No joshing, Irish are under strain
JOSH STRAUSS has cranked up the pressure on Ireland, claiming they are mentally vulnerable after their opening-round defeat by England.
Joe Schmidt’s side were the pre-tournament favourites but know they will be done and dusted if they slip up again at Murrayfield on Saturday – as they did two years ago on their last visit to Edinburgh. Scotland No8 Strauss said: “If Ireland lose this one, it makes it very tough for them to get anywhere close to winning the competition.
“I don’t think they as a team will want to focus on it perhaps being the end of their tournament. They will just want to focus on it game by game.
“But if we can put a lot of pressure on them in the first 20, that changes their mindset. They might have to change their tactics if they end up chasing the game because we’re far enough ahead.
“The first 20 is always the focus in any game but there is a bit more to it with them losing the first game.”
Sale’s Strauss, 32, believes England have drawn the template on how to unseat the defending champions and says Scotland, who beat Italy in their first game, are capable of using the same physical approach.
“In 2017 we fronted up very well,” he said. “We’ll need to take a similar step because we’ve seen what England have done.
“If you match that you will probably get something out of the game. That is something we’re focusing on.”