Ireland on red alert for Scottish threat
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Interim boss Simon Easterby has warned Six Nations title-holders Ireland that Scotland are capable of unleashing a formidable attack against them this week.
Easterby's men kicked off their campaign with a 27-22 win over England last week, and can step up their pursuit of an unprecedented third consecutive championship crown when they face Scotland at Murrayfield on Sunday.
The Irish have dominated recent meetings between the sides, winning 14 of the past 15 fixtures, including 10 in a row. Scotland have not won the tournament since the final Five Nations in 1999, which was 12 months before Easterby made his championship debut as a player.
But he believes they are a rising force under head coach Gregor Townsend, with an attack featuring several players who could cause problems for Ireland.
“It's going to be no different in terms of the physicality and the attritional nature of the game that we saw out there for the first 35 or 40 minutes,” Easterby said, referring to the England game.,
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“But the last few years under Gregor, they've brought a huge amount of intent in their attacking play.
“They're a very good attacking team and make it harder for teams to get momentum because of the way they stick in the tackle and they make it slow.
“But certainly the way they attack and the way they approach the game is as good as anyone on their day.”
Scotland beat Italy 31-19 at home in their Six Nations opener and Easterby has reviewed that match to learn more about the dangers posed by Townsend's men.
“Scotland have many threats up front but in particular out wide and in the back row, they're a really strong attacking team,” he said. “We need to make sure we're better without the ball for sure.”
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