Scotland's Sir Chris Hoy inspiration as Ireland clash offers another chance to end tale of woe

Sir Chris Hoy grew up in Roseburn, just along the road from Murrayfield, and will be at the stadium on Sunday to deliver the match ball ahead of Scotland’s Six Nations match with Ireland.

It will be an uplifting moment and one that can inspire the home team, according to Scotland co-captain Rory Darge, who has nothing but admiration for the way the cyclist has conducted himself in the face of the most shattering adversity.

Sir Chris was diagnosed with stage four prostate cancer in 2023, and last year was told it had spread to his bones and was terminal. He bears no signs of bitterness and continues to be generous with his time and support for worthy causes. An 11-time world champion and six-time Olympic champion, Hoy, 48, is truly the definition of a local hero.

Scotland co-captain Rory Darge addresses the squad ahead of facing Ireland. | SNS Group / SRU

“He’s obviously a massive inspiration for his sporting achievements in cycling, but also what he's going through personally is really inspiring too,” said Darge. “I'm sure the Murrayfield crowd will get behind that and make it an even more special moment. That energy will hopefully be something that we can feed off as players and put into the performance.”

Hoy will be willing on Scotland along with the majority of the sold-out Murrayfield crowd and the home side will hope a bit of his winning mentality rubs off. Their wretched record against Ireland has been well documented but bears repeating, if only to highlight the degree of difficulty facing Gregor Townsend’s team.

The Scots have lost 10 in a row against Ireland under Townsend’s watch and the record wasn’t much better prior to the coach’s arrival in 2017. It’s one win in the last 15, or six in 26 if you want to go all the way back to 2000, the start of the Six Nations era.

Ireland’s rise and rise means they go into Sunday’s match ranked second in the world and chasing a third consecutive championship. Head coach Andy Farrell has taken a step back to work with the Lions and his assistant, Simon Easterby, has been placed in charge. They remain odds-on favourites to make it 11 in a row so how can Scotland prove the bookmakers wrong?

Darge said the focus this week had been on their own game rather than Ireland’s but is not blinkered enough to not appreciate what the opposition have achieved.

“You can't really argue with the fact that Ireland are one of the best teams in the world,” the flanker said. “We've played them in recent years and come out on the wrong side of the results. We've just got to focus on what we can do better from those games and more recently, what we can do better from Italy last week.”

Rory Darge speaks to the media ahead of Scotland's clash with Ireland. | SNS Group / SRU

Scotland beat the Italians 31-19, recovering from a second-half dip to secure the maximum five points. Ireland did likewise against England and Darge was impressed in particular by their staying power.

“Ireland are obviously world class,” he said. “I think that's the danger when you play them. They don't necessarily go away - they stay at it. There are so many words you can use to describe their qualities. They're clinical. If you give them those opportunities, they usually take them. Their breakdown work is world class.”

In that regard, Ireland have recalled Peter O’Mahony for Sunday, a selection guaranteed to add spice to the back-row battle. The Munster flanker seems to relish this fixture more than most and while he can sometimes seem like a pantomime villain to Scottish eyes, there is no doubting his ability. Darge acknowledged that O’Mahony’s reputation was part of “the theatre of the game” but - spoiler alert - suggested the reality was somewhat different.

“I’ve met Peter a couple of times,” said Darge. “He's a really good guy and obviously a really quality player. You look at his work at the breakdown, and he's a lineout operator at six. He's got a wealth of experience as well.”

At 35, O’Mahony is 11 years Darge’s senior but the Scottish skipper dismissed the suggestion that his best days might be behind him. “I wouldn't say so. He's a quality player as he's proven time and again.”

It’s not often that Scottish sides get the better of O’Mahony but that was the case in last season’s URC semi-final when Glasgow Warriors beat Munster 17-10 at Thomond Park. Six of that Glasgow team will start against Ireland, including the entire back row

Darge was reluctant to make any comparisons between that match and Sunday’s but does take confidence from the way Glasgow went on to win the league. It felt like a breakthrough for Scottish rugby, a moment where the team’s mental toughness matched their ability.

Sir Chris Hoy has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. | SNS Group

The balance of the Scotland team has shifted this week. While there were more Edinburgh players than Glasgow (six to five) in the side that started against Italy, the selection for Ireland features seven from the Warriors and four from the capital. It would be too simplistic to suggest the Glasgow coterie’s experience of lifting silverware last season can turn the game in Scotland’s favour but Gregor Townsend and Rory Sutherland have spoken this week about the importance of mental fortitude.

“I think mindset is really important and we are very open talking about mindset with our players as a team and what the team we need to be to bring out a winning mindset, but also individually,” Townsend said. “That's crucial and how players work to be able to deliver their best rugby. So, yes, we've had painful experiences but we've also had positive experiences where we've come together.”

The Scotland coach would dearly love to change the ‘10 in a woe’ narrative and take the scalp of the one Six Nations opponent that has so far eluded him. He may not have a better chance than this. Ireland, for all their strengths, have a caretaker coach and a rookie fly-half. If not now, then when for Scotland?

Scotland v Ireland teams

Scotland: B Kinghorn; D Graham, H Jones, T Jordan, D Van der Merwe; F Russell (co-capt), B White; R Sutherland, D Cherry, Z Fagerson, J Gray, G Gilchrist, M Fagerson, R Darge (co-capt), J Dempsey. Replacements: E Ashman, P Schoeman, W Hurd, S Skinner, G Brown, J Ritchie, J Dobie, S McDowall.

Ireland: H Keenan; C Nash, R Henshaw, B Aki, J Lowe; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park; A Porter, R Kelleher, F Bealham, J Ryan, T Beirne, P O’Mahony, J Van der Flier, C Doris (capt). Replacements: D Sheehan, C Healy, T Clarkson, R Baird, J Conan, C Murray, J Crowley, G Ringrose.

Referee: James Doleman (NZ).