Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu: 'We’ve been to hell and back'

Captain Sione Tuipulotu says Scotland have “been to hell and back together” but are brimming with belief ahead of their shot at making history.

The Scots will chase a first Triple Crown since 1990 and the chance to remain in contention for a maiden Guinness Six Nations title during Saturday’s crunch clash with Ireland.

Gregor Townsend’s side were written off following a dismal round-one loss away to Italy before bouncing back with successive victories over England, Wales and France.

Glasgow centre Tuipulotu is determined to break new ground in Dublin, saying: “We want to be the first of our kind, you know?

“That’s a big motivation factor but it’s not the be-all and end-all definitely.

“I feel like with this team, that I’ve played for in the last five years, in certain aspects we’ve been to hell and back together.

“Where my strength comes from or our strength comes from as a team is the hard stuff we’ve been through as well.

“To be resilient in those times is what gives me the most confidence that we’ll be the best version of ourselves tomorrow.”

Victory at Aviva Stadium will secure overdue silverware and move Scotland top of the championship table before reigning champions France attempt to return to the summit at home to England in the tournament finale.

Ireland, however, have dominated the fixture in recent times, winning 11 games in a row dating back to 2018 and 15 of the last 16 meetings.

“I’ve come to the Aviva in the past where maybe it seemed a little bit more like hope (than expectation),” said Tuipulotu. “And that’s a credit to them as well, what type of team they are.

“We have been building this belief but I think, most importantly, you’ve got to act on your belief as well.

“There’s no point of you just believing and then we get out there tomorrow and don’t act on it. And that’s what’s in my mind.

“We do believe. We’ve built that belief within the group but you’ve got to go act on it now. We’ve talked about it throughout the week and now it’s time to go do it.”

Only three members of Scotland’s matchday 23 – Zander Fagerson, Finn Russell and Huw Jones – have beaten Ireland during their careers.

The trio started a 27-22 success at Murrayfield in February 2017, which remains the Scots’ most recent triumph against the Irish.

Tuipulotu, who made his Test debut in 2021, admits it is difficult to ignore the wretched losing run but feels it places greater pressure on Andy Farrell’s hosts.

“It’s out there obviously and there’s no point saying it doesn’t play on anyone’s mind,” said the 29-year-old.

“But I think that’s more of a pressure for them than us. They don’t want to be the team to let go of their streak or they don’t want to be the team to lose at the Aviva in front of 45,000, or however many this stadium holds.

“They deserve the pressure of being the favourites in this game because of what they’ve achieved in the past.”