Six Nations 2012: Ireland pile the misery on Andy Robinson as Scotland fall to painful defeat Our set-piece didn't function as well as we'd have liked. We couldn't string more than three phases together and that's not good enough at this level. You do wonder how much longer Robinson can cope with this. He has a contract extending to the end of the 2015 World Cup, but he is a winner, and a very angry loser. It was painful listening to him deep in the Aviva Stadium on Saturday night. Ireland's pain was only that of having to plunge into ice baths, as they tried to ready their bodies for one more game next Saturday at Twickenham after three gruelling Tests in three weeks. This team is super-professional. Other people in Ireland are working harder than we are," said head coach Declan Kidney, "Why shouldn't we work hard?" They were clearly the better side, but not by the margin eventually expressed in numbers. Andrew Trimble's try just before half-time, after Scotland foolishly failed to clear from a mark, was crucial. That said, Ireland were missing Sean O'Brien and, for the first time in a Six Nations match since 2001, two other even more distinguished Os in Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell. "You don't lose two players of their calibre and just rock up," said Kidney. Indeed you don't. Ireland had their problems. They went 6-0 down, and there were periods when Scotland dominated possession. Scrum-half Eoin Reddan struggled a little, despite scoring a befuddling try when he somehow escaped the defence when the ball went loose, and Gordon D'Arcy was exceptionally quiet. But there were also stand-out performances from the indomitable Stephen Ferris, line-out expert Donnacha Ryan and captain Rory Best, who courageously opted to kick for the corner when 6-0 down, in the knowledge that he'd just wildly overthrown a line-out, to be rewarded with a try himself. His replacement Sean Cronin and prop Tom Court also acquitted themselves well. Flanker Peter O'Mahony deputised decently for O'Brien, making one vital turnover in the second half. "He's typical Munster," said Ferris. He's as hard as nails. It will be an apt description of the whole squad should they come through a fourth game in rapid succession at Twickenham without defeat. Scoring sequence: first half: 0-3 Laidlaw pen (3 min); 0-6 Laidlaw pen (9); 5-6 Best try (13); 7-6 Sexton con (14); 10-6 Sexton pen (25); 10-9 Laidlaw pen (31); 15-9 Reddan try (33); 17-9 Sexton con (34); 17-14 Gray try (36); 22-14 Trimble try (40). Second half: 25-14 Sexton pen (71); 30-14 McFadden try (76); 32-14 Sexton con (77). Ireland: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), K Earls (Munster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster); J Sexton (Leinster), E Reddan (Leinster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), M Ross (Leinster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), D Ryan (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), P O'Mahony (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: S Cronin (Leinster) for Best 54; T Court (Ulster) for Healy 50 (reversed 58), for Ross 77; M McCarthy (Connacht) for O'Callaghan 78; S Jennings (Leinster) for O'Mahony 62; T O'Leary (Munster) for Reddan 54; R O'Gara (Munster) for D'Arcy 54; F McFadden (Leinster) for Kearney 74.. Scotland: S Hogg (Glasgow); L Jones (Edinburgh), M Evans (Castres), G Morrison (Glasgow), S Lamont (Scarlets); G Laidlaw (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh), R Ford (Edinburgh, capt), G Cross (Edinburgh), R Gray (Glasgow), J Hamilton (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), R Rennie (Edinburgh), D Denton (Edinburgh). Replacements: S Lawson, E Murray (Newcastle) for Cross 46; A Kellock (Glasgow) for Hamilton 59; R Vernon (Sale) for Rennie 58; C Cusiter (Glasgow) for Blair 50; R Jackson (Glasgow) for Laidlaw 56; M Scott (Edinburgh) for Jones 62. Referee: Chris Pollock (New Zealand). Assistants: R Poite (France), G Garner (England). TMO: G de Santis (Italy).