Paterson takes aim at Irish dream

Scot without a miss in almost two years hopes to put boot into Grand Slam bid

(PA)

Chris Paterson can't quite recall which particular upright he struck when his right boot last failed to deliver place-kicking points for his country in a Six Nations contest. "It was probably the left post," the Edinburgh full-back said, as he prepared for his return to starting duty for Scotland against Ireland at Murrayfield this evening. "I missed an early penalty in that game too, mind."

He did, indeed. But that was in the Stade de France back on 17 March 2007. Paterson has not suffered a misfire for Scotland in a Six Nations Championship or World Cup game since then – in three days short of two years.

It was something for Declan Kidney, Ireland's head coach, and his players to ponder as they settled into their Edinburgh city centre hotel yesterday. Scotland's No 15 might not have a booming boot of the Gavin Hastings, Andy Irvine variety but his size eight and a half has a pinpoint precision capable of reducing Ireland's Grand Slam crusade to tatters.

In the World Cup at the start of last season Paterson landed 17 goal kicks out of 17. In last year's Six Nations he kicked 15 out of 15. Thus far in this year's Six Nations he has struck eight out of eight in three appearances as a replacement. Ireland had better tread warily on the discipline front whenever they cross the halfway line at Murrayfield today.

They might try calling Paterson "just a goal kicker" as he runs out of the tunnel for his 94th international appearance. Then again, Scotland's record points scorer and most capped player is such an equable soul he would probably just shrug his shoulders and smile, as he did earlier when asked whether some critics had annoyed him. There is more to Paterson than his right boot. There is more to Scotland too. But enough to trip the would-be Grand Slammers at the penultimate hurdle? We shall see.

"Ireland have a knack of winning," Paterson said, pondering the challenge. "They've got a lot of good, experienced players. The last time we beat them in the Six Nations was in 2001, so it's a big ask." Indeed. But in 2001 Ireland came to Murrayfield in precisely the same position, three-fifths of the way to a Grand Slam. They left with a 32-10 defeat.

"That was a strange one," Paterson reflected. "The game was in September because of "foot and mouth", so they'd had three wins in a row and then a six-month break. I remember it being one of those games where everything seemed to click for us. But since then it's been a different state of affairs. That shows how hard you have to work together in order to beat them."

If there were signs that the Grand Slam pressure was starting to show on Irish shoulders in the 14-13 close shave against England two weeks ago, Kidney and his backroom staff have done their best to ease it. On Monday night, they had the revered Irish folk musician Christy Moore performing at a private function at the team's Killiney base. "Sometimes you need distractions during a big championship like the Six Nations," Donncha O'Callaghan, the Munster lock, said. "Christy sings the music of the soul and we all rolled in behind him."

Rolling into the Irish starting line-up for today's 5pm kick-off are four players – Gordon D'Arcy, Peter Stringer, Denis Leamy and Rory Best – whose 193-caps-worth of experience could provide a little extra momentum just when it is needed. Then there is John Hayes, who will become Ireland's most capped player when he lines up for his 93rd appearance. Not that it happens to be the landmark achievement that the tighthead prop and his national team-mates have uppermost in their minds.

Victory today and Ireland would be one step away from their first Grand Slam since 1948 – with just the small matter of a trip to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff to come.

Scotland v Ireland teams (Murrayfield, kick-off today 5pm. BBC1): Scotland: C Paterson (Edinburgh); S Danielli (Ulster), M Evans (Glasgow), G Morrison (Glasgow), T Evans (Glasgow); P Godman (Edinburgh), M Blair (Edinburgh, capt); A Dickinson (Gloucester), R Ford (Edinburgh), S Murray (Northampton), J White (Sale), J Hamilton (Edinburgh), A Strokosch (Gloucester), J Barclay (Glasgow), S Taylor (Stade Français). Replacements: D Hall (Glasgow), M Low (Glasgow), N Hines (Perpignan), S Gray (Northampton), C Cusiter (Perpignan), N de Luca (Edinburgh), H Southwell (Edinburgh).

Ireland: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), G D'Arcy (Leinster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), P Stringer (Munster); M Horan (Munster), R Best (Ulster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), D Leamy (Munster). Replacements: J Flannery (Munster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Driscoll (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster), T O'Leary (Munster), P Wallace (Ulster), G Murphy (Leicester).

Referee: J Kaplan (South Africa).