Get Newsletter

Preview: Scotland v Ireland

Ireland No.8 Jamie Heaslip admits he is familiar with the threats Scotland will pose in their Six Nations clash on Saturday.

 

The men in green visit Murrayfield knowing victory could see them retain their title – though results at Twickenham and the Stadio Olimpico could deny them.

 

However, Heaslip is fully focused on the task at hand and standing in their way is no small task.

 

Ireland have not won at Murrayfield since 2011, while the last four encounters between the teams have each been won by the home side.

 

After their ten-match winning run came to an end in Cardiff last weekend, Joe Schmidt's side are out to avoid a second successive away loss in the same Championship since 2008.

 

Their Six Nations Round Five record is not favourable, with eight defeats from 15, and Heaslip knows Scotland are capable of severely denting their title hopes – with plenty of familiar faces from his club exploits with Leinster on the other side.

 

Preview: Scotland v Ireland

"Down the spine of the team they have a lot of the Glasgow players who are with each other all the time in the Pro12 and they have a great relationship with each other," he said.

 

"We've seen some opportunities, and also some threats from them. They've a big mobile pack, especially the back five who are big units.

 

"We have to respect that threat. Their halfbacks direct play well and the back five in the pack can mix up the work, a good ball-carrier and then off the ball guys who are abrasive in the ruck."

 

Indeed, Scotland have beaten Ireland twice in their last five Six Nations meetings and lost by a margin of more than six points just once during that time.

 

They too are out to avoid an unwanted record, having not lost five Test matches in a row since 2012, and end an Six Nations losing run at Murrayfield that now tallies five Championship games.

 

Vern Cotter's side have show plenty of attacking prowess in recent weeks – albeit without picking up a win – but Scotland do take a 203-minute try drought against Ireland into this weekend.

 

That stretches back to Richie Gray's try in Dublin in 2012 and Tommy Seymour admits displaying their cutting edge on Saturday will be vital – as well as showing some added resilience.

 

"We need to stop being the creators of our own downfall at times," said Seymour.

 

"But there is certainly no fragility on a mental aspect with any of the players I go out and play with.

 

"We know exactly what we can do. We are fully confident in that. There needs to be an ability within all of us that we can do these things for 80 minutes, but we are definitely not in a position where we are doubting our abilities.

 

"We have shown the flaws that we need to fix in order to go on, so in terms of fixtures, it's been disappointing but it's not been a failure in terms of the growth of the squad.

 

"If we learn from the mistakes and swallow the big pills we have had to take, then we can come off the back of it stronger."

 

Players to watch:

 

For Scotland: Stuart Hogg never lets the Scots down, in fact he is by far their best player in all aspects of the game. He is solid in defence and the spark of creativity from the back. Captain Greig Laidlaw has plenty of experience and a cool head in what will be a pressure game as the Irish throw everything at them. Finn Russell has impressed since getting his shot at the national level and will need to be on his best form in this finale.

 

For Ireland: The most impressive aspect of the Irish team is their settled combinations: Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton as the halfbacks, Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw in the midfield and Paul O'Connell and Devin Toner in the second row all extend their partnership this weekend.

 

Head to head: Finn Russel will have a tough time against one of the World Player of the Year nominees in Johnny Sexton, but the biggest battle will probably in the forwards where the Scots have the upper hand in terms of size, but the likes of Mike Ross, Rory Best and Cian Healy are bound to give them a good run for their money.

 

Recent results:

2014 Ireland won 28-6, Dublin

2013 Scotland won 12-8, Edinburgh

2012 Ireland won 32-14, Dublin

2011 Scotland won 10-6, Edinburgh

2011 Ireland won 21-18, Edinburgh

2010 Scotland won 23-20, Dublin

2009 Ireland won 22-15, Edinburgh

2008 Ireland won 34-13, Dublin

2007 Scotland won 31-21, Edinburgh

2007 Ireland won 19-18, Edinburgh

 

Prediction: There is far too much on the line for the Irish not too win. In saying that, the Scots will be hurting to pick up a win after playing some impressive rugby but not being able to actually cross the line for a victory. Ireland by 15+ as they look to boost their points difference.

 

Teams:

 

Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Dougie Fife, 13 Mark Bennett, 12 Matt Scott, 11 Tommy Seymour, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Greig Laidlaw (captain), 8 David Denton, 7 Blair Cowan, 6 Adam Ashe, 5 Jonny Gray, 4 Jim Hamilton, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Ryan Grant.

Replacements: 16 Fraser Brown, 17 Alasdair Dickinson, 18 Geoff Cross, 19 Tim Swinson, 20 Robert Harley, 21 Sam Hidalgo-Clyne, 22 Greig Tonks, 23 Tim Visser.

 

Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Luke Fitzgerald, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 Sean O'Brien, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Paul O'Connell (captain), 4 Devin Toner, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.

Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Martin Moore, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Jordi Murphy, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Felix Jones.

 

Date: Saturday, March 21

Venue: Murrayfield, Edinburgh

Kick-off: 14.30 (14.30 GMT)

Referee: Jérôme Garcès (France)

Assistant referees: Pascal Gauzère (France), Federico Anselmi (Argentina)

TMO: Graham Hughes (England)

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Boks Office | Episode 32 | How To Win Europe

Round 12 Highlights | PWR 2024/25

Bristol Bears vs Gloucester-Hartpury | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo vs Kobelco Kobe Steelers | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match

Edinburgh vs Brython | Celtic Challenge 2024/25 | Match Highlights

Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Global Schools Challenge | Day 2 Replay

AUSTRALIA vs USA behind the scenes | HSBC SVNS Embedded | E04

Write A Comment