TIME TO SHAKE OFF AWAY DAZE
Ireland legend O’Driscoll lays down the gauntlet to travel-sick Scotland
AFTER the scenes of joy and jubilation at Murrayfield, once the songs had died down and the Scotland players had finally brought to a close their deserved celebrations in the wee small hours, the rising sun would have brought with it a dawning realisation. The job was not yet done.
Victory over England a week last Saturday was an inspiring sight. It was a statement that there was substance to back up the undoubted style of Gregor Townsend’s side. And yet.
There remain doubters. Or, perhaps, those waiting to be fully convinced this Scotland team, this time, are the real deal.
It would be wrong to dismiss them out of hand. Indeed, when a rugby legend like Brian O’Driscoll offers up an opinion, it is well worth listening to.
The question-mark over Scotland, according to the Irishman, remains because of their away form.
‘You have to give respect to Scotland because of the way they played against England but the big question about Scotland is can they do it away from home,’ said O’Driscoll. ‘Which is something that has proved elusive to them the last number of years.
‘Great performance against England, no massive shock. It was always going to be a tough game. But now they’ve got to get on the road and prove they can perform like that against a good Irish team in the Aviva and if they do beat Ireland then we’ll start properly respecting them. But until they do that, they’ll be seen as a home team.’
Only six away wins in the Six Nations since 2000 would certainly seem to back up O’Driscoll’s argument. Four in Rome against Italy, Wales in 2002 and Ireland in 2010 is a sparse return.
Scotland hooker Stuart McInally, however, believes there is already evidence to the contrary — that the Scots can travel well — although a win on Saturday would certainly help.
Indeed, the famous 24-19 away win over Australia in Sydney last summer is one recent reminder of how good they can be away from Murrayfield.
‘The players definitely took a lot of confidence from that,’ said McInally. ‘Australia was a big team for the boys to turn over away from home.
‘Having that added history from the 2015 World Cup and knowing we owed them one helped. That result also reminds us ahead of the Ireland game that we can win big away from home.
‘Look, it is the same size rugby pitch wherever you play. It is 15 on 15.’
Of course, the opening defeat of this Six Nations campaign did little to dispel the notion of Scotland’s travel sickness. Hammered in Cardiff, Townsend’s side looked to have lost all of the momentum they had gained over the summer and autumn Tests — only to prove their mettle with back-to-back victories over France and England.
Now, they go to Dublin feeling confident lessons have been learned from the Wales debacle.
‘It’s just about how you control your emotions and don’t let any external factors get the better of you,’ continued McInally. ‘Dealing with that side of the game away from home is something we are getting better at as we go on.
‘What we learned against Wales in Cardiff is the need to start well. In that first 15 to 20 minutes, going 14-0 down was a real killer. Being a bit more controlled early away from home is a little thing that can make a big difference.
‘We have looked at that Wales game a lot to make sure that sort of thing never happens again.’
McInally has been a standout thus far and will be crucial against Ireland. Unusually for a hooker, he has started and finished every match rather than being replaced on the hour mark.
That is testament to the fitness of the 27-year-old, who converted to hooker from flanker five years ago.
‘The best thing is that when it gets to 60 minutes I don’t feel I’m done,’ he insisted. ‘In seasons gone past, I would get to 60 minutes and the neck’s starting to go. I would be looking to the bench to see if anybody was warming up.
‘I get a hard time from some of the boys because I always looked knackered but I just keep going now. I’m just not good at hiding it when I am tired but I can go 80 minutes nowadays and will do again against Ireland if asked.’
McInally outplayed England captain and hooker Dylan Hartley in the Calcutta Cup clash but knows he will have to take things up a notch to get the better of Rory Best.
The 35-year-old British and Irish Lion has won 109 caps for his country and remains one of the best in world rugby.
‘I came on against Ireland a couple of years ago but didn’t have much time against him before he went off,’ said McInally. ‘I am excited to go up against him in the scrum. He is certainly up there as someone I can go up against to test myself and see where I am against these sort of players.’
Meanwhile, Scotland winger Sean Maitland is also confident that they can win in Dublin. ‘I wouldn’t say we struggle away,’ said Maitland. ‘We were really disappointed with the first game against Wales but people forget this team went over to Australia and beat them in Sydney. That was not even a year ago.
‘Our Six Nations away form is not the best but it is a fresh week and the boys have got a real edge about them.
‘We will take a lot of confidence from beating England but we know this is a different beast. We are still looking to get that extra five per cent to improve our game because it is going to be an even bigger challenge this weekend.’
Until they beat a good Ireland side in Dublin, they’ll be a ‘home’ team