Farrell needs a statement victory to allay doubts
Loaded bench can lift Ireland in time to see off dangerous Scots
IRISH supporters have always enjoyed the weekend break to Edinburgh on a big Six Nations weekend.
The Scottish capital would usually be buzzing on days like this with the city’s many watering holes on Princes Street and the Royal Mile packed to the rafters in the hours leading up to kick-off.
The sights of Arthur’s Seat, the Scott Monument and Edinburgh Castle greet you on the walk up the main street as the tram system whisks Irish and Scottish fans – happily mingling on the forecourts – on the short commute to Murrayfield. There is no shortage of kilts and bagpipes on display.
It’s a great day out and, to top it all off, Ireland tend to beat the hosts on a regular basis.
Since the dawn of this millennium, the national team has visited Scotland HQ on 10 occasions in the championship. They have left with a win on all but three trips: in 2001, 2013 and 2017.
That’s quite the record.
Ireland have dominated this fixture over the past 20 years. For all of the issues and struggles during Andy Farrell’s tenure, he has still managed to steer this squad to a brace of wins over the Scots.
There have been many false dawns in Scottish rugby. Ireland have gone into these encounters with trepidation on many occasions, only for the Scots to implode.
The most recent example was the 2019 World Cup when these sides were due to the meet on the opening weekend in Yokohama. Despite their awful record on the road for many years, the noises coming out of the Scottish camp were bullish.
Here’s what Stuart Hogg – their brilliant full-back – had to say in the days leading up to the pool opener.
‘If there is a time to take on Ireland I believe it is now. Before they get up a head of steam.’
Ireland won the game 27-3. Japan would blitz Scotland off the park a few weeks later and Gregor Townsend’s men were on the next flight out of Tokyo.
Last year, there was a public spat between Townsend and Finn Russell after the gifted, but flaky, out-half walked out of camp. Scotland’s very own Saipan moment.
Farrell’s Ireland beat the visitors, armed with a siege mentality, narrowly in Dublin and would follow up with a far more convincing 31-16 victory in the Autumn Nations Cup in December.
Russell didn’t feature on either occasion. His presence is a gamechanger here. He may mix the sublime with the ridiculous but he is a generational talent, especially when he is blowing hot and there is frontfoot ball in plentiful supply.
While Johnny Sexton struggled to settle into life at Racing 92 during his two-year stint in France, Russell has become an icon at the Parisian club. Munster know all about that.
His display at Thomond Park back in November of 2019 – a few months after Scotland’s dismal World Cup – remains fresh in memory. Rory Scannell is still probably wondering how he got nutmegged on a rugby pitch, but that’s exactly what Russell conjured on a misty night in Limerick.
And he has no shortage of attacking options outside him to trouble an Irish defence which has looked vulnerable on the edges throughout this tournament. It wouldn’t be a stretch to imagine Townsend drawing a big circle around James Lowe’s name on a whiteboard during a team meeting this week before a quick nod in the direction of Hogg and Duhan van der Merwe. Sean Maitland’s recall is telling as well. The
Saracens wing has enjoyed great success nullifying the threats of Leinster’s back three in recent times. Expect a few early aerial bombs on Lowe early doors.
Farrell noted on Friday that it is up to his players to decide whether Russell and Co play with their ‘dinner suits’ on or live off scraps on their home turf.
And this is the big worry for the visitors this afternoon. If the
Scottish front five can gain some parity while Jamie Ritchie and Hamish Watson – the brilliant flankers who both look like Lions material – can cause some havoc at the breakdown, then Scotland are in business here.
If they can repeat the intensity they showed against England in Twickenham in the opening round then this could get very tricky.
Ireland, meanwhile, arrive here hunting a result. The selection reflects a head coach in dire need of a statement victory on the road, something he has only managed in Rome after almost two years.
Accordingly, Rob Herring is at hooker to ensure a smooth-running lineout. Cian Healy is at loosehead to lock out the scrum. CJ Stander is at No8 to make the hard yards. Sexton is at No10 to run the show and Keith Earls is on the wing to bring some calm.
It’s all very short term and conservative, isn’t it?
At least the bench looks stacked. Ireland may well need the likes of Ronan Kelleher, Dave Kilcoyne, Ryan Baird and Jordan Larmour to dig them out of a hole here.
History is not on Scotland’s side but there remains a feeling that they have enough to cause this Irish team problems. Backing up big wins has always been an issue for them, but they can still pull a big performance out of the bag.
And the nagging concerns around this Ireland team have not gone away. A rare loss in Edinburgh today and the inquest will begin again.