Ireland 26-5 Scotland rugby LIVE RESULT: Conor Murray secures bonus point and Triple Crown – Six Nations reaction
IRELAND are taking on Scotland as they look to swipe the Six Nations title from under the noses of France on St Patrick's Day weekend.
But they'll need to avoid any complacency against the Scots, particularly after events in Cardiff earlier today.
Wales were stunned by perennial whipping boys Italy as they sunk to a last gasp 22-21 defeat.
Andy Farrell wants clinical Ireland
Andy Farrell is “excited” by the prospect of seeing his Ireland side deliver more in attack this week.
Though Ireland beat 14-man England with a bonus point, they squandered numerous chances to put the game to bed earlier.
And Farrell said: “There is always stuff that you have to be careful of; you think you’re progressing and then all of a sudden you start getting ahead of yourselves. That’s not the right thing either.
“We make sure we keep ourselves in check and keep ourselves in the right mindset and understand where we can get better, and that’s across all areas of attack.
“That’s exciting for us moving forward.”
Andy Farrell on Scotland respect
Andy Farrell has promised his Ireland side will not be complacent when they take on Scotland today.
He said: “Our lads won’t have one minute’s thought about what’s going on in Paris because there’s too much respect there for Scotland.
“Scotland are a hard team to beat, so we need to make sure we give our own fans something to shout about on this St Patrick’s weekend.”
Win or bust
Ireland know only a win will do if they are to have a chance of lifting the Six Nations trophy.
Andy Farrell’s side currently sit two points behind France going into the final weekend.
A bonus point is not likely to make a material difference for them and will only come into play if they end up level on points with the French.
This could happen in the unlikely event that France draw with England and score four tries in the process.
Pat on the Back
Ireland are looking to make it a very happy St Patrick's Day weekend as they host Scotland still in with a chance of winning the Six Nations.
The Irish know they must win and then hope for a favour from England against France later in the evening.
Andy Farrell's men were far from their best as they struggled against the Red Rose despite playing 79 minutes against 14 men after Charlie Ewels' red card.
But they showed their maturity to pull away after the hour and leave with a convincing 32-15 win at Twickenham.
And they will be strong favourites for this week's game as their opponents have had a less than ideal build-up.
Captain Stuart Hogg is one of six players who has been punished for breaching Covid bubble rules last weekend.
The Scots began their campaign by grinding out a win over England but haven't quite fulfilled the promise of that opening fixture since.
Gregor Townsend's men were routed by leaders France at Murrayfield in a lowlight of their tournament, but a shock victory against the Irish would go a long way to showing they are still on the right path.
Ahead of this one, Townsend sprung a massive surprise by dropping Finn Russell at centre for Blair Kinghorn.