After beating the three top teams in the southern hemisphere during its autumn international matches, the Ireland national rugby team brought high expectations into the 2017 RBS Six Nations tournament.

A slow start and fierce defense from the opposition made the difference in a 27-22 opening loss for the Boys in Green at Murrayfield Stadium in Scotland on Feb. 4.

Stuart Hogg scored two tries in the first 20 minutes to set the tone early in a strong first half for the Scots. A Keith Earls try put Ireland on the board soon after Scotland took a 14-0 lead, making the score 14-5 after a missed conversion attempt. Alex Dunbar answered with another Scottish try three minutes later, and Paddy Jackson added a penalty to trim the Irish deficit to 21-8 at the end of first half.

Ireland looked like a different team in the second half. It was more disciplined on defense and persistent in its offensive chances to get the scores it needed. Iain Henderson and Jackson muscled their way in for two tries, and Jackson successfully kicked both conversions to give the visitors a 22-21 lead with 18 minutes left.

Despite the momentum shift, the Irish committed two penalties in the last 10 minutes that were both successfully kicked by Greg Laidlaw to secure the upset for the home side. It was Scotland’s first opening win since 2006 and Ireland’s first opening loss since 2012, though Ireland did pick up a bonus point in the standings for losing by less than seven.

Ireland bounced back nicely on Feb. 11 with a 63-10 win at Stadio Olympico in Italy. The Boys in Green dominated from the kickoff and, although two early tries by Earls and conversions by Jackson would prove to be enough for the victory, continued to attack in hope of getting the four tries necessary for a bonus point in addition to the win. They got the four tries and more. CJ Stander and Craig Gilroy struck for three tries each, Garry Ringrose scored a try of his own in the 71st minute, and Jackson was successful in each of his nine conversion attempts.

The bonus point victory gave the Irish five points in the table, and was not the only positive for Ireland that weekend. Scotland’s loss to France the following day allowed Ireland to ascend to 2nd place, close behind England. The Boys in Green will return to Aviva Stadium in Dublin with three more difficult tests ahead of them.