Unconvinced Irish pundits offer one telling concession to Scotland

While Irish television pundits welcomed Scotland’s spectacular win over France they remained far from convinced it signals a genuine shift in the balance of power ahead of next weekend’s decisive clash in Dublin.

The panel on Virgin Media Sport acknowledged the Scots had produced one of their finest performances of the modern era at Murrayfield, yet doubts linger about whether Gregor Townsend’s side can replicate that level when it matters most.

One admission was unavoidable though: this time it does feel different.

“Oh, I still fancy our chances,” said Ian Madigan. “I think our record over the last 11 or 12 games speaks for itself.

“They talked themselves up back in the 2023 World Cup. We put out our best side against them and blew them away. They’ve had lots of opportunities. You think back to when we had the injury crisis, the red card, and we still found a way to beat them in Murrayfield.

“I think when the Scots get confident, that’s when they’re their own worst enemy.”

Yet there was also recognition that this Scotland side might be building something different.

“It does feel different.”

The panel also pointed to the tactical clarity behind Scotland’s dismantling of France.

“If you look at the strategy, Andrew [Trimble] touched on it. Their kick strategy today, they didn’t give the French any access. Their breakdown work, they’re the two areas that the French thrive on. Being able to turn the ball over, move the ball at speed.

“The Scots were incredible in those areas and that was the foundation for their game, which we know their backline is their strength, moving the ball to width.

“You saw the likes of Kyle Steyn. He was exceptional again today, arguably the player of the tournament so far.

“They’re going to pose a real threat to us. They’ll be looking at how we defended last night and asking can they test the Irish defence in the wide channels. We are showing some vulnerabilities there.

“The Scottish scrum was strong today. Our [Ireland’s] scrum has struggled throughout the competition. So it is going to be a fierce contest, but it is a home game for us. I’d still be confident that we can win.”

Andrew Trimble was less than totally convinced.

“You asked does it not feel different this year because if Scotland had beaten Italy in the first round that demonstrates the position they would be in. The fact that they got beaten by Italy demonstrates why it’s not different, because this is the Scotland that we’ve known for so long.

“They have those highs. Their ceiling is so high, but there’s a lack of consistency with them.

“Listen, this is the most compelling version of Scotland. That was, as Kearns [Rob Kearney] has said, probably the best Scottish performance we’ve ever seen. But how often do we see them get to that height, or close to that height, and then back it up the week after?

“We saw them against England and then we thought they dropped off a little bit against Wales. Granted, there’s context there around Wales.

“But if you beat them 11 years in a row it feels like if there’s anything in the balance it goes our way. There’s a mental hang-up there. There’s a hex and we have the beating of them.

“Yes, it does feel like a real live threat, but it has felt like that in the past and that’s what has brought the best out of the Irish team.”

Rob Kearney agreed that Scotland’s current form cannot be dismissed outright, even if past experience urges caution.

“I think if you’re looking at the hard light of day, you’d have to say this does feel a little bit different.”

The former Ireland and British & Irish Lions full-back believes Scotland playing ‘rotten’ in Dublin is still a very real possibility.

“But if they came to Dublin next week and produced a shocking performance, they didn’t fire a shot, we’d still be sitting here saying: same old Scotland.

“They’ve done it so many times before,” said Kearney. “We have definitely flip-flopped on the Irish performances over the last number of rounds. But if Scotland come to Dublin with that level of performance next week, we’ll get a real good test.”