IRFU Live Blog: Ireland v Scotland
Ireland take on Scotland in their RBS 6 Nations opener at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon (kick-off 3pm). You can keep up-to-date with the Celtic clash via our live blog here on IrishRugby.ie.
Today’s match between Ireland and Scotland will be the 129th meeting between the two sides in all competitions.
In the Championship, the two sides have met on 119 occasions. Scotland have the edge over Ireland with 59 wins compared to Ireland’s 55. There have been five draws.
In what is hopefully a good omen, on this day back in 1985, Ireland beat Scotland 18-15 in the opening match of the then Five Nations at Murrayfield, and went on to win the Championship.
For his first Six Nations game in charge, head coach Joe Schmidt has selected am Irish team that boasts 625 caps and has an average age of 28, compared to Scotland’s 387 caps and average age of 26.
The starting packs are the same weight at 113kg each and amid a number of Championship newcomers, 22-year-old tighthead prop Martin Moore is hoping to make his international debut off the Irish bench.
At the other end of the scale, Brian O’Driscoll will become Ireland’s most-capped player as he leapfrogs over retired out-half Ronan O’Gara with his 129th appearance.
It is also O’Driscoll’s 50th Test outing at the Lansdowne Road venue, while full-back Rob Kearney is hitting a half century of his own with his 50th Ireland cap.
If Schmidt’s men triumph this afternoon it will be Scotland’s eighth consecutive loss away from home in the Championship. Their last Six Nations victory on the road was the Dan Parks-inspired 2010 success at Croke Park.
We will have live text commentary direct from the Aviva Stadium so reach for your phone, plug in your laptop or turn on the PC and enjoy a flavour of the game live on IrishRugby.ie.
There will be full live text and score updates throughout the coverage, with our pre-match build-up getting underway at 2.30pm.
The game is being broadcast live on RTÉ Two and BBC One, with RTÉ Radio 1 providing live radio commentary. Details of the global broadcasts are available here.
You can feel part of the action on IrishRugby.ie with our live matchday coverage – Ireland’s opening fixture of the 2014 Championship kicks off at 3pm.
Look out for the MatchDay Live button in the Ireland section or simply click on the link below:
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