Scottish Rugby

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Gregor Townsend has been speaking to the media after naming his team to face Ireland in the Six Nations at Murrayfield on Sunday.

Here are the key points.

• Ireland are one of the best teams in the world and "clearly favourites" on Sunday, says Townsend.

• His team does not focus on the 10-match losing run to the Irish: "I think you only lean into it once you've ended it."

• Tom Jordan, Jack Dempsey and Rory Sutherland will bring speed and energy having been promoted to the XV and all "deserve to start".

• Townsend is expecting a "special atmosphere" against a team that will bring a strong away support. The Murrayfield crowd "means a lot" and Scotland have benefitted from the "familiarity" of playing six home matches in a row.

• Townsend does not buy into the notion Scotland v Ireland has become a fierce rivalry.

• He adds: "I think teams want to build up something to provide extra motivation, so maybe it's more on the Irish side or the Irish media side that there's this rivalry or needle to give them extra motivation on why they want to win again."

Gregor Townsend has named his Scotland side for the upcoming Six Nations match against Ireland.

Rory Sutherland comes in at loosehead prop and Jack Dempsey is at number eight, while Tom Jordan is chosen at inside centre.

Pierre Schoeman, Jamie Ritchie and Stafford McDowell drop to the bench following last weekend's opening win over Italy.

Matt Fagerson switches to the blindside flank to accommodate Dempsey's return.

Sam Skinner is among the replacements, having been added to the squad this week, and Jamie Dobie is preferred to George Horne as back-up to scrum-half Ben White.

Scotland: B Kinghorn, D Graham, H Jones, T Jordan, D Van der Merwe, F Russell, B White; R Sutherland, D Cherry, Z Fagerson, J Gray, G Gilchrist, M Fagerson J Ritchie R Darge, J Dempsey.

Replacements: E Ashman, P Schoeman, W Hurd, S SKinner, G Brown, J Ritchie, J Dobie, S McDowall.

Let us know your thoughts on the Scotland XV here, external

Edinburgh fans, we asked for your views on Jamie Ritchie leaving the capital club in the summer for French side Perpignan.

Here's what some of you had to say:

Lewis: A massive shame for Edinburgh but I think he was one of the only players putting the effort and soul into it every week. So enjoy sunny France and thanks Jamie.

John: Ritchie is a player who should have gone abroad years ago. He has stagnated there and this move will hopefully bring the improvements to his game that we have seen with Blair Kinghorn since his departure. It frees up space for new talent to emerge and creates more depth for national team.

Michelle: Absolutely gutted that Jamie is departing for pastures new. Always fronts up every single match whether that's for Edinburgh or Scotland. He will be missed by the fans, he always had time for a quick blether. After a decade at the club it will leave some huge boots to fill at flanker. Thank you Jamie!

David: Jamie Ritchie - really good player who, this year, is showing how good he is. The captaincy of Scotland maybe didn't work out as well as he hoped, but he has always given his all as a player. It's good that he has a fresh challenge in France and he can enjoy this time with his young family. I do think it's a positive for both Jamie and Edinburgh.

Jack: He deserves to experience another league and get his payday. He's long been excellent in a poor Edinburgh team. Playing in the most physical league in the world will only make him even better while freeing up the club's backrow slots. Rory Darge moved and emerged but it's worrying that SRU/Edinburgh haven't seen the benefit of getting young players more gametime.

Geoff: Ritchie has been an excellent player but perhaps is not consistently scaling the heights previously reached. The move could invigorate his career and push him out of his comfort zone whilst Edinburgh have plenty of quality younger players who need to step up, such as Ben Muncaster and Freddy Douglas. This move should really suit all parties.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering some of your Scottish rugby questions.

Mark asked: When Sione Tuipulotu plays it feels like pressure is taken off Finn Russell and allows him to play a more understated, free-flowing role. Arguably his absence on Saturday led to Russell having one of his most disappointing performances. The Irish will no doubt target Russell. Nothing against Stafford McDowall but would Tom Jordan be a better option at 12?

Tom answered: That's the big selection for me. It's important Scotland get off to a good start and don't fall miles behind, as they have done too often in the past.

It's also important that they have a strong bench to come on in case it's close. Ireland's bench, in most areas, is extremely strong.

So how best to utilise Jordan? I'd pick him from the start at 12 and hope he can help rattle Ireland and build a lead. Scotland have to get 10, 12, 14 points ahead because that Irish bench will come at them with a vengeance.

