Scotland’s dominance at the breakdown was a key reason behind their victory over England and could spearhead a triumph in Dublin, according to Alex Corbisiero.
The former England and British & Irish Lions prop heaped praise on Scotland’s ferocious start at BT Murrayfield in Round 3 as first-half dot downs from Sean Maitland and two from Huw Jones helped the hosts to a famous 25-13 victory.
Corbisiero dubbed Scotland’s display one of the best of the NatWest 6 Nations and believes Gregor Townsend’s charges fully deserved their victory.
He said: “It was the Scottish performance of the tournament so far and probably the performance of the Championship so far.
“For me it all came from the breakdown. From minute one Scotland were at the races, very accurate and very clinical at what they do and that dominance at the breakdown, it gave them opportunities to play in England’s half and in that first 40 minutes they really put them to the sword.
“England seemed slightly off of the mark and when you’re off the mark against a team that are bang on it like Scotland were, these things happen. It was Scotland’s victory and they really earned that across the field and emotions were high in the air.
“It’s a big moment for them, that will inspire another generation of kids playing rugby in Scotland and they’ll love that moment. The players and fans, it meant so much to them.”
A mouth-watering contest awaits Scotland this weekend as they head to Dublin to take on top-of-the-table Ireland and the former England star believes Joe Schmidt’s men will present a huge challenge for a resurgent Scottish outfit.
He said: “Ireland have been the form side across the competition. Across the board they’ve looked good, they have a pretty experienced side. Their attack game is going well and their pack is going well. There doesn’t appear to be any weaknesses in their team.
“Scotland have a big ask on their hands, they have to go out there and prove they can win away from home. They have to raise a big amount of energy and intensity to try and put this Irish team out of their comfort zone at home.”
