THE WINDOWLESS MEDIA room underneath the west stand at Murrayfield might not be the most atmospheric place to watch a match taking place 675km south in Twickenham but it didn’t really matter where you were for this endgame.
As England clinched their win over France in dramatic fashion, we were all united once again by the enthralling drama that the Six Nations can bring. In moments like those yesterday evening, this championship lives up to its billing as the greatest in the world.
And it was a reminder that surprises are always waiting around the corner in the Six Nations. France were strongly fancied against an English side that seemed unable to close out games but the script was ripped up.
Ireland didn’t even need that warning. Simon Easterby’s side are the six-point favourites against Scotland this afternoon [KO 3pm, RTÉ/BBC], just as France were coming into their clash with the English.
Murrayfield has been a happy place for Ireland for most of the past decade. It was the scene of an unforgettable final day of the 2015 championship when Joe Schmidt’s men hammered the Scots but had to wait anxiously to make sure England didn’t pip them to the title on points difference. A huge group of Irish fans stayed on at the Edinburgh stadium and were able to see their team reemerge that evening to lift the trophy.
Ireland’s 2017 defeat in Murrayfield was the last time they lost to Scotland and the current run of 10 consecutive wins includes victories in Edinburgh in 2019, 2021, and 2013, when injuries tested Ireland’s composure.
As ever, there is great Irish support in Edinburgh this weekend. This writer’s flight early yesterday morning was packed with rugby diehards, including two members of the Demented Mole podcast, as well as Dom and Carol Walsh from Athy RFC.
There’s nothing like going to games to get a reminder that Irish rugby fans are a positive, knowledgeable, friendly bunch.
Over at Murrayfield, the Scottish press pack were feeling rather pessimistic about today’s game, with a couple of them suggesting that an 11th consecutive Irish win feels inevitable. It’s hard to break that cycle.
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Finn Russell at Murrayfield yesterday. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Scotland themselves have been determined not to provide any fuel in the media this week, with head coach Gregor Townsend suggesting that there isn’t much needle in this match-up and that if there is, it comes from “the Irish media side.” One of his co-captains, Rory Darge, wasn’t interested in discussing what seems like the obvious spice when Scotland play Ireland.
Ireland were second out for their captain’s run yesterday and it quickly became clear that Mack Hansen wasn’t on the pitch as they launched into their final run-through. Calvin Nash had the energy of a man who had found out he would be starting, so it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
Scottish Rugby is hosting big-name guests including Paolo Nutini, Gerard Butler, JK Rowling, and Colin Hendry at today’s game but it will be the stars on the pitch who their supporters really care about.
Lots of the media focus here has been around the selection of Tom Jordan at inside centre in the absence of Sione Tuipulotu. Jordan plays most of his rugby at out-half for Glasgow but Townsend believes number 12 is his natural slot.
26-year-old New Zealand native Jordan originally moved over to Scotland in 2019 to play club rugby with the Ayrshire Bulls in the small town of Ayr but impressed so much that Glasgow picked him up in 2021. He gradually progressed to help them to win last season’s URC title. Now he must make another big step up opposite Bundee Aki.
While talking up Jordan, Scotland boss Townsend has also stated his admiration for Ireland’s young out-half, Sam Prendergast.
“What a talent he is,” said Townsend, as reported in the Scotsman. “I watched in admiration, but obviously with a bit of disappointment, when he was playing for Ireland U20s and they beat us by 80 points a couple of years ago.
“I don’t think I had seen a 10 play at that level of understanding of the game, understanding of defences and the skill to execute at such a young age. I thought he was exceptional.”
Sam Prendergast kicks at Murrayfield yesterday. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Townsend doesn’t seem to think Prendergast will be put off by playing his first Test away from home, but Scotland will obviously look to pressure him.
“Our job is to make his life as uncomfortable as possible, not to give him any opportunity to see what the right option is in attack, not to give him any time on the ball, and also to involve him in the physical side of the game, where we get an opportunity to tackle him, or we get an opportunity to run at him,” said Townsend.
That was about as close to fighting talk as we were going to get from the Scots this week and it was a simple statement of what happens with every out-half in every game.
It seems they’re determined to do their talking on the pitch, building on last year’s combative performance in Dublin when they made life difficult for Ireland. If Finn Russell can bounce back from a loose performance against Italy last weekend, Scotland will also be confident of doing some damage in attack.
And we know that Ireland will be up for the fight, all the more so with Peter O’Mahony back in the starting XV. This has been a one-sided rivalry on the scoreboard for the last eight years but Ireland know they need to bring their best.
SCOTLAND: Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell (co-captain), Ben White; Rory Sutherland, Dave Cherry, Zander Fagerson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge (co-captain), Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Pierre Schoeman, Will Hurd, Sam Skinner, Gregor Brown, Jamie Ritchie, Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowall.
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose.
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Ireland and Scotland know the Six Nations can bring great surprises
THE WINDOWLESS MEDIA room underneath the west stand at Murrayfield might not be the most atmospheric place to watch a match taking place 675km south in Twickenham but it didn’t really matter where you were for this endgame.
