Skipper Rory Best is fully aware that a huge battle awaits his pack but has cautioned Ireland’s backs not to lose concentration for a second against Scotland (5pm).
Traditionally, clashes between the two nations have become wars of attrition with Scotland's dogged forwards causing no end of trouble for the Irish.
But now Vern Cotter’s men have added an extra edge to their backplay with scrum-half Greig Laidlaw and full-back Stuart Hogg outstanding in wins over Italy and France.
The Scot also came closest of all the northern hemisphere sides to reaching a World Cup semi-final and Best, who will win his 94th cap on Saturday, was eager to point out that threat will come from all over the pitch.
“Their backs now are lethal,” the hooker told RTÉ Sport.
“We know Tommy Seymour really well from his time at Ulster, the guys like Hoggy and Tim Visser on the wing.
“If you give these guys half an inch they’re gone and they’re electric and they’re not afraid to offload, and they have pace to burn.
“For us it’s going to be a challenge because the big benefit they have [is that] their general is in the middle. Greig Laidlaw is probably one of the most underrated players there is.
“He’s a fantastic talent, he controls the game and he has this ability that not a lot of players have - probably 99% of the time he makes the right decision.
“It’s a real credit to him and the way he has gone about his business that [is behind] this turnaround you’ve seen in Scotland over the last couple of years
“They look like they are playing with a lot more belief. There’s no doubt that they got a few big results at the World Cup, and there was one very near miss [versus Australia in the quarter-final]. They look like they’ve grown a lot from it.
“They feel that they can take anyone on. That makes them very dangerous because a side that has confidence and belief, you’re never going to get rid of them, no matter how well you’re playing, no matter what the score, they will always feel that they can get back into it.”
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