Six Nations: Ireland target Triple Crown; Scotland focusing on themselves | Rugby Union News

Ireland face Scotland at 4.45pm on Saturday before England take on Grand Slam-chasing France at 8pm in Paris; Johnny Sexton: “If we can get a win then we’re guaranteed a Triple Crown, obviously that would be a good thing. And then we sit back and watch the end of it”

Ireland face-off against Scotland at 4.45pm on Saturday afternoon in the middle of Six Nations Super Saturday

Ireland captain Johnny Sexton insists his team are on the right path, regardless of whether or not they end up as Guinness Six Nations champions.

Victory over Scotland this weekend will secure the Triple Crown, but Irish dreams of topping the final standings are also reliant on England avoiding defeat to Grand Slam-chasing France in Paris.

Andy Farrell’s men kept themselves in title contention going into the final round with a stuttering 32-15 success away to Eddie Jones’ 14-man side.

Three-time Six Nations winner Sexton wants to improve on Saturday’s Twickenham showing, as Ireland attempt to underline recent progress with a memorable end to the tournament.

“I remember talking to you guys 12 months ago or longer and things weren’t going great from a results point of view, but we were sticking in there and our confidence levels were the same as they are now,” the 36-year-old said.

“We’re confident in what we’re doing and where we’re going. Will silverware make that any better or worse? It might validate it a little bit, but I still think we’re on the right path.

“We’re not really thinking like that. We’re thinking it’s a great opportunity for us and we need to keep building, keep improving every game we play.

“We showed some great things against England, but we hope we’re a lot better this week.”

Ireland kick off against the Scots in Dublin just over three hours earlier than England run out at Stade de France.

Irish hopes of a Grand Slam were wiped out by a narrow 30-24 round-two defeat in the French capital, but they have sufficiently recovered from that setback to remain in hot pursuit of Fabien Galthie’s men.

Ireland have not clinched a Triple Crown – awarded for Six Nations victories over England, Scotland and Wales – on home soil since 2004. Sexton has urged his team-mates to focus on matters within their power.

“Once we lost that game to France, we set our targets on this [Triple Crown] and it’s the only thing within our control,” he said.

Johnny Sexton is a three-time Six Nations winner

“If we can get a win then we’re guaranteed a Triple Crown, obviously that would be a good thing. And then we sit back and watch the end of it.

“We have to hold our end of the bargain up. We have to make sure we play really well. We have to perform on the big stage, which is where we’re at.

“We want to perform for all of the people that come and watch us, so all of our focus is on the performance.

“If we do get it right and we do get a win then we’ve got a chance to lift some silverware in front of all of those people.”

Fagerson: We are focusing on ourselves

Meanwhile, Matt Fagerson vowed he and his Scotland team-mates would rally together to finish their Six Nations championship on a high note.

“We are focusing on ourselves this week,” he said. “We know it’s going to be a huge challenge. They are playing for the championship and being at home, they will want to put their best foot forward.

“But focusing on ourselves, what we do well, really coming together tight as a group, will be pretty crucial for us.

“There is a feeling around the group that we still have a lot to deliver, so I think everyone coming together and being tight as a group will be crucial.”

The Glasgow back-row forward feels the late issues in Rome can be rectified quickly.

“In attack we had some really good breaks and really good hustle with boys supporting each other. At times we were maybe a bit frantic in our systems and getting back and ready to play. We will be clearing that up this week.

“The last 15 minutes – from a defensive point of view – was quite disappointing to let in those two tries at the end. They are fixes we can make. Credit to the Italians, they were pretty good in that final quarter, but it’s stuff that we can fix.”

Fagerson is accustomed to taking on Irish teams in the United Rugby Championship and knows his team are in for a tough test.

“Playing your Leinsters, Munsters, Ulster and stuff, it’s pretty confrontational,” Fagerson added. “You sort of know what they are going to bring but they do it so well.

“Their game-plan is quite set-piece oriented, they’re pretty good at that and they have some great coaches as well. You know what’s coming but it’s pretty hard to stop.”