Scotland captain Sione Tuipulotu has urged his team-mates to seize the moment and make history as they go chasing Six Nations glory against Ireland in Dublin on Saturday afternoon.
On what promises to be a day of enthralling drama, Scotland go into the final round of matches with a chance of winning the championship for the first time in 27 years.
Gregor Townsend’s men need to beat Ireland, something they have failed to do in 11 previous attempts during his time as head coach, whilst hoping that England can do them a favour against France in Paris.
There is also a Triple Crown to play for against an Ireland team who have their own ambitions of winning the title in a three-way shootout with Scotland and the French.
Scotland were booed off at Murrayfield after losing to Argentina only a few months ago in the autumn and started the Six Nations with a defeat to Italy in Rome.
Tuipulotu reflected on the journey this team have been on over these past few years, insisting they have ‘been to hell and back’ during those dark days.
Scotland skipper Sione Tuipulotu admits his side have come through some difficult times
But knowing that a first victory in Dublin since 2010 could see the Scots make history, he said: ‘We want to be the first of our kind [Scotland team to win this] and that’s a big motivating factor.
‘Over the last five years, in certain aspects, we’ve been to hell and back together. So that’s where my strength comes from, and our strength as a team – the hard stuff we’ve been through.
‘The ability to be resilient in those times is what gives me the most confidence that we’ll be the best version of ourselves this weekend.
‘We’ve been playing knockout rugby since we lost to Italy, so this is not foreign territory for us in that aspect.
‘We’ve got 80 minutes ahead of us for us to take another step forward as a group and play better than what we did against France. Hopefully that puts us in good stead.
‘It’s maybe foreign territory for a Scotland team to be in this position on the final weekend with so much on the line, but we have earned that privilege.
‘The way I’ve put it to the group is that we’ve earned the right to be in this game and for those things to be on the line.
‘But those things are not going to consume us or stop us from playing our game. We’re going to go out there and live and die by our identity.’
Scotland have been written off once again in the Irish media this week, with one newspaper saying ‘sniggering at Scotland’s expense has become a national pastime’.
Tuipulotu admits it will be a tough task against Ireland, who they have lost to 11 times in a row
Since the Townsend era began in 2017, they have lost 11 games on the bounce to Ireland. Indeed, going all the way back to the year 2000, Scotland are trying to win in Dublin for only the second time in 26 years.
Tuipulotu is under no illusions about how difficult the challenge will be, having been coached by Andy Farrell on the Lions tour last summer and having been a team-mate of many of those who will be wearing green today.
But the Scotland skipper believes Ireland will be under more pressure to preserve their record against the visitors at what will be a sold-out Aviva Stadium.
Tuipulotu also believes that it was fated to be Ireland, a team who have long been Scotland’s nemesis, who stand in their way on the path to potential glory.
It is expected that upwards of 15,000 Scots will make the journey to Dublin on St Patrick’s weekend in a bid to cheer their team on what could be an historic day.
‘There is belief, definitely,’ said Tuipulotu. ‘Maybe coming to the Aviva to play Ireland in the past, it’s seemed a little bit more like we were coming in hope.
‘But now we have been building this belief. You’ve got to act on your belief as well. There’s no point in you just believing and then get out there on Saturday and don’t act on it.
‘The record against Ireland is out there obviously and there’s no point saying it doesn’t play on anyone’s mind. But, to be honest, I think that’s more of a pressure for them than us.
‘They don’t want to be the team to let go of their streak or they don’t want to be the team to lose at the Aviva against Scotland in front of 45,000 fans.
‘They don’t want to be the team to not achieve what they have achieved over the last 10 years. So I think all those things point to a bit more pressure on them.
‘Being coached by Faz in the summer gave me a lot of perspective on how his teams are run and why they’ve been so successful over the last 10 years.
‘It’s a massive challenge for us, but I’m a believer that all things happen for a reason.
‘There’s a reason Ireland are the last game for us because it’s probably the toughest challenge and has been the toughest challenge for us for the last 10 years.’
