Man-of-the-match Malcolm O’Kelly claimed Ireland were forced to “stick to their guns” following a dogged five-try display – in which the 30-year-old pocketed a touch down on his 70th appearance.
Man-of-the-match Malcolm O’Kelly claimed Ireland were forced to “stick to their guns” following a dogged five-try display – in which the 30-year-old pocketed a touch down on his 70th appearance.
Ireland second row Malcolm O’Kelly:
“Scotland came out really firing and we had to stick to our guns. We wanted to keep things tight although we did show a bit more flair near the end.
“We knew we were capable of scoring tries and that’s what we did.
“We picked ourselves up after conceding the early try – and got back into the game. Scotland were never going to stop fighting and it is a credit to them and their coaching staff who drill them hard.
“But that is what the game is all about and we expected no less.”
Ireland coach Eddie O’Sullivan:
“That’s two wins and now we have two wins to go – and it gives us the chance to get people back, get a break and come back refreshed for the England game.
“That is going to be a very physical match but the boys are going back to Lansdowne Road, which has been a good hunting ground for us.
“It is going to be a phenomenal atmosphere and we are looking forward to the England game.
“We will recharge our batteries and come in next week, ready to go – we are certainly champing at the bit.”
“I am happy with the two wins especially considering the two injuries we had, with Brian (O’Driscoll) and Gordon (D’Arcy).
“That did change the dynamics of the side but I said that if we got two wins I would be happy and I am very happy.
“We have learned several things from the two games. We have learned to keep our shape and composure under pressure and learned patience as well.
“Those are good learning curves in the Six Nations Championship. It has not been the prettiest two weeks of rugby but I would rather be ugly and win, than lose and be pretty.”
Ireland captain Paul O’Connell:
“The score line might suggest that we won easily, but that is far from the whole story. They really got in our faces in the first 20 minutes, and they might have scored more points in that period, so it was a case of us striving to seize the initiative and eventually we scored some good tries.
“We are not remotely thinking about Grand Slams at the moment. It is one game at a time, and we have some massive challenges ahead of us.”
Scotland coach Matt Williams:
“We lack consistency and the last two weeks show that perfectly. As a squad, we put in a great effort over 80 minutes in Paris and then we’ve not played well here today just seven days later.
“When you come up against someone like Ireland, if you make mistakes you will be punished.
“Silly mistakes like simple dropped catches are letting us down. That, and a lack of concentration at times.
“I felt we occasionally lacked concentration in maul situations. At times we stopped them well but other times we allowed them to get going.
“If you allow a maul to get up some momentum then in international rugby you are going to struggle to stop it from five yards out.”
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