There is a huge amount on the line for both teams at BT Murrayfield, with Ireland the only team left in the running for a Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam, while Scotland still have title ambitions and an elusive Triple Crown to play for.
He is one of six changes to the team that beat Italy 34-20 a fortnight ago, with Tadhg Furlong and Garry Ringrose, who makes his 50th appearance for his country, both back to full fitness to face the Scots.
Pairing up with Murray again at half-back, Sexton needs eight points to edge ahead of former team-mate Ronan O’Gara (557 points) and become the all-time leading points scorer in the Six Nations.
Ronan Kelleher and the injured Finlay Bealham make way for Sheehan and Furlong in the front row, the latter having last played for Ireland against Australia during November’s Bank of Ireland Nations Series.
Caelan Doris reverts to number 8 with O’Mahony, Josh van der Flier and second row duo James Ryan and Iain Henderson completing Andy Farrell’s team line-up.
Speaking ahead the squad’s preparations for this weekend’s Celtic clash, head coach Farrell said: “I feel we’re in a good spot going into it but the opposition always has a good say in that and we’re playing against a good team. It’s a good test for us.
“To be able to win a Triple Crown for Scotland is huge, Stuart Hogg’s 100th cap is another bit of emotion that they’ll throw into the mix. You get to the point where all these things thrown into the pot adds a little bit more spice to the game.
“Playing away in Murrayfield is always a tough ask anyway, but when all sorts of things are on the line for the home team and even more so for us in our opinion – we’re still in with a chance of going for a Grand Slam.
“It’s the perfect mix. It’s exactly what we want, how we want to be challenged and challenge ourselves. Manage our own expectations, it’s key.”
Meanwhile, full-back Stuart Hogg will become only the fourth man to play 100 Tests for Scotland when they tackle the Six Nations table toppers in Edinburgh.
Jonny Gray, who joins his older brother Richie in the second row, and Jack Dempsey have also been named in the starting XV in the only two changes from Scotland’s 32-21 defeat to France.
Number 8 Dempsey earns his first start of the Championship as part of a back row reshuffle, with captain Jamie Ritchie moving to openside flanker and Matt Fagerson on the blindside.
For the fourth straight game, the Scots’ starting backs division remains unchanged. Centurion-to-be and vice-captain Hogg combines with wingers Kyle Steyn and Duhan van der Merwe in the back-three.
Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, the 2023 tournament’s joint-top try scorer with three, continue their centre partnership. Finn Russell and London Irish’s Ben White hold the reins again at half-back.
SCOTLAND: Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs); Kyle Steyn (Glasgow Warriors), Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors), Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors), Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh); Finn Russell (Racing 92), Ben White (London Irish); Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh), George Turner (Glasgow Warriors), Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Richie Gray (Glasgow Warriors), Jonny Gray (Exeter Chiefs), Matt Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Ritchie (Edinburgh) (capt), Jack Dempsey (Glasgow Warriors).
Replacements: Fraser Brown (Glasgow Warriors), Jamie Bhatti (Glasgow Warriors), Simon Berghan (Glasgow Warriors), Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors), Hamish Watson (Edinburgh), Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors), Blair Kinghorn (Edinburgh), Chris Harris (Gloucester).
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (UCD/Leinster); Mack Hansen (Galway Corinthians/Connacht), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), James Lowe (Leinster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) (capt), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Andrew Porter (UCD/Leinster), Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Academy/Ulster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster).
Replacements: Ronan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster), Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Tom O’Toole (Ballynahinch/Ulster), Ryan Baird (Dublin University/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster), Ross Byrne (UCD/Leinster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster).
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes, Christophe Ridley (both England)
Television Match Official: Stuart Terheege (England)
Pre-Match Quotes: Jonathan Sexton (Ireland) –
Scotland have had some big wins over the last couple of years, they are building very nicely. They have brought in a lot of new players over the last couple of years who have made them stronger.
“It’s going to create a huge atmosphere with them still in the Championship and going for a Triple Crown and us chasing the Championship and a Triple Crown too.
“Every team comes into this competition wanting to win a Grand Slam, wanting to win a Championship and that’s why it’s so important to get off to a good start because it keeps everything alive.
“I spoke before the Wales game, if we lost it’s Triple Crown gone, Grand Slam gone, Championship – you’re under pressure straight away. Every team goes in with those aspirations.
“We still have them in our grasp so we obviously acknowledge and talk about it and make sure that we deal with the pressure that comes with that, but it’s a privileged position to be going for it.”
Gregor Townsend (Scotland) –
We know playing Ireland is a tough task every year. The way they’ve kicked on and become the number one team in the world, it’s probably the toughest challenge you can get.
“It’s probably tougher playing them over in Ireland, but it’s still a really tough challenge. I like to see it as an opportunity.
“We’ve got an opportunity to still be in the mix for the Championship next week, to pick up a Triple Crown and really further the confidence of the group.
“They’ve gone to England and France, two very strong teams, and done very well. To get the win now would be massive, for Scottish Rugby and for this group, ahead of next week and ahead of the autumn.”
Pre-Match Videos –
Opta Facts – Scotland v Ireland:
– Ireland have won 19 of their 23 matches against Scotland in the Guinness Six Nations (L4), including each of their last five in a row, preventing Gregor Townsend’s side from scoring more than one try in four of those five games
– Three of Scotland’s four victories over Ireland in the Six Nations have come at BT Murrayfield, while seven of the last eight matches between the two teams in Edinburgh have been decided by single figure margins (Scotland W2, Ireland W6)
– Scotland have won three of their last four home games in the Six Nations (L1), including a record win over Wales in their most recent game at Murrayfield (35-7 in round 2), this after winning just one in six at home previously (L5)
– Ireland have won 10 of their last 11 games in the Six Nations (L1), including each of their last six in a row
– Ireland have scored four-plus tries in each of their last six matches, the longest such run by any team in the Championship, surpassing England’s run of five between 2003 and 2004
– Ireland have recorded more 22 entries per match than any other team in this year’s Six Nations (11.3), while Scotland have scored more points per 22 entry than any other side in the 2023 Championship (3.2)
– Ireland have an average ruck speed of 3.12 seconds in the Six Nations this year, quicker than any other team, while only Italy (70%) have completed more rucks in three seconds or less than both Ireland (64%) and Scotland (62%)
– Scotland have the highest tackle success rate of any team in this year’s Six Nations (90%), having missed the fewest tackles of any side (55), while they have also conceded a Championship low 10 line breaks this campaign
– Scotland’s Finn Russell has made the most carries (45) and offloads (6), and assisted the most tries (4) of any player in the Six Nations this year, while team-mate Duhan van der Merwe has beaten the most defenders (21)
– Ireland’s Jonathan Sexton (550) needs just eight more points to overtake Ronan O’Gara (557) as the top scorer in the history of the Six Nations. He has averaged 11.3 points per game in his previous 10 starts against Scotland in the Championship
– Stuart Hogg will win his 100th cap for Scotland in this fixture, becoming the fourth man to reach a century of Test appearances for his country after Ross Ford, Chris Paterson and Sean Lamont. Ireland’s Garry Ringrose earns his 50th cap
Recent Meetings –
2020: Guinness Six Nations: Ireland 19 Scotland 12, Aviva Stadium; Autumn Nations Cup/Guinness Series: Ireland 31 Scotland 16, Aviva Stadium
2021: Guinness Six Nations: Scotland 24 Ireland 27, BT Murrayfield
2022: Guinness Six Nations: Ireland 26 Scotland 5, Aviva Stadium
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