Both sides are largely unchanged going into the final game of the 2024 Six Nations. Ireland had hoped for a Grand Slam and Scotland had at least hoped to be in the hunt for the tournament, or a record best second finish. In the event of the losses last weekend Ireland are merely looking to win the tournament while Scotland would be left with a Triple Crown as their most notable prize.
Stafford McDowall comes in to fill the Sione role at 12 with Cam Redpath slipping back to the bench. McDowall will earn just his second cap for Scotland and his first taste of Six Nations action.
Augmenting an unchanged starting pack, Rory Sutherland also makes a long overdue return, taking Alec Hepburn’s place on the bench.
Ireland: Hugo Keenan, Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe, Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadgh Furlong, Joe McCarthy, Tadgh Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Josh Van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Harry Byrne, GarryRingrose.
Scotland: Blair Kinghorn, Kyle Steyn, Huw Jones, Stafford McDowall, Duhan van der Merwe, Finn Russell (capt), Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, George Turner, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Scott Cummings, Andy Christie, Rory Darge (capt), Jack Dempsey.
Replacements: Ewan Ashman, Rory Sutherland, Elliot Millar-Mills, Sam Skinner, Matt Fagerson, George Horne, Cameron Redpath, Kyle Rowe
35 responses
Rory Sutherland? Really? I assume Hepburn has an injury, why would you select a player who can’t get a game for his club unless it’s just favouritism.
aka BK at fullback. Just knew it that he would be selected.
Favouritism rules, Rory “Captain Anonymous” Darge picked again.
I forgot he was playing against Italy until mid way through the second half. Hamish Watson should have at least been in the 23 but no sign of him seems to be yesterday’s man.
Keeping Ireland to within 20 points will be a success!
Darge is a brilliant player and still very young.
People need to be less reactionary to the odd bump in the road. Everyones forgetting how awful we have been in the recent past and that we can and do now compete with the best.
That being said we do need to get this Irelane monkey of our back.
It is very strange to me how down people are being on Darge all of a sudden.
Down on Darge for a couple of reasons….he’s vice captain, I think the team has lacked leadership on the field from both captains. We’ve not really been that great at turnover ball at ruck time one of the main reasons he’s on the pitch I would have thought? Granted – defensively he’s been solid. I just think he’s not playing his best….
Rory Sutherland does have Lions experience, albeit dated. He has had a difficult time with Injury. I am pleased to see Stafford McDowall get a game. I do not think Ireland will bounce back, the big question is ‘will they be enough to handle us , even at our best’?
You just know how this will pan out. Scotland all guns blazing from the start, chucking it about with reckless abandon, picked off ruthlessly by Irish, two tries down within 10 minutes. Cut to Toony looking at his shoes.
So many have been calling/moaning for a awj style captain for scotland so I am calling it now. Stafford McDowall. Future centurian captain of Scotland.
I’ll get my head hat on.
GT tenure has never really “felt right” yes there have been some glorious highs but always tempered by crushing lows (most particularly the world cups).
Cotters tenure “felt right” – improvement was palatable.
The Italy game was GT in microcosm- funny/unfathomable selection(s), seemed to be no tactics outwith run, no leadership on/off pitch.
There seems to absence makes the heart grow fonder thing pertaining to Bradbury – no doubt a tremendous physical specimen but rarely produced it for Edinburgh/Scotland
I doubt anyone will argue with your comment John. I actually think we are seeing the best of GT now. The daft superfast rugby and tombola selection is behind us. I acknowledge that Italy are no pushover and improving week on week this 6N. On that basis last week was not great with Ben White and Healy out of the 23 however , we dont know the reasons. The side selected was capable of winning.
The one positive thing about the Tombola is the amount of eligable and experienced players we now have.
Personally I do not get the kicking as you cannot win without the ball and we have great broken field runners. I get it on a foul day, the ball is a liability, ship it back and let the opposition make mistakes in their own half. But we should back ourselves more, our backs are among the best in the 6N. Use them.
We do, he said Ben White was rested as he’s had to play in France during the off-weeks and they wanted him sharp for this game.
Thanks Rory , in my opinion they all need to be sharp for this game.
Magnus Bradbury. Magnus Bradbury. Magnus Bradbury.
That is all
You’ve more chance of seeing the late Magnus Magnusson in a Scotland 23 than Magnus Bradbury. Well, at least while Toony remains in charge…
Other Toony peccadilloes include:
Kinghorn at 15 in spite of a poor game v Italy;
Redpath being left out of the starting XV in spite of being no worse than Kinghorn;
The co-captain experiment continuing even though it’s palpably not working;
Rory Sutherland featuring in the 23 instead of Hepburn. Rory at his best is a fine player but his career has been badly blighted by injuries; and
The return of the 5-3 split. Good, but why did Toony think it was a good idea to depart from it v Italy?
On the good news front, Ben White is back.
Oh well, I’ve repositioned the sofa so I can hide behind it on Saturday.
But apart from you’re all positive which is great to hear….
This is a huge game and so important to win for future belief and a triple crown for this team especially 2 away from home is huge.
