If Scotland’s Six Nations title-winning aspirations are to be taken seriously, this is the game they have to win.
Gregor Townsend’s men got off to a decent if not spectacular start in their opening game. They beat Italy 31-19 at Murrayfield to earn a bonus-point win. This week’s opponents will be several steps harder, as they take on the might of defending champions Ireland at Murrayfield.
When is Scotland v Ireland?
Scotland host Ireland on Sunday, February 9. The match will kick-off 3pm (GMT).
It is the third and final game of round two, after Italy v Wales at 2.15pm on Saturday, February 8, and England v France at 4.45pm, also on Saturday.
Where is Scotland v Ireland taking place?
Murrayfield. With a seating capacity of 67,144, it is the largest stadium in Scotland and the fifth largest in the UK. The stadium is known as Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium for sponsorship reasons.
How to watch Scotland v Ireland on TV?
It will be on BBC1. The BBC and ITV will once again share coverage of the Six Nations in the UK.
Who is the referee?
Referee: James Doleman (NZR)
Assistant Referee 1: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referee 2: Pierre Brousset (FFR)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
Scotland’s Six Nations squad
Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu has been ruled out of the Six Nations because of a pectoral muscle injury he picked up while training with club side Glasgow Warriors.
Forwards: Ewan Ashman, Josh Bayliss, Jamie Bhatti, Gregor Brown, Dave Cherry, Luke Crosbie, Rory Darge (vc), Jack Dempsey, Matt Fagerson, Zander Fagerson, Grant Gilchrist, Jonny Gray, Patrick Harrison, Cameron Henderson, Will Hurd, Jack Mann, D’Arcy Rae, Dylan Richardson, Jamie Ritchie, Pierre Schoeman, Sam Skinner, Rory Sutherland, Marshall Sykes, Max Williamson
Backs: Fergus Burke, Matt Currie, Jamie Dobie, Darcy Graham, George Horne, Rory Hutchinson, Huw Jones, Tom Jordan, Blair Kinghorn, Stafford McDowall, Finn Russell (cc), Kyle Rowe, Duhan van der Merwe, Ben White
Ireland’s Six Nations squad
Forwards: Thomas Ahern, Ryan Baird, Finlay Bealham, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Boyle, Thomas Clarkson, Jack Conan, Caelan Doris (c), Tadhg Furlong, Cian Healy, Iain Henderson, Rob Herring, Cormac Izuchukwu, Rónan Kelleher, Gus McCarthy, Joe McCarthy, Peter O’Mahony, Andrew Porter, Cian Prendergast, James Ryan, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier
Backs: Bundee Aki, Caolin Blade, Shayne Bolton, Jack Crowley, Ciaran Frawley, Jamison Gibson-Park, Mack Hansen, Robbie Henshaw, Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Conor Murray, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien, Jamie Osborne, Sam Prendergast, Garry Ringrose
When did Scotland and Ireland last win the Six Nations?
Scotland last claimed the title way back in 1999, when it was still the Five Nations. Ireland won it last year.
Scotland’s last Grand Slam was in 1990. Ireland’s was in 2023.
Scotland’s last Triple Crown – an accolade awarded to either England, Ireland, Scotland or Wales for beating all the other Home Nations – was also in 1990. Ireland’s was in 2023.
What was the score last year?
Ireland became back-to-back Six Nations champions by crushing Scotland’s quest for a first Triple Crown in 34 years with a scrappy 17-13 win. Andy Farrell’s hosts were well below their free-flowing best in Dublin but avoided any major ‘Super Saturday’ drama to retain the championship title.
