For the first time since 1998, Scotland have defeated Ireland in Dublin with the boot of Dan Parks proving to be decisive in a thrilling match. The Glasgow stand-off delivered an assured performance with the kicking tee – he contributed 18 points – to ensure Andy Robinson’s team finished the tournament on a high note. With only two minutes of the contest remaining and the scoreline all square, Parks decided to place a probing kick deep into Irish territory. The recipient, Rob Kearney was immediately put under pressure by Scotland pair Simon Danielli and Graeme Morrison and the Ireland back was penalised for not releasing. Parks then shouldered the responsibility and directed his kick from the touchline and between the posts to cue scenes of jubilation from the men in blue.   Afterwards, head coach Andy Robinson said: The guys have worked hard all year and deserve the plaudits from today’s win. I was pleased with the way the approached the game – as they have done throughout the tournament – and the game went downto the wire.  Scotland’s pack put in a memorable shift and dominated at the scrum with prop Allan Jacobsen clearly having the upper hand over opponent, John Hayes. Unlike in the Wales match, Scotland managed to maintain their collective concentration levels and kept plugging away until the end.At Test level, matches are decided by minimal margins and Scotland went the extra yard to ensure that the win was registered. Without getting carried away with the post-match euphoria, this result could prove to be the turning point for Scotland in the RBS 6 Nations tournament. Before kick off, the vast majority of so-called experts and pundits predicted a comfy win for Ireland, who were tipped to sign off their temporary stay at Croke Park with a handsome victory and Triple Crown triumph. But Scotland refused to conform to that and set about spoiling the party with a sensible brand of rugby and commitment at both the line-out and breakdown.Asserting ourselves physically, the away side refused to be overawed by the occasion and delivered a brand of winning rugby which will prove to be the foundation for the team’s World Cup bid. Ireland came out of the blocks with a genuine sense of urgency about their approach play – keeping the ball alive with a high tempo passing game. As a result, Scotland had to continually apply pressure and that paid off with Ireland guilty of some basic handling errors. After Ireland had run out of both steam and ideas, Scotland set to work and playing sensible rugby took the ball into key areas and ensured they put points on board.  On five minutes, former Lions captain Paul O’Connell was penalised by referee Jonathan Kaplan for not rolling away and Dan Parks put Scotland ahead with a straightforward penalty. Brian O’Driscoll finished off an enterprising move started by Jonathan Sexton and carving open Scotland’s defence on the 12 minute mark to put Ireland ahead. It was O’Driscoll’s first try of the tournament, but the Test centurion took his chance with ruthless efficiency and Sexton added the conversion. Johnnie Beattie provided the perfect response by scoring a stunning try to put Scotland in front against Ireland in Dublin – the Glasgow back row forward shrugged off a challenge from Geordan Murphy to dot down over the try-line.  Donncha O’Callaghan was then penalised and Scotland turned possession into points with a penalty from Parks in the latter stages of the first half which the Asutralian-born playmaker then followed up with a drop-goal. His two kicks handed Scotland a seven-point advantage heading into the half-time interval and Parks then made it a 10-point lead with another expertly-taken penalty. After the break, Sexton was replaced by Ronan O’Gara, but before he left the pitch he scored a simple penalty to slash Scotland’s lead to just seven points. With the home crowd urging them forward, Ireland then drew level when Tommy Bowe combined with Gordon D’Arcy to plough his way over the whitewash to score. O’Gara slotted over a tricky conversion to set up a grandstand finale in the Irish capital and the resultant period of play proved to be a nerve-shredding experience for both sets of fans. But cometh the hour, cometh the man and Parks, named man of the match, kept his cool to ensure Scotland avoided finishing bottom of the RBS 6 Nations table. Ireland: Geordan Murphy, Tommy Bowe, Brian O’Driscoll (captain), Gordon D’Arcy, Keith Earls, Jonathan Sexton, Tomas O’Leary; Cian Healy, Rory Best, John Hayes, Donncha O’Callaghan, Paul O’Connell, Stephen Ferris, David Wallace, Jamie Heaslip. Replacements: Sean Cronin, Tony Buckley, Leo Cullen, Shane Jennings, Eoin Reddan,Ronan O’Gara, Rob Kearney. Scotland: Hugo Southwell, Sean Lamont, Nick De Luca, Graeme Morrison, Max Evans, Dan Parks, Chris Cusiter (captain); Allan Jacobsen, Ross Ford, Euan Murray, Jim Hamilton, Alastair Kellock, Kelly Brown, John Barclay, Johnnie Beattie. Replacements: Scott Lawson, Alasdair Dickinson, Richie Gray, Alan MacDonald, Mike Blair, Phil Godman, Simon Danielli. Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (South Africa) Touch judges: Craig Joubert (South Africa) and Jerome Garces (France)