Preview: Ireland v Scotland

It may well be a case of last chance saloon on Saturday when Scotland travel to Croke Park to take on Ireland in the Six Nations.

It may well be a case of last chance saloon on Saturday when Scotland travel to Croke Park to take on Ireland in the Six Nations.

Both Frank Hadden and Eddie O'Sullivan find themselves under mounting pressure as the quiet whispers of discontent fast become loud calls for change. The heat under Hadden's collar will be of a greater intensity than that of O'Sullivan's. After all, Hadden is now on a performance-related rolling contract while O'Sullivan was afforded the luxury of a new four-year contract before Ireland's ill-fated World Cup.

That Scotland have lost their opening two games, failing to score a single try in the process, will only add to the pressure on Hadden and his charges. An unconvincing win and a gallant loss for Ireland hardly leave them in a better position, for some time now questions have been raised over the competency of what O'Sullivan is doing, or not doing as the case may be. Anything but a polished display on Saturday and O'Sullivan will know just how Hadden is already feeling.

With Andy Robinson lurking in the shadows, quite literally at the moment, Hadden can not rest on his laurels, as despite his unceremonious departure with England the Edinburgh coach is proving he would be a suitable replacement. The reality is, at present, that Hadden still has a chance to rectify the many wrongs and save his job.

The most pressing of these deficiencies that have riddled the Scottish game of late is the inability to score tries – one in the last five games hardly makes for pretty reading. Despite reinstating Chris Paterson, Scotland's most potent attacking force, at fly-half, it is difficult to see the trend changing.

Change, a foreign word for so long to Eddie O'Sullivan, has been forced upon him through injury and a lack of form in some parts – although even then he was determined to give players second and third chances. The youthful injection into an ageing side could just save O'Sullivan's bacon as the luck of the Irish has clearly run out.

O'Sullivan's saving grace this weekend is the fact it is Scotland coming to Croke Park and not a more formidable opponent – no disrespect to Scotland but they hardly send the shivers down the spines of their opponents at present. And therein lies the challenge for Ireland: put Scotland to the sword or find O'Sullivan's sword swinging for them, as surely he can't keep the faith much longer.

Hadden's mounting worries will not have been eased by the news that captain Jason White is out – having failed to recover from a knock to the head – and his absence may just leave his coach with a headache of his own. White's impact on the team is second to none, and when the chips are down he is the man you want to lead the side. In Scotland's case the chips and confidence are down and so Mike Blair, stand-in captain, has his work cut out.

Defeat for either side will not spell the end for O'Sullivan or Hadden but it will see them edging closer to the abyss. A win for either side, depending on the nature, may not be good enough either. Whilst Scotland need a win, be it from the boot of Paterson or a five-try bonanza, Ireland can ill-afford another sub-standard display.

The glasses are ready and the scotch is on ice, as come Saturday evening both O'Sullivan and Hadden could do with a stiff drink to ease their worries.

Players to Watch:

For Ireland: For a long time he lived in the considerable shadow of his more illustrious partner, Paul O'Connell, but now the quiet yet imposing Donncha O'Callaghan has emerged as a forward of the highest quality. O'Connell taught him so much but there is only so much a teacher can do, the rest is down to the pupil's application, and O'Callaghan has that by the spade full. With 42 caps to his name he is rapidly becoming one of the world's best and if anything has flourished further in O'Connell's absence. Expect another polished display on Saturday as O'Connell watches on from the bench.

For Scotland: There are those who thrive on leadership and those who shy away from it, in Mike Blair Scotland have a player who grows as a leader. Installed as captain in Jason White's absence it will be up to the Edinburgh man to inspire Scotland – something he believes he is more than capable of doing. His primary concern though will be to get his back line firing, a sizeable task for any player. He will need to strike a fine balance between focusing on his own game whilst providing a leading light to a team rapidly fading into the dark.

Head-to-Head: With both sides struggling to find anything close to form it will be the battle of the half-backs that swings this one. You would fancy Ireland have the better combination in Eoin Reddan and Ronan O'Gara, despite it being a relatively new partnership. Reddan's lively running game complements O'Gara's tactical kicking and is one of the few areas in the Irish team where all seems well. Scotland on the other hand have Mike Blair and Chris Paterson at half-back, a tried and tested partnership but one with plenty of pressure to deliver the goods.

Recent Results:

2007: Scotland won 31-21 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2007: Ireland won 19-18 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2006: Ireland won 15-9 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
2005: Ireland won 40-13 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2004: Ireland won 37-16 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
2003: Ireland won 29-10 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2003: Ireland won 36-6 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2002: Ireland won 43-22 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
2001: Scotland won 32-10 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
2000: Ireland won 44-22 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin
1999: Scotland won 30-13 at Murrayfield, Edinburgh
1998: Scotland won 17-16 at Lansdowne Road, Dublin

Prediction: It has been ten long years since Scotland last won in Ireland, and despite Ireland being on the ropes, it will be they who triumph and prolong the Scottish barren spell in Dublin. It will not be a landslide but with Scotland's inability to cross the try-line it will be comfortable. Ireland by 12 points

Ireland: 15 Girvan Dempsey, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (c), 12 Andrew Trimble, 11 Robert Kearney, 10 Ronan O'Gara, 9 Eoin Reddan, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Denis Leamy, 5 Mick O'Driscoll, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 John Hayes, 2 Bernard Jackman, 1 Marcus Horan.
Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 Tony Buckley, 18 Paul O'Connell, 19 Simon Easterby, 20 Peter Stringer, 21 Paddy Wallace, 22 Shane Horgan.

Scotland: 15 Hugo Southwell, 14 Nikki Walker, 13 Simon Webster, 12 Andrew Henderson, 11 Rory Lamont, 10 Chris Paterson, 9 Mike Blair (c), 8 Kelly Brown, 7 Allister Hogg, 6 Alasdair Strokosch, 5 Scott MacLeod, 4 Nathan Hines, 3 Euan Murray, 2 Ross Ford, 1 Allan Jacobsen.
Replacements: 16 Fergus Thomson, 17 Gavin