“The frustration is that we are not going to Dublin with four wins. We feel we had a win taken away from us against France and we could have been better against Italy.”
Is it me, or is the coach also lacking the coaching to sound like a coach? I’m quite prepared and used to having some frustration as a fan – I am not massively anti-Townsend especially with few alternatives- but I’d rather the coach didn’t descend into ifs, buts, couldavs and frustration. It’s feeble at this stage. And it’s your bleeding job to find a fix, so just give us a positive word or two on how that’s going, rather than wasting 30.
I’ll never understand how you consider a defeat a win.
Well let’s see what we’re capable of. More or less the team I’d have picked. Back in as under dogs which is sadly our happy place. Frankly got nae effing idea, this tournament has weirdly shown that all the data and stats count for little compared to the mood of the day and the mood of the ref. Fingers crossed no yellow/reds and we have every bit of a chance if the forwards front up. Sweet spot of aggression and accuracy needs to be just right.
If there’s one team I’d like us to beat it’s Ireland – still got ptsd from wc and Irish fans handing me a beer and a green shirt!
Bass Rock, interesting riposte sir.
Everytime I reckon GT has learnt/learned he does something like the Italy game where it was clear we were playing the game as it was 7s, with kicking the rugby ball not even a consideration.
100% agree re our broken field runners and excellent backs but uou have to earn the right to play – not go straight to Harlem Globetrotters mode.
Glasgow beat Benneton in Italy recently utilising an excellent kicking game (and yes it was raining but…..)
Anyone know why our summer tour is so soft? Not sure Canada, USA, Uruguay etc really tells us much about where we are as a side. England have Japan and All Blacks, Ireland go to SA. If the coaches really believe in this group of players as they continually say ‘can beat the best, etc’ then surely we need to test our boys against the best…. or am I missing something? Do we have a fixture list for the Autumn?
Until we start showing up in big games I doubt we’re considered for bigger test nations down under. My guess is money probably comes into it too – Ireland and England can probably command decent travelling support…
Ireland are going to be pumped for this one.
I feel like Toonie is consistently improving, whether he has that man-motivator factor is the outstanding question. The questions of his being in charge at this stage came and went a long time ago. We do best to stick with him even after this tournament and think about who he needs around him to gee up the forwards.
Cam Redpath will come good in the end, phenomenal player and Inkike the potential impact of this bench in the backs.
Kinghorn had a crappy game last time out but oozes class as a fullback.
Russell seems a good captain. Is having one of his best tournaments, and seasons at Bath, but his age needs to get fighting fit or slowly decline.
Can we keep winning line outs and take it to the wire. Beating Ireland away is more important than any trophy.
Game on.
Is this written by Not science aka Toonie?
Interesting theories seem to have arisen in recent weeks: that Finn is somehow unfit, that Darge is somehow no use, and that Blair Kinghorn isn’t good enough to be signed by Toulouse.
IMO none of these is true.
There was a TV shot of a shirtless Finn celebrating after the England game. He looked like he was carrying a few extra pounds. Not drastic but not ideal either.
Rory, I agree there have been theories re these 3 boys. I’ll add my opinion below
Finn – bad tactics have hamstrung him
Darge – bad tactics have hamstrung him and he didn’t need to be bothered by captaincy duties
Kinghorn – he is a brilliant broken play rugby player but there is no control to his game and his basics are questionable
Agree with John. Would add, Darge is a great player but doesn’t seem to be an obvious leader – Gilchrist better co captain imo. Fin is great but needs someone to lead with when things don’t work.
Watching the U20’s What is the point of taking another scrum after a scrum penalty near the line? You have the ball. If you scrum you have a probability of losing it straight away without doing anything with it – as Scotland just did. Why not a short penalty? The point of scrums and lineouts is to get the ball.
I agree its a risk too far and it doesn’t matter how good you belief ur scrum is …it’s random who gets penalised as it could be you or it can just look like you by the opposition fooling ref.
The reason they do it is to provide space behind as the big boys are in the scrum but I think just like always going for the corner rather than taking three sometimes is a strategy that has cost Scotland consistently and we haven’t learned when behind taking three is ok.
I sank a little when I heard Matt Carley was in the middle tomorrow but fear not as Karl Ducklington is on the line to quench all my fears and nightmares of it coming down to any dodgy decision.
Phew!
I see this game as a fun day out for Gibson-Park…we’ll get it from him.The key being Farrell allows him.
Our 9?..well that sums him up,he’s just a number.
Calling this one for us, Ireland’s lucky streak against us has to end at some stage. 27-17 to Scotland. Big Duhan to torment Green Machine. Zander to bully the forwards. Cummings and Gilchrist more than a match for Beirne and “Big Joe”. England showed they are a one trick pony. Believe in our boys!!!!
I’ll never understand how you consider a defeat a win.
2024 6 nations fact : Ireland scored 144 Scotland 115
Ireland conceded 60 Scotland 115
Thus points difference Ireland +84 Scotland 0.
Clearly there must be something to be learned there somewhere. Perhaps the result of the
u20 games must also provide a clue as to how to proceed now.