Ireland vs Scotland LIVE: Six Nations 2020 result and updates from today’s clash
Follow all the latest from the meeting at Aviva Stadium
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Your support makes all the difference.Ireland take on Scotland at the Aviva Stadium this afternoon as the duo kick off their Six Nations campaign.
Gregor Townsend knows his Scottish side will have to pull out all the stops to defeat and Ireland outift who have won 15 of their past 16 Tests at home and are beginning a new era under head coach Andy Farrell.
Wales have set the early running with fast start against Italy in Cardiff at lunchtime and both of these sides will want to join them in beginning with a win. Follow it live after the conclusion of Wales vs Italy:
Match preview:
When is it?
Wales vs Italy takes place on Saturday 1 February at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.
What time does it start?
The match kicks off at 4:45pm GMT.
TV channel?
The match will be shown live on ITV from 4pm. Highlights will be on ITV at 10:40pm on Sunday.
Viewers can also watch the match online on the ITV Hub from 4pm.
Teams
Ireland: Jordan Larmour; Andrew Conway, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Jacob Stockdale; Johnny Sexton, Conor Murray; Cian Healy, Rob Herring, Tadhg Furlong; Iain Henderson, James Ryan; CJ Stander, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Scotland: Stuart Hogg; Sean Maitland, Huw Jones, Sam Johnson, Blair Kinghorn; Adam Hastings, Ali Price; Rory Sutherland, Frase Brown, Zander Fagerson; Scott Cummings, Jonny Gray; Jamie Ritchie, Hamish Watson, Nick Haining.
Backs
Smith's forward selection was mostly straightforward, but there were more choices to make behind the scrum. Callum Braley, like Polledri making great strides at Gloucester, takes the nine shirt and will combine with Tommaso Allan in the halves. Smith has spoken of wanting to establish an Italian identity for his side, and the indications from his first selection is that may mean playing with more freedom and putting width on the ball - Carlo Canna, at 12 this afternoon, is a fly-half by trade and joins Luca Morisi in the centre.
Leonardo Sarto is back on the wing along with Mattia Bellini, and after missing out through injury last year Matteo Minozzi will be keen to display all his buzzing abilities again from full-back. Now at Wasps, of course, he had a solid World Cup, and is preferred to the versatile Jayden Hayward, who covers positions 12 through 15 on the bench.
Plenty of promise on paper, but can they cause some issues for Wales this afternoon?
They're back...
I have touched on it already, but it is great for Wales to have both Taulupe Faletau and Rhys Webb back in the match day 23. Faletau's rotten injury luck has finally come to an end (though he did have a scare in his last outing for Bath), while Webb's exclusion from the squad after choosing to join Toulon has left Wales short of a fine scrum-half. They do not hurt for options at nine, of course - all of Tomos Williams, Webb and Gareth Davies are legitimate candidates for the role, and much will depend on how Wayne Pivac wants his side to play.
And as for Faletau...
This is a huge test for Taulupe Faletau, who hasn't played a great deal of rugby in the last couple of years. Italy's back row trio are a fearsome physical threat, and Faletau will get an immediate reminder of what Test rugby is like.
He'll rise to it, of course - people forget just what a fabulous player he is. But that is certainly the battle to watch this afternoon - Steyn, Negri and Polledri have the potential to keep Italy in this game almost on their own.
The teams are out for the anthems...
First the Italians sing, ever proud, fists upon hearts for some of the players and supported by a smattering of travelling supporters in the packed stands. Adopted sons some of the 23 may be, but they are all passionate and rise to a great crescendo, belting out the final bars of the anthem with gusto.
And now for one of the fine sounds in rugby - "Land of My Fathers (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau)" tunefully sung by some 70,000 people...
Tears in the eyes of Alyn Wyn Jones as he sings. Wales' great leader is ready to go again, for the 135th time in a Wales shirt.
Man in the middle
Luke Pearce of England officiates the first game of this year's competition. He's a rising star of officialdom, with a talkative style. James Leckie of Australia is out in the truck ready to adjudicate on anything that requires the TMO's intervention through the afternoon.
Pearce warns the Wales players to stay behind the kicker and we are underway...
Wales kick the ball down into the Italian 22 and we are underway
1 minute
Italy clear long, and invite Leigh Halfpenny on the counter attack. The ball is shifted into midfield and there is a first Six Nations sighting for Johnny McNicholl, who is wrestled down near halfway.
Three more phases and it is McNicholl again, weaving inside and outside and taken high. Penalty advantage...
2 minute
That gives Dan Biggar licence to jig and dance, and a step inside opens space for Tomos Williams to charge onto an offload and into space, the little scrum-half past one more and to the edge of the Italian 22.
Into double figures in terms of phases, and Wales build nicely. Italy stem the flow with a firm double tackle, but intervene illegally at the ruck with scrabbling hands on the floor from Alessandro Zanni rightly pinged by Luke Pearce. Bang in front, and Dan Biggar will line one up from the tee...
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