealand)
Television Match Official: Carlo Damasco (Italy)
– Compiled by SFMS Limited (Stuart Farmer Media Services)
