Six Nations Rugby | Reaction: Laidlaw and Townsend frustrated by difficulties in second half

The Scots led 12-10 at the break, maintaining their momentum in the second half after a very good end of the first.

Instead, Ireland has released the torch, with Keith Earls's attempts being decisive for a success of 22-13.

The failure of possession of the ball in points at the end of the first half could have been costly to Scotland, but the captain and the coach were convinced that the most important problem was the lack of precision of the second period.

Laidlaw said, "We are frustrated after the game. We had the feeling that we had made some mistakes in the second half, whether it was an alignment exit or the release of the pressure relief valve.

"We could not really create pressure because we were still in possession. We gave the kickoff to Ireland and they were able to get out of their half, and it's still difficult to score goals.

"We were really confident at half-time. We felt above them, which caused them problems of attack and we simply could not convert that in the second period.

"That's what cost us the part. We were well placed at half-time, but our second-half performance, despite some mistakes, cost us the game. "

Townsend added, "We played very well in the first period, we probably could have tried one more and I'm frustrated with a try by our mistake, but I'm very happy with the way we played. But in the second half, the execution of our decisive game to get us into our game and put more pressure on Ireland did not happen.

"Our offensive game took a good part with very good decisions and a flawless pace of work, which meant we found space. If we had reproduced this in the second half, I think we would be here with a win.

"The final piece, the performance of the platter piece, which was really good, fell off the puzzle today. It's my fault, I'm the attacker. "

Townsend paid tribute to Joe Schmidt and his coaching staff for the second try of Jacob Stockdale, a decisive pbad that allowed Johnny Sexton to pbad the winger at a distance of 45 meters.

But the Scottish coach has already focused his attention on the trip to Paris in the third round, where the Scots will try to get the better of Les Bleus for the first time since 1999.

He added: "It will be a huge challenge in Paris. We have not won there for 20 years. France, as they played in the first half against Wales, shows how good they are.

"I believe in our team, I think that the way we play will put pressure on all teams, whether we play at home or away.

"We need to be specific, this will be the top priority for us over the next two weeks."