Jordan's an exceptional player who has the skill-set to step in and out of 10 as well. His presence gives Scotland the chance to use Russell as a decoy.

There are a lot of chances to throw a bit of deception at Ireland when Scotland, effectively, have two 10s looking at them, both of them capable of unlocking defences with their passing, kicking and running game.

Gregor Townsend has a chance to throw something different at Ireland and picking Jordan at 12 is it. I can understand why he might want to use him off the bench but what happens if the game is all but over when he starts to turn to that bench?

Best foot forward with Jordan at 12, I think.

Blair asked: If you could only pick one Scottish winger for the Lions tour, who would you select between Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe and why?

Tom answered: If I'm the boss then I don't have to limit myself to either/or so I'm picking both along with James Lowe and either Kyle Steyn or Imannuel Feyi-Waboso, if he's fit - or both, depending on squad size.

Darcy, as we saw again against Italy, is an absolute game-breaker and one of the most devastating runners in the Six Nations. He'd be an exceptional Lion.

Duhan is just a freak and can do things none of the others can do. He has flaws, but his X factor moments are just impossible to ignore. I'd definitely pick both.

BBC Scotland's chief sportswriter Tom English has been answering some of your Scottish rugby questions.

Simon asked: Hi Tom, when listening to most Irish rugby media channels, I don't think Scotland need to turn up, as they have an Irish team that's so superior to Scotland. Your thoughts?

Tom answered: That's a bit unfair. Nobody I have listened to, or read, in Ireland believes this is going to be a walk in the park. They all believe Ireland will win, with good reason. They've won the last 10 against Scotland and are back-to-back Six Nations champions.

The strong sense I get from the Irish media is they are expecting a tough game and that Ireland will have to win the physical battle in order to neutralise the world-class Scottish backline. They're confident the team can and will do that, but they're fully aware of the dangers that Scotland pose if Ireland are not close to their best.

On occasion, a bit of arrogance can creep in over there. No doubt about that, but it's the exception rather than the rule.

Graeme asked: For me it's a hooker, but what position would you say if we had a world-class player to slot in would have the biggest impact?

Tom answered: I'd agree, a world-class hooker would make a difference. Dave Cherry did really well against Italy and Ewan Ashman is a fine player.

But when you look at what Dan Sheehan does for Ireland you can see the difference. He's three or four players in one. He's a technically sound hooker, he has the dynamism and power of a great back-row, he can distribute like a top-class centre and he can finish like a winger.

He was out injured for five months and scored twice on his comeback and scored again in his second game, which was last weekend against England. He was involved three times in that move for his try. Astonishing.

Jordan asked: We are repeatedly hopeful of a result against Ireland, yet we never quite manage it and often don't even turn up. What actually needs to happen for us to beat Ireland? What tactical approach should Scotland take and where will the key battles be?

Tom answered: Jordan, if you look further down this page you'll find a column I wrote on that kind of thing.

As regards key battles? I don't want to be smart, but there are 15 of them. Genuinely, every head-to-head is utterly critical and you could make a case for every single of them being the most important.

Image source, SNS

Edinburgh fans, how big a loss will Jamie Ritchie be?

The Scotland back-row will depart the capital club in the summer to join French Top 14 side Perpignan.

Edinburgh tried in vain to keep the 28-year-old, who has spent his entire career so far at the club, but is now intent on a "new challenge in a new country".

Having been a first-team mainstay since his debut 11 years ago, Ritchie will exit as an Edinburgh centurion.

How big a void does he leave and how might he be replaced?

Let us know your thoughts, external

Tom English
BBC Scotland's chief sports writer

Gregor Townsend was asked on Saturday evening how he hoped to beat Ireland at Murrayfield on Sunday. "By scoring more points than them," he replied, jokingly.

His brevity was understandable. Having lost this fixture 10 times in a row, a proper analysis of the things Scotland must, and must not do against their great bogey team would have taken the rest of Saturday night and half of Sunday morning.

How do Scotland go about winning this? What does the recent grim history tell us about how to get it done?

No presents

In Dublin last year, Ireland got off to a shaky start. In the opening minutes they gave away a penalty, a free-kick, got charged down and turned over. Finn Russell made it 3-0. An encouraging beginning.

Then Scotland messed up. They had a lineout close to their own line and threw it to Dan Sheehan, who went over. That game was a proper physical battle with a four-point gap at the end. Scotland gave Ireland a free seven to Sheehan.

