The final match in week two of the 2025 Six Nations Championship will come from Murrayfield Stadium where Scotland will be playing host to Ireland on Sunday evening.
Both these sides made winning starts to their Six Nations campaigns last week, with the Scots beating Italy here in Edinburgh, while the Shamrocks overcame England in Dublin.
Match preview
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Scotland versus Ireland is often regarded as a grudge match, owing to the rivalries that have developed over the years, both in this competition and through club duties, particularly between Glasgow Warriors and Munster.
On the international stage, Scotland have been on the receiving end of Ireland's dominance, having lost each of their 10 meeting against the Shamrocks, including two World Cup matches, in a run that dates back to 2017.
However, Gregor Townsend will enter this match with optimism of getting his first win over this opponent at the 11th attempt, having made a positive start to the competition last week, with his side holding off a steadily improving Italy to claim a 31-19 victory in their tournament opener.
The Bravehearts flew out the starting gate and were up 14-0 inside the opening 10 minutes, and despite being pegged back in the second half by the Azzurri, they managed to weather the storm, with Huw Jones leading the charge, dotting down three tries to get his team over the line.
The next step for Scotland is to bring consistency back to their game, as they have won their opening match of the Six Nations eight times, but have only managed to follow those results with victory twice.
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Meanwhile, Ireland are well-versed in following up victories, having won 13 of their last 14 matches in the Six Nations, with the exception being a defeat to England in round four of the competition last year.
The defending champions exacted their revenge for that defeat last weekend, claiming a 27-22 victory over the Red Roses, once again showing their powers of recovery by overturning a five-point deficit at the break into a 17-point lead before stepping off the accelerator in the closing moments.
Despite their dominance in this fixture, interim head coach Simon Easterby was the first to admit that the side will not be taking this match lightly, a sentiment echoed by Bundee Aki in the pre-match press conference.
In terms of key battlegrounds - the breakdown battle will be crucial this weekend, but it will be equally interesting to see what happens once the ball emerges from the ruck, with the clash between Scotland's brilliant Finn Russell and Ireland's rising star Sam Prendergast taking centre stage.
While it is still too early to label this fixture a title decider, Sunday's clash at Murrayfield could be crucial for both teams' Championship hopes, especially if France maintains their strong form at Twickenham the day before.
Scotland Six Nations form:
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Scotland form (all competitions):
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Ireland Six Nations form:
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Ireland form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Young Tom Jordan has been called up to Scotland's starting lineup for Sunday's Six Nations Test, replacing Stafford McDowall and partnering last week's hat-trick hero Huw Jones in midfield.
Aside from Jordan's inclusion, Scotland's backline remains unchanged, with Blair Kinghorn at full-back, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe on the wings, and co-captain Finn Russell alongside Ben White as the starting half-backs.
In the forwards, Rory Sutherland replaces Pierre Schoeman at loosehead prop, Jack Dempsey comes in at number eight, and Matt Fagerson shifts to blindside flank, taking Jamie Ritchie's spot.
Easterby has made a notable change to the team he sent out last week for the clash against Scotland, bringing back experienced flanker Peter O'Mahony to replace Ryan Baird at blindside.
Additionally, Robbie Henshaw steps in for Garry Ringrose at centre, while the back three remains unchanged with Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe all keeping their places.
Despite a mixed performance in round one and Jack Crowley's strong impact, Sam Prendergast retains his spot at fly-half, partnering Jamison Gibson-Park in the crucial halves pairing.
Scotland starting lineup: 15 Blair Kinghorn, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Tom Jordan, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell (cc), 9 Ben White, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Rory Darge (cc), 6 Matt Fagerson, 5 Grant Gilchrist, 4 Jonny Gray, 3 Zander Fagerson, 2 Dave Cherry, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Sam Skinner, 20 Gregor Brown, 21 Jamie Ritchie, 22 Jamie Dobie, 23 Stafford McDowall
Ireland starting lineup: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Mack Hansen, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 James Lowe, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (c), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 James Ryan, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Dan Sheehan, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 Ryan Baird, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Conor Murray, 22 Jack Crowley, 23 Garry Ringrose
We say: Scotland 24-17 Ireland
If there was ever a time for Scotland to end their winless run in this fixture, this would be it, playing at home while the Shamrocks are without their regular head coach.
However, while Scotland came out on top against Italy last week, they certainly had their flaws - ones that they will simply not get away with against Ireland. The visitors looked excellent in the second half against England and we feel they win this one by at least a score.
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Devesh Jaganath
