Home or away, Mcinally able to

● Scotland hooker is unfazed by hostile atmosphere and plans another full shift

modern game – an 80-minute front rower.

Asked if he had another full shift in him for Saturday’s Dublin crunch, the ex-flanker said: “Who knows? I am just happy to be playing. Compared to my fitness last year I feel I am night and day ahead of where I was.

“That is just because I have been playing more for Edinburgh and more for Scotland as well. I am much more up to speed for Test-match pace. Before I was coming off the bench after being on the bench for Edinburgh all year.

“I do feel I can cope with the speed of it now. It is good to be on the pitch for 80 minutes. It is nice to be on at that final whistle, especially when you win and last week was so special. It was good.

“Hopefully I can show the coaches I can keep going for 80 minutes and it is not the classic 60 minutes. I pride myself on fitness.

“When I do fitness at the club I try to stick with the backrows as best as I can. Not as well as I would like now. I try and be as fit as I can and get as much out of training as I can.

“As long as I am contributing on the pitch I will stay on.”

The return to the squad this week of Glasgow’s Fraser Brown following concussion issues, means a third full stint may not be on the cards.

Mcinally added: “The feedback from the coaches is that, if I am playing well, I will stay on. I really want to stick with that and put my best stuff out there. I have a good working relationship with Fraser and we trained against each other this morning and it is good to have him back.”

After coming up against the less familiar players of France and England in the past two rounds, this Saturday will be against rivals much better known through the Guinness