Paul O’Connell has warned Ireland to beware of Scotland’s “nothing to lose” approach in battling against the Wooden Spoon in today’s Six Nations finale.
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Captain O’Connell expects Scotland to start at “100 miles an hour” in the Murrayfield clash, where Ireland can still retain their Six Nations title.
The Munster lock admitted Ireland adopted a no-fear mentality in denying England a Grand Slam in Dublin in 2011, at the end of a disappointing campaign.
Ireland were bidding to avoid their third defeat of the 2011 tournament and pulled off a stunning 24-8 victory, stopping England in their tracks.
O’Connell believes Ireland must be ready for winless Scotland to adopt the same approach this weekend.
“I think we’ve all been there: I remember being in the Aviva Stadium in 2011 when England were coming over to try to win a championship and we had struggled,” said O’Connell. “We’d struggled for form and we used that game as a massive spark for us, we saw it as a great opportunity.
“We weren’t really playing for anything; we had nothing to lose, so we started at 100 miles an hour and didn’t slow down. “So that’s why the preparation hasn’t changed.”
Veteran lock O’Connell – poised to become Ireland’s oldest captain of all time in Edinburgh – admitted it will be “dangerous” for Joe Schmidt’s side to let minds wander to the equation required to claim the Six Nations title.
Ireland will most likely require a points-difference supremacy over England and Wales to claim the silverware, but their challenge will not be completely clear when they kick-off. Wales face Italy in Rome to start the day, and Ireland will know that result before taking on Scotland.
