IRELAND are taking on Scotland as they look to swipe the Six Nations title from under the noses of France on the final weekend.
The Irish need a victory over the Scots and will then have to hope from a favour from England, who play in Paris in the late kick-off.
Ireland made hard work of defeating the English last week as they struggled for over an hour against 14 men before two late tries secured a professional 32-15 win.
Scotland have two wins and two defeats so far but have not hit the heights that may have been expected after their opening day win over England.
But they will have their work cut out against the Irish, who they have an atrocious record against.
The Scots have lost all of their last six, and ten of their last eleven, matches against Ireland.
What time does Ireland vs Scotland rugby kick off?
- Ireland take on Scotland on Saturday, March 19.
- The match kicks off at 4.45pm UK time.
- It takes place at the Aviva Stadium.
- When the sides met last year, Ireland ran out 27-24 winners at Murrayfield.
What TV channel is Ireland vs Scotland rugby on and can I live stream it?
- Ireland vs Scotland is live on ITV.
- Coverage commences at 4pm – 45 minutes before kick-off.
- To stream the game live, head to the ITV Hub.
- In Scotland, the match will be shown live on STV.
- Virgin Media One is the broadcaster for this match in Ireland.
Can I watch Ireland vs Scotland rugby for free?
- Yes. ITV is free for all UK viewers with a TV licence.
Team news
Ireland
Ireland have made three changes to the team that beat England last week.
One of them is enforced, with Jack Ryan picking up a concussion in the incident that saw England's Charlie Ewels sent off.
Ulster captain Iain Henderson has been drafted in as replacement.
Andy Farrell has also chosen Mack Hansen over Andrew Conway.
And he has changed things up in the back row with Jack Conan coming in at number 8, with Caelan Doris being shifted to 6 and Peter O'Mahony dropped to the bench.
Scotland
Gregor Townsend has made two changes from the Italy game including the dramatic decision to drop Finn Russell.
Blair Kinghorn comes in in the fly-half's place, while Jonny Gray replaces Sam Skinner.
Meanwhile the Scots' preparations have been disrupted by news that captain Stuart Hogg has been disciplined along with Russell and six other players after venturing outside the hotel bubble.
Latest odds
Ireland 1/9
Draw 50/1
Scotland 6/1
*Odds from Betfair correct as of Wednesday, March 16
What they said
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: “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.
“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.”
Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend has praised Blair Kinghorn after making the shock decision to replace Finn Russell at fly-half.
He said: “I’d prefer to focus on what Blair has done and how well he’s played and how he’s deserved his opportunity, which he certainly has with his performances throughout the season.
“We see this as an opportunity for Blair. He’s been in really good form.
“He wasn’t available for our match (in Rome) last week (due to personal reasons) but the week before that he played his best game of the season against Connacht.
“He’s come on twice off the bench and shown what he can do in that (Scotland) jersey.
“He started against Tonga and played really well and he’s built on that performance so we believe this is the right time, the right game for him to play in.”
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Townsend on Finn Russell’s omission
Gregor Townsend has opened up on his decision to drop fly-half Finn Russell.
And the Scotland head coach has called on the press to focus on the positive aspects of Blair Kinghorn’s game rather than taking his decision as being a negative one about Russell.
He said: “I’d prefer to focus on what Blair has done and how well he’s played and how he’s deserved his opportunity, which he certainly has with his performances throughout the season.
“We see this as an opportunity for Blair. He’s been in really good form.
“He wasn’t available for our match (in Rome) last week (due to personal reasons) but the week before that he played his best game of the season against Connacht.
“He’s come on twice off the bench and shown what he can do in that (Scotland) jersey.
“He started against Tonga and played really well and he’s built on that performance so we believe this is the right time, the right game for him to play in.”
Hogg-ing the limelight
Scotland captain Stuart Hogg is one of six players disciplined for breaking the team’s Covid protocol to visit an Edinburgh bar after their win in Italy.
An SRU statement said: “The Scotland management team have this week dealt with a post-match matter involving six players following the game against Italy last weekend.
“The players involved have been spoken to individually and those conversations and outcomes will remain private.
“Preparations for the match against Ireland this week have been good and the whole squad is fully focused on achieving a positive result on Saturday.”
The other players punished were Finn Russell, Ali Price, Sam Johnson, Sione Tuipulotu and Darcy Graham.
As it stands
Ireland can win the Six Nations title but they need a favour from England.
Andy Farrell's men sit two points behind France and know if they win, the French will need a win in Paris.
Scotland meanwhile can finish as high as third or as low as fifth.
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Head to head
History says that Ireland could hardly be facing a better opponent as they look for a win to keep them in Six Nations title contention.
The Irish have won all their last six games against Scotland, most recently winning 27-24 at Murrayfield last year.
Scotland last won this fixture back in 2017, when they triumphed 27-22 in Edinburgh.
The Scots have never won at the Aviva Stadium and you have to go back to 2010 for their last victory in Ireland, when they ran out 23-20 winners at Croke Park.
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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.”
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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