DUBLIN, Ireland -- Ireland overcame the late withdrawal of captain Paul OConnell to beat Scotland 28-6 in their Six Nations opener at Lansdowne Road on Sunday. OConnell picked up a chest infection on Saturday night, but the hugely influential lock wasnt missed for once as his replacement, Dan Tuohy, helped mince up the Scotland lineout in the first half and stand-in skipper Jamie Heaslip led by example with a try and high workrate. Ireland bridged halftime with tries by winger Andrew Trimble and Heaslip, and Jonathan Sexton added 13 points to overtake Michael Kiernan and become his countrys third highest point-scorer in tests. Fullback Rob Kearney, marking his 50th cap, added a late try when the result was already in Irelands grasp. Without OConnell, Sean OBrien and Gordon DArcy, three big contributors in the heart-breaking loss to New Zealand in the last outing in November, there was enough doubt about Irelands ability and mindset to achieve another good start in the last Six Nations for Brian ODriscoll. But the doubts proved unnecessary, as Ireland had enough class and nous for a Scotland still lacking a killer touch, and won its tournament opener for the 10th time in the last 11 years. Even so, Heaslip said coach Joe Schmidt tore into them after the game, saying they needed "huge improvements." The trouble with Ireland is finishing what it starts, unlike its next opponent, Wales, a slow Six Nations starter but fast finisher. The defending champion comes to Dublin next Saturday. "Massive, massive challenge coming," Kearney said. "We have to recover really well now. Weve only got six days, theyve had an extra day. Theyre going for three championships in a row, so were under no illusions." Heaslip and Schmidt said they were shocked to discover OConnell became ill overnight, hardly slept, and saw a doctor at 4:30 a.m. Schmidt said he expected OConnell, plus DArcy, to be available for the Wales game. "Its a relief to me that weve got through the game and got a win on the board," he said. Scotland coach Scott Johnson rued his sides naivety. "We may have to go to some dark places and bring some torches," Johnson said. "Theres a naivety there that well overcome by having some time in the saddle. They dont understand they are doing the hard bits quite easily, but its the finishing off." Scotland began the match by doing what it does best, holding the ball. The Scots worked 11 phases into the Ireland 22 until they were harshly penalized for holding too long. Then Greig Laidlaws long-range penalty hit the left upright. Sexton and Laidlaw swapped penalties, and Ireland ended up leading 6-3 into the second quarter. Not until the last 10 minutes did the heart-rate rise. No. 8 David Denton came closest to a Scotland try when he burst blindside off a ruck 10 metres out and was trying to reach out to the line when he was bowled into touch by scrumhalf Conor Murray and flanker Peter OMahony. As Ireland loosened Scotlands pressure -- winning four Scottish throw-ins helped -- Scots and Lions winger Sean Maitland landed awkwardly on his right ankle from jumping for an up and under and limped off with concussion. Sexton put the pressure back on Scotland by carving past tackles in midfield, and gave Heaslip a shot in the left corner, but the No. 8 stepped over the sideline just before he touched down. Ireland failed twice from five-meter lineouts with seconds to go and Scotlands defence looked like holding, but quick rucks helped Ireland find Scotland short on the right wing, where Kearney gave Trimble the overlap to score for an 11-3 halftime lead. "That gave us a little bit of breathing space," Kearney said. Soon after the restart, Laidlaw cut the deficit to five, but Ireland put the game away in the 47th when Tuohys lineout take was mauled by Ireland and Heaslip scored too easily. Sexton converted for 18-6 and added a third penalty before the hour. Ireland controlled possession throughout the half, and inevitably notched a third try to Kearney, who exploited a tiring defence when he slipped off replacement Alasdair Dickinson and dragged flanker Ryan Wilson to the tryline nine minutes from time. Scotland hosts England next Saturday. Wilson Chandler Jersey . The former Edmonton Oilers defenceman was with the St. Louis Blues in training camp on a professional tryout. Whitney, 30, had four goals and 13 points in 34 games with the Oilers last season. Alex English Jersey . -- Michael Bennett gambled last off-season that playing on a one-year deal in Seattle would pay off in the future with the long-term contract he always wanted. http://www.nuggetsprostore.com/kids-nikola-jokic-nuggets-jersey/ . According to the Globe and Mail, a decision between the NHL and the Players Association should come within the six months. "I can tell you, (a decision) shouldnt take all that long," NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told the Globe and Mail. Paul Millsap Jersey . For the Blue Jays the time was Wednesday and the ace was R.A. Dickey. He stepped up. "I feel some responsibility