"Cheap points" is a term used by successive Scotland captains against Ireland. Over the 10 games this kind of wounding error is a theme. In 2022, while trailing 14-5, Stuart Hogg got stupidly greedy when going for the corner while Sam Johnson was free inside. Hugo Keenan put him into touch. A certain try was gone.

The piece-de-resistance of calamities came in 2020 when Hogg dropped the ball going over the Irish line in Dublin. That was in the 50th minute. A converted try would have brought it back level at 13-13. And Scotland would have had momentum. Tony Ward, the former Irish fly-half working for RTE, said the Scots were the better team that day.

In 2019 Scotland started quickly at Murrayfield only to concede via a cock-up between Tommy Seymour and Sean Maitland. The year before that, Pete Horne gave an easy seven early in Dublin when his pass was intercepted. Scotland butchered multiple chances that day, every error proving grist to Ireland's mill.

Every team makes mistakes but Scotland's mistakes in this fixture tend to be absolute whoppers. That has to stop.

Stay in the fight

Scotland have had a tendency to be blown away in short order, shipping a lot of points without reply. At the 2023 World Cup they were 36-0 down in less than an hour. Lights out.

In the 2023 Six Nations they were leading 7-3 after 17 minutes before conceding 19 unanswered points. In 2022 they were 14-0 down inside half an hour. In the Nations Cup in 2020 they conceded 19 unanswered points in 12 minutes.

At the 2019 World Cup they trailed 19-3 before the half hour. In 2018 Ireland led 21-3 after 46 minutes.

Giving Ireland big leads is ruinous to your health. The biggest points advantage Scotland have had in any game in the past 10 was six. Building some scoreboard pressure might be an idea for Sunday.

Beware third-quarter dip

This isn't exclusive to Ireland games, but it's been a feature.

In the third quarter in the World Cup in 2023, Ireland won 10-0. The year before it was 14-0, the year before that 7-0. It was 10-5 Ireland in 2021, 14-7 Ireland in 2020, 7-0 Ireland at the 2019 World Cup and 7-0 Ireland in the 2019 Six Nations. This goes back to staying in the damn fight, which brings us to the next point.

80-minute aggression

Scotland's aggression and intensity was top notch in Dublin a year ago, but most of their physicality was reserved for staying alive - Zander Fagerson, Andy Christie and Cam Redpath made three try-saving tackles - rather than pounding on Ireland's door.

Lack of sustained aggression has been a key part of why Scotland are on this hideous run against Ireland.

Scotland had the power of a wet paper bag in their pummelling at the World Cup in 2023. Their lack of edge was mortifying. Time and again in these games we've seen Ireland slowly ratcheting up the intensity and Scotland's level slowly dropping off.

Recent signs are encouraging. Scotland lived with the Springboks for long periods of their autumn contest and were on top of them physically until the Bomb Squad appeared.

Peter O'Mahony talks about rugby being "borderline warfare". For 80 minutes on Sunday - not 40 or 50 - that's how it will have to be.

Be clinical

There are so many Scottish tales of woe against Ireland in attack.

This is a gifted and try-laden Scottish backline. The back three of Blair Kinghorn, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe have 63 Test tries between them and Huw Jones has another 22. With Russell directing things, it's a lethal force. Except, for the most part, against Ireland.

Ireland's defence has been on top more often than not. Add in Scotland's profligacy - and self-harming lack of accuracy at times - then you have Scotland's points average at 11.5 across the 10 defeats. Nowhere good enough. Ireland's average is 25.

Scotland's dangermen have to wreak havoc.

Leadership

Ireland had a tough time against England last Saturday. Their breakdown was in bother in the face of a furious 40 minutes from the visitors and their error count was high. But they fixed it.

And that is one of Ireland's greatest strengths - they have the nous to think their way through bad moments.

Sunday is a day for leaders who can steer Scotland through choppy waters. All of Scotland's go-to men have to step up, particularly when things are at their most challenging.

What else? They need to attack Ireland's lineout, which was a worry for them coming into this championship. England, bizarrely, never really went after it.

They need to get Ireland trying to play catch-up. Putting them under pressure is paramount. And they need a break or two. Soft points for rather than against. Some big calls going their way. A crowd engaged and raucous from the start.

All of that and the jinx might end. Might.

Image source, Getty Images

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Image source, SNS

Scrum coach Pieter de Villiers says Scotland have "grown consistently" against Ireland and now is the time to beat them.

The sides meet in round two of the Six Nations at Murrayfield on Sunday, having opened the championship with bonus-point victories over Italy and England respectively.

