Put them back in their box. The Scotland v Ireland build up thread.

I wouldn't be dumping on Scotland. They've improved. A blown overlap by Hogg last year and Hogg dropping the pill over the tryline the year before. Hogg doesn't flip his wig at those times.... who knows?

Now is not the time for reasoned well balanced fair opinions. This is a prematch thread, get your generalising exageration hat on.

If this Irish team can comfortably beat NZ in NZ (and they were comfortable winners in the 3rd Test), then Scotland in Murray field should hold no fears.

Show them the appropriate amount of respect of course, but anything less than a win will be a very disappointing outcome on Sunday.

We have the beating of Scotland and even at their best they're not really a threat unless we gift them a score or blow a scoring chances ourselves.

This is Scotland in Edinburg so they'll have home advantage but they a step or two behind where Ireland are at the moment so a win for them will be a big surprise.

With finn russell playing there isnt a hope everything clicks, he is as likely to spectacularly give away a try as he is create one.

Its comical how his mistakes in games get completely overlooked. They will replay his 50:22 against france all day but not the simple pass to ramos that put france under the posts.

As long as finn keeps executing the sublime with the terrible scotland and racing will win nawthing

Hopefully we get our A game on and BP them so they concentrate on beating SA later in the year....

If we're really on a trajectory the aim has to be a convincing win. Close to 60 mins and +10 by the end.

Sure nobody in ireland ever played rugby in the cold

I think this will be close. I think the conditions will have an impact. We won't get over them at the scrum and if it's raining it will be a dogfight.

Sexton and Ringer back makes it better!

I think the return of ringrose here will highlight how important he is.

There is no way we would have shipped so many points against italy if he was at 13, its night and day the difference between him and bundee defensively, bundee did a job in rome that he wouldnt have gotten away with against France or england.

So we can go out and score against any team, we are potent from setpiece, lineout, scrum, set play and open play. We can find a way to score against any team and have proven that time and time again.

Its without the ball that ringrose makes us so much better, and i reckon Scotland who are a better team than Italy will not score as much as the italians did primarily because ringrose will be at 13.

I'm really looking forward to the defensive display this weekend. I've a feeling the team will have something to prove after the match in Rome

Henshaw is class alright, but the lack of gametime is a worry, he has been out since late November and it will take a few games to get back to where he was.

That said bundee played in Rome with very few minutes under his belt and did a good enough job.

Aki is on a hiding to nothing here unless he starts at 13 again, the team as a squad has had two weeks to review and improve their defensive errors from the game in Rome, we wont be as bad again in Edinburgh. If Aki isn't at 13 you'll have posters claiming the defence improved because we didn't have him there without taking into consideration the whole approach for the two weeks leading into the Scottish.

His decision making under pressure is inferior to Sexton. He wasted a number of excellent attacking opportunities against France, in addition to chucking the intercept.

Ringrose and Henshaw really are some of the best defenders around and frankly we are spoiled with those two, plus they're both remarkably resilient and we have both fit most of the time. All that said there's bit of unfair comparison going on with regard to Bundee's display in Rome. He came into 13 without time for any training sessions and it showed in defense a couple of times during the match. Maybe against a better team we would have paid a heavier price but situations like that happen and players are forced to adjust and fit in as seamlessly as possible. Filling in at 13 against an attacking team in form is a very tall order and Bundee did OK considering. He certainly won't have diminished Farrell's opinion of him in Rome.