as a stopper from time to time," said Dickey. Devin Harris Jersey . Everton Preview West Ham manager Sam Allardyce has been around the game long enough to not get too high when things are going well and not get too low when they arent.DALLAS -- Jamie Benn brought his golden touch to the ice for the Dallas Stars. The Canadian Olympian had a goal and two assists to lead Dallas to a 4-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night. Kari Lehtonen made 29 saves for Dallas (28-21-10), which moved back into eighth place, the final playoff spot, in the Western Conference. Tyler Seguin, Brenden Dillon and Cody Eakin also scored for the Stars. Dallas scored two of its goals short-handed in regaining the momentum it had with a 6-1-2 record in the nine games before its 19-day Olympic break. While most of Dallas players hadnt been in a game for 2 1/2 weeks, Benn took on penalty-killing duties for Canada in the Olympics. "The more you penalty kill, the more comfortable you are with it," he said. "Ive got quite a bit of penalty-killing time lately and a lot more tonight, so I feel comfortable out there. I thought our group did a great job on the kill tonight and keep building off that." Benn looked completely at home on the penalty kill late in the second period he took the puck away in the Dallas end, skated the length of the ice, faked Hurricanes goalie Anton Khudobin to his left and put the puck behind the goalie to his right. "Every once in a while, (Benn) comes out with some magic and great skating," Kari Lehtonen said. "He makes highlight-reel goals and great passes." Seguin scored 3:18 into the game, and Dillon gave Dallas a 2-0 lead with a short-handed goal at 6:13 of the first. Benn, who scored two game-winning goals for Canadas gold medal-winning team, assisted on both. "Any time Jamie Benn is going up the ice, youve got to expect a goal," Dillon said. "He just keeps proving every game and every day that hes one of the best players in the world. I think after the Olympics everybody knows that. He just keeps getting better and better." On Dillons goal, the Stars penalty killers skated in two-on-two, but one of the Hurricanes had broken his stick. Benn dropped a pass at the top of the slot to Dillon, who shot into the left side of the net. Carolina coach Kirk Muller rued the Hurricanes poor start. "We werent happy with our first period tonight," he said. "When you give a team like that the opportunity and advantage its hard to come back." The Hurricanes had allowed only two shhort-handed goals, fourth-fewest in the league, in their first 58 games.dddddddddddd "We really very seldom get scored on on the power play," Muller said. "Its a couple of mistakes early on that cost us." Lehtonen played for bronze medal-winning Finland in the Olympics. Valeri Nichushkin, whose backhand pass set up Seguins goal, played for Russia. "I thought (Lehtonen) gave us some real big saves, timely saves," Stars coach Lindy Ruff said. "He kept them off the board for the first 40, and in the third he made a few more quality saves." Benn, the Stars captain, said all of his teammates appeared ready. "A little rusty I guess, maybe a little tired sometimes, but I thought our team came out great," he said. "They took care of their bodies over the three weeks and were ready to go tonight." Eric Staal scored for Carolina at 2:42 of the third period. Eakin had an empty-net goal in the final minute. Dallas had finished the first period with an 11-10 advantage in shots on goal, and had an 11-8 advantage in shots in the middle frame. "In the third, we started playing a little bit better, but it was too late," Hurricanes centre Elias Lindholm said. "I dont think we were ready to go from the beginning." Carolina, which had returned to the ice Tuesday against Buffalo, took the first eight shots of the third period, including Staals 16th goal. Andrej Sekera recorded his 100th career assist on the goal. The Stars have 66 points, one more than ninth-place Vancouver. Carolina has lost five of its last seven games. NOTES: Dillons six goals this season include two of the Stars seven short-handed scores. . The Hurricanes had allowed two short-handed goals in their first 58 games. . Carolina forward Alexander Semin, a Russian Olympian, left Thursdays game because of a lower-body injury. Muller said, "Its tough because hes been our hottest forward in the last 15-20 games." . Seguin has 12 points (four goals, eight assists) in his last nine games. . Benns gold medal and Lehtonens bronze from the Olympics were on display. Fans could have their pictures taken beside the medals. . Carolina was 0 for 5 with a man advantage. The Hurricanes havent scored in their last 22 power plays (six games) on the road. . The Stars have allowed only 13 goals in their last 10 games. Wholesale HoodiesNFL Shirts OutletJerseys NFL WholesaleCheap NFL Jerseys Free ShippingWholesale Jerseys CheapCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaWholesale JerseysWholesale NFL JerseysCheap NFL Jerseys ChinaCheap NFL Jerseys ' ' '