Scotland have lost their past 10 meetings with Ireland but De Villiers says the belief is there that they can end that run.

"Ireland are a team who have been consistently up there with the top teams in terms of the world rankings, so it's always a great excitement for us to play them," he said.

"Over the years, we've grown consistently against them. So it's time for us to go and look for a win against them, and it's important for us to go into the game with that kind of mindset.

"Believing in it and making sure for 80 minutes you get everything in every department right. That is what Ireland tend to do as they are very consistent in all different areas of play.

"So that firstly is going to be important and then secondly is the belief. Going out there and really believing that we're going to go and do it. I think the players are all in a good place with regards to that."

Ireland legend Gordon D'Arcy joins Tom English and Andy Burke on the BBC Scotland Rugby Podcast to preview Sunday's Six Nations showdown at Murrayfield.

Listen and subscribe on BBC Sounds

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Ireland hooker Ronan Kelleher believes the side's last visit to Murrayfield showed the "mentality" of the back-to-back Six Nations winners.

Simon Easterby's squad head to Edinburgh for round two of the championship but, when they were last visitors there in 2023, were victorious despite ending the game with flanker Josh van der Flier throwing into their line-out and prop Cian Healy scrummaging at hooker.

Dan Sheehan was Ireland's starter in the number two jersey that day but was forced off injured after 18 minutes. His replacement Kelleher soon picked up a shoulder problem of his own but lasted until the 48th minute before he too had to be replaced.

"I just remember coming in at half-time, there was no panic," said Kelleher.

"I just remember a few people laughing, like 'this is wild'. Just a next-man-up mentality. Church [Healy] obviously went in, did unbelievably well in the scrum, Josh did unbelievably well at the line-out throws, but there was no panic, no sense of dread or anything really.

"It was just more of the funny situation, but people were willing to step up and I thought we did well as a squad to get through that."

Despite the injury upheaval, Ireland won the game 22-7 and, a week later, clinched the Grand Slam at home to England.

"It was a brilliant day and we were obviously delighted," added Kelleher. "It led to a big Grand Slam win the following week, so yeah, it was massive."

Ireland and Scotland both won during the opening weekend of the 2025 championship but Gregor Townsend's side have not beaten Sunday's visitors since 2017.

"Scotland are always very difficult to play against," Kelleher said.

"They have some class players throughout the team."

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Gregor Brown aims to grasp his chance to shine in the second-row for injury-hit Scotland during the Six Nations.

The 23-year-old began his career as a back-rower but has been used regularly as a lock at Glasgow Warriors since the tail end of last season.

Richie Gray's move to Japan and injuries to clubmates Scott Cummings and Max Williamson opened up a place on the bench for Saturday's 31-19 victory over Italy at Murrayfield.

And Brown won his fifth cap as a replacement for Jonny Gray, coming on in the second half with the game level at 19-19.

"I'm just trying to keep improving and keep moving forward," he said when asked about the prospect of keeping his place for the visit of Ireland.

"It's so great to have Jonny Gray, Grant Gilchrist and other boys in and around the squad.

"Second row is still a position that I'm getting to grips with, you could say, but to have those two in the camp, they've been so helpful."

While Brown views himself primarily as a back-rower, he is enjoying his early steps on the international stage.

"There's certain aspects of the game that you're focused on a little bit more at second row," he said. "So my line-out and stuff like that has been a real working point for me the past couple of months.

"But at the same time I also see it as adding value to when I do play in the back row. So just adding those skillsets and really tuning up on that is something that I'm keeping working on."

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Edinburgh lock Sam Skinner has been called up to Scotland's squad before Sunday's Six Nations match against Ireland.

Both Gregor Townsend's Scots and Simon Easterby' Irish opened the championship with victories on Saturday.

Skinner, 30, has been capped 35 times and bolsters Townsend's second-row options in the absence of Scott Cummings, who has been ruled out of the tournament.

Ireland visit Edinburgh for a 15:00 GMT kick-off on Sunday.

Image source, Inpho

Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park says there is "no reason" Scotland cannot beat Simon Easterby's side in their Six Nations meeting on Sunday (15:00 GMT).

Both sides won their opening fixtures last weekend. Ireland overturned a half-time deficit to beat England in Dublin, while Scotland survived an Italian fightback in Edinburgh.

Gregor Townsend's side have not beaten Ireland since 2017, a 10-game run that includes seven Six Nations games, two World Cup pool meetings and an Autumn Nations Cup clash.

"They're a classy side," said Gibson-Park.

