Ireland’s quest for the sporting immortality that would come with a first Grand Slam since 1948 continues when they face Scotland in today’s Six Nations international at Murrayfield.
And as if the weight of history didn’t weigh heavily enough on Ireland’s shoulders, there is also the unwelcome knowledge that the Six Nations usually produces at least one shock result a Championship — and it hasn’t happened yet.
Ireland will certainly be huge favorites this weekend, but Declan Kidney, their coach, has been warning against the perils of complacency ever since the side kept their bid for a clean sweep on course with a 14-13 win over England.
Almost as additional insurance against those dangers, the former Munster boss has freshened up his starting side for the first time this tournament by making four changes.
Gordon D’Arcy, who a year ago broke his arm in the Six Nations, comes in at inside center for Paddy Wallace, while veteran scrum-half Peter Stringer has ousted Tomas O’Leary after impressing off the bench against England.
In the pack, Denis Leamy takes over from Jamie Heaslip at No. 8, while at hooker, Rory Best starts instead of Jerry Flannery.
Having been out in the cold, or at least among the replacements, the quartet will all be keen to prove their worth. Talk of a Championship decider away to reigning champions Wales in Cardiff the following week can wait.
Stringer, axed during the 2007 World Cup, said: “I suppose it’s fair to say my whole world was rocked when I was dropped. The fear of not being involved in this team is devastating.”
The decision of Kidney, in his first Six Nations as Ireland coach, to change things around for this match has also had a salutary effect on those who’ve retained their places, as lock Donncha O’Callaghan explained.
“When you look at your teammates, you see four guys got bad news, so you know how lucky you are to be involved in it,” O’Callaghan said. “Look at the quality of the players coming in and going out — it shows what a strong squad we have. You know when you’re given a chance to perform you have to take it.”
Scotland went a long way to staving off the threat of the wooden spoon with a 26-6 victory over fellow strugglers Italy at Murrayfield in the third round.
Frank Hadden, their coach, has restored world-class goal kicker Chris Paterson to his starting line-up at fullback, while in the second row recalled lock Jim Hamilton will hope to make his presence felt after returning from a shoulder injury sustained against France last month.
Hamilton had a bruising one-on-one battle with fellow lock Nathan Hines just to get selected and the Edinburgh second-row said: “It all happened out on the training pitch and even people out walking their dogs were stopping to give their opinion. For him, it was a case of running as fast as he could to test his knee — and for me, it was then hitting him full-on to test the shoulder. The collisions were fairly big — about as tough as it gets, in fact.”
Man-for-man, an Ireland back division with captain Brian O’Driscoll at its heart appears to have more quality than Scotland possess behind the scrum. However, Ireland’s backs rarely shone against England, although they and their supporters at Croke Park would have relaxed far more if outside-half Ronan O’Gara had not had such a bad day with the boot.
Fear of failure can lead to success, but, against a Scotland side with nothing to fear, such an emotion could inhibit Ireland. They would not be the first team with big ambitions to come unstuck at Murrayfield — as prop John Hayes, who will become Ireland’s most-capped player when he makes his 93rd Test appearance today, could doubtless tell some of his less experienced colleagues.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tomorrow for the final berth at next year's World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome yesterday. The home team's loss means that Nicaragua finishes No. 1 in the qualifier round held in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to the games. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier yesterday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan, competing under the name Chinese Taipei, finished third, while South Africa placed at the bottom
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