Triple Crown decider ‘type of pressure’ Irish wantImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Andy Farrell’s Ireland side have won their past three matches after losing to France in their openerByRichard PetrieBBC Sport NI journalistPublished16 minutes agoIreland head coach Andy Farrell says Saturday’s Triple Crown decider against Scotland in Dublin (14:10 GMT) represents an opportunity to see how his side handle the pressure of needing a big result with the World Cup just a year and a half away.The Irish are aiming to complete a trio of Six Nations victories over England, Wales and Scotland for the second successive year, while Scotland will try to achieve the feat for the first time since 1990.Scotland’s win over France on Saturday also threw open the possibility that the winners of the encounter at the Aviva Stadium could lift the Six Nations title were England to beat the French in Paris.”You should never underestimate going for a Triple Crown, It’s huge and it means a lot to us, but it’s also going to mean a lot to them as well,” stated Farrell after watching his team defeat Wales 27-17 on Friday.
“What’s coming down the line in the next 18 months, coming into the last week with the Triple Crown on the line, it’s going to be the type of pressure that we want to be able to deal with.”
Scotland have not beaten Ireland since triumphing at Murrayfield in the 2017 Six Nations, but Farrell says that sequence is of no consequence going into this weekend’s showdown.
“The record [against Scotland] becomes irrelevant when next week comes around, because they’re a great side, a talented side, they’re well coached, they’ve had some big wins.
“We’re expecting a massive game next week and the record doesn’t come into it because it’s a proper Test match and a good week to get excited about.”