"They're playing good footy, and they're stacked full of really good individuals, so it will be a tough challenge. I know it's been a long time since they won [against Ireland] but there's no reason they can't."

Victory for Ireland would equal the longest run of wins in this fixture, set by Scotland between 1882 and '93, but Gibson-Park does not feel the hosts will be more motivated than any other opposition.

"I think that's the case for a lot of teams now," he said when asked whether Scotland's desperation for victory would be a factor in the game.

"We've kind of been near enough to the top of the rankings now for a while and, like, I know myself that if I'm coming up against a quality side you want to put your best performance out there. Next week will be no different I think."

Despite a scare, Scotland eventually proved too strong for Italy in their Six Nations opener at Murrayfield.

With a bonus-point win secured and a game against old foes Ireland next on the cards, do you have any questions for our rugby writers Tom English and Andy Burke?

Send them in via this link, external and they will be answered on this page later in the week.

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

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Jonny Gray admits he feared his international career was over and says he feels "blessed" to be back in a Scotland jersey.

The Bordeaux lock made his first Test appearance in two years in the Six Nations victory over Italy after overcoming a succession of injury problems.

Gray could have returned to the national fold in the November internationals, but declined a call-up to Gregor Townsend's squad to focus on regaining fitness with club side Bordeaux after 16 months sidelined by injury.

Townsend said at the time he was "angry" and "disappointed" by the decision, and Gray explained why he made that call.

"I was out for a long time and I managed to play a bit of rugby before that [November series]," said the Bordeaux lock.

"Firstly, it was a decision I made. It was a hard decision and I think every 15 minutes, I was questioned if I was making the right one or not because obviously I managed to get back to playing rugby and then came the opportunity, potentially, to play international. So I made myself unavailable. I spoke to the club and spoke to Gregor and I can understand the frustrations here.

"At some points, I thought I wasn't going to get back to rugby. So I thought the best way to put myself in good shape to sustain (myself) going forward was not to play in the November window. But trust me, it wasn't an easy decision.

"I love playing for Scotland. When you watch it, I've been a fan and when you get back to playing rugby, you want to be a part of it. Thankfully, I got that opportunity."

We asked for your views on Scotland's bonus point Six Nations victory over Italy at Murrayfield.

Here is what some of you said:

Gordon: Just more of the same again from Scotland, place a little pressure on the team and then panic sets in. There is no evidence this team can tighten up and control the game. Gregor Townsend can't move this squad forward or indeed extract the results which the squad on paper should achieve. I suspect this is the best squad Scotland have ever had too?

Jamie: I had very high hopes for this campaign but injuries and this performance have dented those. After a great start, we made too many mistakes, especially silly penalties to allow a dangerous opponent a lifeline. We need to be more mercenary and dominate for 80+ minutes. Thankfully, Huw Jones, Duhan van der Merwe and Darcy Graham provided the quality needed at key moments.

Adam: A great Scottish win with a crucial score at 19-19 which showed a developing strength of character within this team. The forwards linked well with Finn Russell on attack and Ben Whites' box-kicking was exceptional. We look forward to next weekend with some confidence.

Ronnie: Heard a couple of commentators saying yesterday that it was a "good" performance from Scotland. Bar the opening 15 minutes and the last 20, I'd say it was a pretty lacklustre performance. Ireland will comfortably take the game away from us next week if we play like that.

Roy: Only Scotland can score five tries and still make the game a struggle. That said, Italy are a much tougher prospect nowadays but we have to learn to put teams away when we are in the ascendancy.

Bobby: Well Tom English, what was that you were saying about Dave Cherry's selection? Thank you for motivating the Edinburgh hooker!

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Scotland co-captain Finn Russell says they "have to be a lot better" than they were against Italy if they want to succeed in the Six Nations.

Despite some nervy moments, Gregor Townsend's side were 31-19 winners at Murrayfield on Saturday afternoon.

Scotland face Ireland in their next match on Sunday 9 February and Russell insists they'll have to put in a much improved performance come next week.

"It was good to battle at the end for the win but we'll need to be a lot better if we want to do anything in this tournament," he said.

"For me personally my mistake was frustrating. The mistakes, the looseness we had, were probably individual [errors] which will be easier to fix. We'll come back Monday or Tuesday and sort a few things out.

"Huw [Jones] was outstanding today. I thought Stafford [McDowall] was really good at 12 as well. The backs worked really well together, created a lot of chances and if we're going to do anything in this tournament we have to try and finish those off.

"There were probably four of five tries we left out there today."