Ireland scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park says there is “no reason” Scotland cannot beat Simon Easterby’s side in their Six Nations meeting on Sunday (15:00 GMT).
Both sides won their opening fixtures last weekend. Ireland overturned a half-time deficit to beat England in Dublin, while Scotland survived an Italian fightback in Edinburgh.
Gregor Townsend’s side have not beaten Ireland since 2017, a 10-game run that includes seven Six Nations games, two World Cup pool meetings and an Autumn Nations Cup clash.
“They’re a classy side,” said Gibson-Park.
“They’re playing good footy, and they’re stacked full of really good individuals, so it will be a tough challenge. I know it’s been a long time since they won [against Ireland] but there’s no reason they can’t.”
Victory for Ireland would equal the longest run of wins in this fixture, set by Scotland between 1882 and ’93, but Gibson-Park does not feel the hosts will be more motivated than any other opposition.
“I think that’s the case for a lot of teams now,” he said when asked whether Scotland’s desperation for victory would be a factor in the game.
“We’ve kind of been near enough to the top of the rankings now for a while and, like, I know myself that if I’m coming up against a quality side you want to put your best performance out there. Next week will be no different I think.”
