Ronan O’Gara could not help but purr. Peering on from his pitchside perch as a pundit on the BBC’s coverage, one of the great Irish controlling fly halves was watching the Six Nations emergence of another.
“He's been a master of control,” the La Rochelle coach lauded of Sam Prendergast with Ireland in total command in Edinburgh. “He's very composed, a good kick strategy, good decisions on when to run, when to kick, when to play the ball in front of his forwards.”
There was little surprise about Ireland’s superiority. Despite the huge strides Scotland have made over the last seven years, Gregor Townsend’s side just never seem able to deliver their best against an opponent that have now won the last 11 meetings.