Ireland retain Six Nations title with narrow Scotland win

DUBLIN :Ireland beat Scotland 17-13 in a nervy game at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday to clinch back-to-back Six Nations titles for the second time in 11 years and put last year's World Cup disappointment behind them.

After England denied them a bid for successive Grand Slams last week, a sluggish Ireland looked at risk of relinquishing their grip on the title and giving the English something to play for in Paris after eking out an unconvincing 7-6 halftime lead.

Andy Farrell's men showed far more intent straight after the break, however, pushing hard until Andrew Porter's 65th-minute try put daylight between the sides, only for a late Huw Jones try and an Irish yellow card to set up a nervy finish.

The victory kept Ireland clear of second-placed England, eased the disappointment of another crushing World Cup quarter-final defeat and ensured the post-Johnny Sexton era began with silverware.

"Very special, these days don't come around very often," said captain Peter O'Mahony, who had reminded fans after the Twickenham disappointment that Ireland would have given an arm and a leg for a single title not so long ago.

"We put in a lot of hard work, going back to the World Cup. It was tough but it galvanised us. To come back from that defeat, it shows the character in the group we have," he added.

The veteran Munster back-row forward, who was in tears during the anthems, said before lifting the trophy that the game could be his last for Ireland.

"If it was the last one, I'll be a happy man," he said in a pitchside interview.

SCRAPPY OPENING

The game was punctuated with nerves for the home fans, with Finn Russell putting Scotland 3-0 ahead after a scrappy opening 10 minutes where the ball spent more time being pinged into the air than