As England clinched their win over France in dramatic fashion, we were all united once again by the enthralling drama that the Six Nations can bring. In moments like those yesterday evening, this championship lives up to its billing as the greatest in the world.
And it was a reminder that surprises are always waiting around the corner in the Six Nations. France were strongly fancied against an English side that seemed unable to close out games but the script was ripped up.
Ireland didn’t even need that warning. Simon Easterby’s side are the six-point favourites against Scotland this afternoon [KO 3pm, RTÉ/BBC], just as France were coming into their clash with the English.
Murrayfield has been a happy place for Ireland for most of the past decade. It was the scene of an unforgettable final day of the 2015 championship when Joe Schmidt’s men hammered the Scots but had to wait anxiously to make sure England didn’t pip them to the title on points difference. A huge group of Irish fans stayed on at the Edinburgh stadium and were able to see their team reemerge that evening to lift the trophy.
Ireland’s 2017 defeat in Murrayfield was the last time they lost to Scotland and the current run of 10 consecutive wins includes victories in Edinburgh in 2019, 2021, and 2013, when injuries tested Ireland’s composure.
As ever, there is great Irish support in Edinburgh this weekend. This writer’s flight early yesterday morning was packed with rugby diehards, including two members of the Demented Mole podcast, as well as Dom and Carol Walsh from Athy RFC.
There’s nothing like going to games to get a reminder that Irish rugby fans are a positive, knowledgeable, friendly bunch.
Over at Murrayfield, the Scottish press pack were feeling rather pessimistic about today’s game, with a couple of them suggesting that an 11th consecutive Irish win feels inevitable. It’s hard to break that cycle.
Scotland themselves have been determined not to provide any fuel in the media this week, with head coach Gregor Townsend suggesting that there isn’t much needle in this match-up and that if there is, it comes from “the Irish media side.” One of his co-captains, Rory Darge, wasn’t interested in discussing what seems like the obvious spice when Scotland play Ireland.
Ireland were second out for their captain’s run yesterday and it quickly became clear that Mack Hansen wasn’t on the pitch as they launched into their final run-through. Calvin Nash had the energy of a man who had found out he would be starting, so it wasn’t hard to put two and two together.
Scottish Rugby is hosting big-name guests including Paolo Nutini, Gerard Butler, JK Rowling, and Colin Hendry at today’s game but it will be the stars on the pitch who their supporters really care about.
Lots of the media focus here has been around the selection of Tom Jordan at inside centre in the absence of Sione Tuipulotu. Jordan plays most of his rugby at out-half for Glasgow but Townsend believes number 12 is his natural slot.
26-year-old New Zealand native Jordan originally moved over to Scotland in 2019 to play club rugby with the Ayrshire Bulls in the small town of Ayr but impressed so much that Glasgow picked him up in 2021. He gradually progressed to help them to win last season’s URC title. Now he must make another big step up opposite Bundee Aki.
While talking up Jordan, Scotland boss Townsend has also stated his admiration for Ireland’s young out-half, Sam Prendergast.
“What a talent he is,” said Townsend, as reported in the Scotsman. “I watched in admiration, but obviously with a bit of disappointment, when he was playing for Ireland U20s and they beat us by 80 points a couple of years ago.
“I don’t think I had seen a 10 play at that level of understanding of the game, understanding of defences and the skill to execute at such a young age. I thought he was exceptional.”
Townsend doesn’t seem to think Prendergast will be put off by playing his first Test away from home, but Scotland will obviously look to pressure him.
“Our job is to make his life as uncomfortable as possible, not to give him any opportunity to see what the right option is in attack, not to give him any time on the ball, and also to involve him in the physical side of the game, where we get an opportunity to tackle him, or we get an opportunity to run at him,” said Townsend.
That was about as close to fighting talk as we were going to get from the Scots this week and it was a simple statement of what happens with every out-half in every game.
It seems they’re determined to do their talking on the pitch, building on last year’s combative performance in Dublin when they made life difficult for Ireland. If Finn Russell can bounce back from a loose performance against Italy last weekend, Scotland will also be confident of doing some damage in attack.
And we know that Ireland will be up for the fight, all the more so with Peter O’Mahony back in the starting XV. This has been a one-sided rivalry on the scoreboard for the last eight years but Ireland know they need to bring their best.
SCOTLAND: Blair Kinghorn; Darcy Graham, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Duhan van der Merwe; Finn Russell (co-captain), Ben White; Rory Sutherland, Dave Cherry, Zander Fagerson; Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist; Matt Fagerson, Rory Darge (co-captain), Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Pierre Schoeman, Will Hurd, Sam Skinner, Gregor Brown, Jamie Ritchie, Jamie Dobie, Stafford McDowall.
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Sam Prendergast, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Rónan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne; Peter O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris (captain).
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Jack Crowley, Garry Ringrose.
Referee: James Doleman [New Zealand].
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