Ireland vs Scotland Tips: Scots can make it dicey in Dublin
It has been a championship of firsts and Scotland find themselves in the running to land a first Six Nations title on Super Saturday when they head to Dublin to face Ireland.
Following a thrilling 50-40 win over frontrunners France at Murrayfield last weekend, the Scots have put themselves in with an outside shot at the title.
Third-place Ireland, who have their own title ambitions, will have something to say about that, in a clash at the Aviva Stadium which will also decide the destination of the Triple Crown this season.
Tip 1 – Scotland +5.5 handicap @ 4/5
Scotland produced arguably their greatest-ever Six Nations performance to beat France last weekend, as Gregor Townsend’s side beat Les Bleus at their own game.
Power, line breaks and offloads are normally associated with the French, but it was Scotland who executed their gameplan better in Edinburgh last time out.
Now the Scots must try to replicate that fearless rugby against their bogey team.
Ireland have won all of their last 11 games against Scotland and Townsend has never managed to beat the Irish as Scotland head coach.
It's fair to say Ireland have been hit and miss in this Six Nations and it's hard to call who will triumph at the Aviva on Saturday.
However, between two evenly-matched sides, it's the handicap market that stands out and Scotland with a +5.5 handicap appeals in Dublin this weekend.
Tip 2 – Over 49.5 total points @ 17/20
Scotland's success against the French last weekend was based on relentless pressure and taking the scoreboard away from the visitors at Murrayfield.
Once on top, Scotland didn't take their foot off the gas until the last 10 minutes, once the result was already in the bag.
Turning down options to kick at goal, Scotland went for the corners and they will know they will have to score plenty of tries if they are to outscore an Ireland side who are one of the best in the world on their day.
The Scots won't deviate from their attacking approach that has yielded three wins on the bounce against England, Wales and France, which should make for a high-scoring contest at the Aviva.
Tip 3 – First team to reach 20 points - Scotland @ 7/4
Scoring a total of 81 points against England and France in this Six Nations, Scotland have shown how they are capable of building the scoreboard against the big teams.
With Finn Russell pulling the strings at No.10, scrum-half Ben White sniping around the breakdown and more British & Irish Lions stars roaming in the outfield, Scotland boast one of the best backlines in the business.
If the Scotland forward can give their backs good ball, Townsend's side showed against the French that they are capable of scoring quickfire tries in bursts.
With that in mind, there's value to be had with siding for Scotland to reach the 20-point mark first, in what has been tipped to be another high-scoring encounter in Dublin to kick-off an intriguing Super Saturday.
Odds correct at time of publication but subject to fluctuation