Ireland’s hopes of clinching a Grand Slam will face a stern test when they take on a highly motivated Scotland side in Dublin on Saturday.
Both these teams will be brimming with confidence as they head into this fixture after notching impressive victories in their previous fixtures two weeks ago.
Ireland proved too strong for Wales beating them 37-27 in Dublin and Scotland got the better of England for the first time in 10 years when they claimed a memorable 25-13 victory over their arch rivals at Murrayfield.
Despite being at the top of the table and the only unbeaten side left in the competition, Ireland have looked vulnerable on defence throughout the tournament.
In their opener in Paris against France – which Ireland won 15-13 – they were outscored one try to none with France wing Teddy Thomas responsible for a moment of magic which tore the visitors’ defence to shreds.
And although they claimed a convincing 56-19 victory over Italy in Dublin before seeing off Wales at the same venue in their next match, they conceded three tries apiece in both those fixtures.
That will be heartening for Scotland who employ an enterprising style of play. Under the guidance of head coach Gregor Townsend, the Scots have shown steady improvement in this year’s tournament.
Their campaign started in abysmal fashion, however, when they suffered a 34-7 defeat to Wales in their opening fixture in Cardiff but they bounced back in style with a hard-fought win over France (32-26) at Murrayfield before that impressive victory against England at the same venue in Round Three.
Another aspect of this weekend’s encounter which could be a huge psychological factor to both sides is that Scotland secured a memorable win in the corresponding fixture at Murrayfield last year.
However, the Scots have not been good travellers in the Six Nations, winning just six out of 46 away matches since the tournament expanded to six teams, with the inclusion of Italy, in 2000.
Four of those triumphs were registered against the Azzurri in Rome with their other wins secured against Wales in Cardiff in 2002 and Ireland in Dublin in 2010.
That latter result proves that beating this year’s table-toppers is not impossible although they will have to be at their best to beat Ireland, who are still on course to win their first Grand Slam since 2009.
Players to Watch
For Ireland: With so much hype around this fixture, there will be plenty of pressure on Garry Ringrose‘s shoulders but that is nothing knew to the 23-year-old, who has becomes the third player to wear the number 13 jersey for his country after Robbie Henshaw and Chris Farrell, who are sidelined with injuries. Ringrose will have to hit the ground running as he goes head-to-head against a formidable opponent in Huw Jones who was superb in Scotland’s victory against England a fortnight ago.
For Scotland: Much has been said and written about Scotland’s exciting backs with players like Huw Jones and Finn Russell receiving most of the plaudits in recent weeks for their superb attacking skills but the performance of skipper John Barclay should not be underestimated as he is a vital cog in this Scotland team. Barclay’s work at the breakdown against England was outstanding throughout while he led from the front with a brilliant defensive effort and a repeat of that all-round performance will be a shot in the arm for the Scots.
Head-to-head: While both teams have plenty of attacking threats across the park, the battle between the two fly-halves will be crucial and whoever wins this duel will in all likelihood also finish on the winning side. Both Ireland’s Johnny Sexton and Scotland’s Finn Russell are important to their respective sides’ causes and although the duo bring different skill-sets to this showdown, they will be influential if their forwards can provide them with quality front-foot ball.
Previous results:
2017: Scotland won 27-22 at Murrayfield
2016: Ireland won 35-25 in Dublin
2015: Ireland won 28-22 in Dublin
2015: Ireland won 40-10 at Murrayfield
2014: Ireland won 28-6 in Dublin
2013: Scotland won 12-8 at Murrayfield
2012: Ireland won 32-14 in Dublin
2011: Scotland won 10-6 at Murrayfield
2011: Ireland won 21-18 at Murrayfield
Prediction: This should be a thrilling affair between two entertaining sides. Although both sides are on a high, home-ground advantage will prove decisive for the Irish. Ireland to win by seven points.
The teams:
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Dan Leavy, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 5 Devin Toner, 4 James Ryan, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Rory Best (c), 1 Cian Healy
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Andrew Porter, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Kieran Marmion, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Jordan Larmour
Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Blair Kinghorn, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Pete Horne, 11 Sean Maitland, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 8 Ryan Wilson, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 John Barclay (c), 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Grant Gilchrist, 3 Simon Berghan, 2 Stuart McInally, 1 Gordon Reid
Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Jamie Bhatti, 18 Willem Nel, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 David Denton, 21 Ali Price, 22 Nick Grigg, 23 Lee Jones
Date: Saturday, March 10
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 14:15 GMT
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand), Luke Pearce (England)
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