Earlier, he might have taken a shot at a drop goal to kill the game, and if the skies hadn't been so gloomy, Ireland might have won by 20 points. Another success, but not quite convincing enough. For the team and its out-half The pre-publicity for the two out-halves had been bizarre. O'Gara, closing in on 60 caps and 600 international points, came into the game the uncrowned king of Ireland's number 10s, whereas Dan Parks, the joke of Scottish rugby a year ago, has had a Six Nations to savour. The man who dropped the goal that gave his team valuable breathing space in the dramatic win over England.

Last autumn, O'Gara had a frank exchange with Eddie O'Sullivan which was given a bit of media exposure. They agreed to differ, and while O'Sullivan still knew who his playmaker was, when the Italy game came around, there was extra pressure on O'Gara to deliver.

Before yesterday, his Six Nations could just as easily have been Ireland's Six Nations. Good, but only in parts. The thing is, unlike Malcolm O'Kelly, Peter Stringer and David Wallace, there's noone breathing down O'Gara's neck. There has been half a fuss over David Humphreys, yet he will be nearly 36 by the next World Cup, and anyway, he has already hinted he might quit the international scene at the end of this season. So, no matter what you read or hear, O'Gara is having a free ride in the jersey, and on the back of a near-catastrophe in Paris, offset by composure against Wales, this match was a chance to make a deep footprint on the championship.

Ireland would have plenty of ball against overrated opposition, he would either pin the Scots back, or bring his runners in when the chance arose.

In his face would be Parks, a journeyman who couldn't get a contract in the southern hemisphere, and went to Scotland where he qualified through his grandfather.

The one-time Scotland and Leinster coach, Matt Williams, was sweet on Parks, but the rest of the country wasn't so sure. As the national team nose-dived, they wanted rid of this imposter, but it was Williams who bit the dust instead, and Parks who has perversely thrived.

Still, he is largely a one-trick pony, who slips back and looks for the kick . . . not in O'Gara's league. And yesterday, it was 15 minutes before Parks made a pass, a rarity in itself, and if there were several probing kicks, one from just inside his half went dead, gifting Ireland a scrum in a good attacking position. "F**k, " intoned Parks in fluent Australian.

O'Gara's problem was, that despite all the possession and complete territorial dominance, the soft rain continued to fall, and Ireland were spilling too much ball. Suddenly, his long, flat pass was a liability, and despite landing four penalties before half-time, he snatched at another, and the Scots turned over just three points in arrears. That wasn't in the script.

You got the feeling that because of the conditions, brawn rather than brain would out, and O'Gara's approach early in the second half was distinctly more Thomond Park than Lansdowne Road. Time and again he would look up at a line of dark blue jerseys . . .

most of them offside . . . and spear a low kick into the Scotland 22.

Parks's prosaic afternoon ended after the hour when Gordon Ross was introduced but, barring injury, there was no chance of O'Gara being hauled ashore. He clipped over a fifth penalty, yet all Ireland's pressure failed to bring enough comfort.

O'Gara is not in need of redemption; a less experienced number 10 would not guided Ireland through the mire of yesterday's second half. But a complete game at Twickenham on Saturday would complete the international season.

For the team and its outhalf.