Dublin (AFP)

Thanks to its new captain, Johnny Sexton, author of 100% of its points, Ireland started off on the right foot in the 2020 Six Nations Tournament by beating a catchy Scotland (19-12), Saturday in Dublin.

The XV of the thistle, which lacked realism on its highlights, leaves with the defensive bonus point of a stadium where it has not won for 10 years.

Scotland is at risk of ruminating all night and perhaps even beyond the ready-made test, missed by Stuart Hogg in the 50th minute, who inexplicably dropped the ball when flattening in the corner, while the score was only 13-6.

A bitter action for the new Scottish captain and who, if it cannot be described as a turning point in the match, is at least a good illustration of the Scottish performance where errors, often avoidable, have systematically ruined the great flights.

Generous and surly in defense, the men of Gregor Townsend had the ammunition to leave with better than this consolation prize.

And, despite a big performance from the third row wing Amish Watson, for example, it is hard not to say that he missed the little spark of talent of a Finn Russell dismissed for his indiscipline during the camps of before the Tournament.

Opposite, Ireland produced a service which reminded a lot of those of last year, of which it nevertheless aspires to stand out by improving its attacking game.

- A bit stereotypical -

He still sometimes seemed a little stereotypical, even if it registered the only try of the match by Johnny Sexton, at the conclusion of a perfectly performed combination on a ball five meters from the opposing line (7-3, 11th).

The great strength of the Greens and what made the difference in this match was that they never made a glaring error.

This allowed him to resist in the final the furia of the Scots, stopped a few centimeters from the line three minutes from the end, even if his fierce defense was sometimes very limited.

But could we really expect anything else for the first match at the head of Andy Farrell, "Mr. Defense", at the head of Ireland? Probably not.

After all, he warned before the game that if providing his team with a more attractive attacking game - without compromising on efficiency - was a medium-term goal, it was important to win matches to work in peace.

The cold efficiency of Sexton, who scored 19 points for his team to celebrate his first with the captain's armband, gives him this time even if the visit of the Welsh, who impressed by crushing poor Italy (42-0) the next weekend, may be of a completely different level.

Scotland will probably not be satisfied with the sympathetic and sympathetic comments on a match which once again it could have won, but which it lost. In a week, at Murrayfield and facing England, the tone of all his Tournament will already be at stake.

© 2020 AFP