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Gilchrist wants revenge for years of pain against Ireland
FOR Grant Gilchrist, there was no immediate respite in the days and weeks which followed Scotland’s World Cup defeat to Ireland last October. The sense of crushing disappointment was simply too overwhelming after a 36-14 thrashing at the Stade de France consigned the Scots to an early exit.
The first half, in particular, was woeful as rampant Ireland scored four tries to lead 26-0 at the break.
Knowing they needed to win by a margin of eight points or more to progress, Scotland never laid a glove on their rivals.
The pain of Paris took a long time to subside. As he prepares to renew hostilities with Ireland in Dublin this weekend, Gilchrist spoke candidly yesteday about that World Cup defeat.
He missed a tackle on Ireland centre Garry Ringrose after just 60 seconds in the move which saw James Lowe score the opening try. Then the floodgates opened.
‘I was involved in the first try and every time I shut my eyes or switched my brain off, that’s what I thought about for weeks afterwards,’ said the veteran lock. ‘That’s how much we care, that’s how much I care.
‘When I was busy, it was fine. But I’m sure all the boys felt the same: whenever we had any kind of spare time, when you’re in your own head, I was just thinking about that game.
‘We didn’t show how we can play individually or collectively. That’s what was disappointing.
‘We know we have to start well against this Ireland team. And we knew that in Paris, but we didn’t start well, and that puts you in a really, really tough position against a team that know how to control the game and keep you at arm’s length pretty easily.
‘There couldn’t be any more motivation now. We’ve got to go and give it absolutely everything — based on what happened last time, based on what happened last weekend, and because we’ve got a Triple Crown to play for, we’ve got a Championship position to play for.
‘This is still a chance to make a success of this tournament, and that’s what we’re desperate to do.’
Asked how easy or otherwise it is to move on from a defeat like the World Cup game, Gilchrist continued: ‘Yeah, it is easier said than done.
‘Of course, when you’re with your family you can switch off. But there will always be those empty moments that are a bit quiet, and that’s when it comes back to you. It’s not a nice feeling.
‘If you perform at your best, you can live with the result. But when you don’t perform at your best, it’s really tough to take, because you get left with that feeling.’
Scotland will have a chance to atone for that debacle in Dublin this weekend. An Ireland victory would see Andy Farrell’s men finish as Six Nations champions, albeit their Grand Slam hopes ended when they lost to England at Twickenham last weekend.
Scotland are not mathematically out of the championship but they need to engineer a 77point swing at the Aviva to overhaul Ireland on points difference, while hoping other results go their way.
The mental fortitude of Gregor Townsend’s side has been questioned after they crashed to a ruinous defeat against Italy in Rome last Saturday, losing all control in a chaotic second half. Gilchrist admitted that Scotland are still a work in progress in that regard, saying: ‘It’s something that we identified from the World Cup, that we need to be stronger mentally. ‘I don’t necessarily agree with (the opinion that we are) imploding. A lot of these games are against top quality opposition. ‘It’s important to feel the negativity (from last weekend) — if you can flush that straight away, you’re in the wrong changing room.’ Searching for their first win in Dublin since 2010 — against an Ireland team who are still gunning to win the championship few will give Scotland much chance on Saturday. After the capitulation in Rome, the pressure is mounting on Gregor Townsend and his players.
They are staring down the barrel of just two wins in this year’s championship, which the head coach has already admitted would be a bitter disappointment.
Gilchrist admits the side are under pressure to deliver a performance as much as anything in Dublin — and has challenged them to make a statement.
‘We should feel under pressure,’ said the 33-year-old. ‘Every time you put on the jersey, you should feel under pressure.
‘Through our own play, we’ve set the bar a lot higher than any other Scotland team that I’ve ever been part of and that pressure is a privilege. We’re not going to shy away from pressure. Pressure comes with big games and big moments and that’s why we play the game.
‘Ireland are arguably the best team in the world at the minute. With their home record, you can’t pick a tougher test but that’s a huge excitement for us. We need to embrace the pressure, embrace the challenge — and go out and deliver a performance.’