‘We’re not playing golf or tennis’ – Peter O’Mahony ready for Scotland battle

For Ireland, two match points would be enough to secure back-to-back titles and even a solitary point would likely do the trick, although they’d have to wait until the end of England’s meeting with France in that scenario.

Scotland could still win the Triple Crown with a victory in Dublin, while they retain a remote chance of winning the tournament with an unlikely result.

Captain Peter O’Mahony says the team are aware of the permutations, but they are focused on beating their bitter rivals.

Things spilled over during the World Cup meeting between the sides and O’Mahony made some disparaging remarks about the Scots after the game.

He won’t be shying away from the rivalry either.

“Well look, I think it’s a competitive game and both teams always get stuck in and that’s what you want, isn’t it, you want both teams flat out,” he said.

“And we’re not playing tennis or golf, you know what I mean? It’s a physical game, and you’ve got to get stuck in and you’ve got to be on the edge, and that’s rugby, like.”

Six Nations: Peter O’Mahony speaking ahead of Ireland v Scotland

Ireland were on course for a Grand Slam until last week’s defeat at Twickenham, but the skipper says that there will be nothing diminished about this title if he is lifting the trophy tonight.

“You’re talking about back-to-back (Grand Slams) and no-one has done it because it’s so hard, that’s why,” he said.

“You’ve got to win 10 championship games in a row, win five away from home. It’s unbelievably difficult to win a game away from home in this championship, if you look at the stats across the board.

“So it’s everything to us tomorrow. Absolutely everything to us, another championship.”

“It’s probably a manner of the Irish psyche, ‘Jesus, another championship’, you know what I mean? When all of a sudden a few years ago you’d have taken your arm and your leg off for one.

“We’re still in the same boat, it matters a massive amount to us. It’s what we’re here for, that’s the be all and end all of it, we’re here to win a championship for our country and it couldn’t mean any more to us.”