Ireland did the hard work in erasing a 16-point deficit, with Paddy Jackson's 61st-minute try nudging them in front, before captain Greig Laidlaw's late brace of penalties guided Scotland to a frenetic opening RBS 6 Nations victory at BT Murrayfield.
It was a deserved result in the end as the Scots were clinical in a three-try first half performance, full-back Stuart Hogg's brilliant brace exposing Ireland's alarmingly narrow defence and Alex Dunbar's score straight from a lineout seeing the visitors completely switch off.
Ireland lacked the precision they had shown during their November Tests, an under-fire lineout was a real area of concern. They trailed 21-8 at half-time with their brightest moment coming when Keith Earls was fed by Simon Zebo for his 20th international try.
Hunting for their maiden round 1 Championship win since 2006, Scotland were winning the physical battles despite a scrum that was under regular pressure. Their defensive alignment and scrappy breakdown work meant that Ireland's big carries were continually knocked back and gained little yardage.
That changed in the third quarter as Joe Schmidt's men began to find some form and dictate, the forwards punching some holes at last and second row Iain Henderson reached over for a momentum-building 47th-minute try converted by Paddy Jackson.
The Ulster out-half ensured that Ireland had the lead with little under 20 minutes remaining, bursting onto a pass and showing his pace and strength to stretch out for the line. His conversion, sent over from the left of the posts, made it 22-21.
Crucially, the men in green failed to add to their lead, failing to convert possession and field position into points either side of Jackson's seven-pointer. A Conor Murray-led break ended with Jamie Heaslip's attempted offload being picked off by the covering Sean Maitland, while Rob Kearney, who made great yardage up the right wing, had a foot in touch before he linked with Earls for a possible second try for the winger.
Hard-won front foot ball was lost as Ireland's error count rose amid the high-tempo phases - there were knock-ons in contact, a gilt-edged lineout chance deep in the Scottish 22 led to a turnover and Kearney's loose pass - when Zebo was in space - went straight into touch.
The off-colour first half display and those mistakes in and around the hour mark caught up with Ireland in a tense end-game. Despite the bench provided some impact, including Josh van der Flier and John Ryan on his second cap, the visitors lapsed at vital moments in a tense end-game.
In what was a thrilling first match of the 2017 Championship, particularly for the neutrals, the pendulum swung back in Scotland's favour as Jackson was penalised for not rolling away in the 72nd minute and Laidlaw gladly mopped up with the three points.
A knock-on in contact from CJ Stander and then a misplaced pass from Devin Toner left Ireland scrambling in their own half. Scotland tried to maul for a bonus point try in the dying minutes but a subsequent high tackle from replacement Tommy Bowe, winning his first cap since the 2015 World Cup, allowed Laidlaw to wind down the clock and clinch the result with his second penalty success of a memorable six-try clash.
It was a deserved result in the end as the Scots were clinical in a three-try first half performance, full-back Stuart Hogg's brilliant brace exposing Ireland's alarmingly narrow defence and Alex Dunbar's score straight from a lineout seeing the visitors completely switch off.
Ireland lacked the precision they had shown during their November Tests, an under-fire lineout was a real area of concern. They trailed 21-8 at half-time with their brightest moment coming when Keith Earls was fed by Simon Zebo for his 20th international try.
Hunting for their maiden round 1 Championship win since 2006, Scotland were winning the physical battles despite a scrum that was under regular pressure. Their defensive alignment and scrappy breakdown work meant that Ireland's big carries were continually knocked back and gained little yardage.
That changed in the third quarter as Joe Schmidt's men began to find some form and dictate, the forwards punching some holes at last and second row Iain Henderson reached over for a momentum-building 47th-minute try converted by Paddy Jackson.
The Ulster out-half ensured that Ireland had the lead with little under 20 minutes remaining, bursting onto a pass and showing his pace and strength to stretch out for the line. His conversion, sent over from the left of the posts, made it 22-21.
Crucially, the men in green failed to add to their lead, failing to convert possession and field position into points either side of Jackson's seven-pointer. A Conor Murray-led break ended with Jamie Heaslip's attempted offload being picked off by the covering Sean Maitland, while Rob Kearney, who made great yardage up the right wing, had a foot in touch before he linked with Earls for a possible second try for the winger.
Hard-won front foot ball was lost as Ireland's error count rose amid the high-tempo phases - there were knock-ons in contact, a gilt-edged lineout chance deep in the Scottish 22 led to a turnover and Kearney's loose pass - when Zebo was in space - went straight into touch.
The off-colour first half display and those mistakes in and around the hour mark caught up with Ireland in a tense end-game. Despite the bench provided some impact, including Josh van der Flier and John Ryan on his second cap, the visitors lapsed at vital moments in a tense end-game.
In what was a thrilling first match of the 2017 Championship, particularly for the neutrals, the pendulum swung back in Scotland's favour as Jackson was penalised for not rolling away in the 72nd minute and Laidlaw gladly mopped up with the three points.
A knock-on in contact from CJ Stander and then a misplaced pass from Devin Toner left Ireland scrambling in their own half. Scotland tried to maul for a bonus point try in the dying minutes but a subsequent high tackle from replacement Tommy Bowe, winning his first cap since the 2015 World Cup, allowed Laidlaw to wind down the clock and clinch the result with his second penalty success of a memorable six-try clash.