Andy Farrell says that Ireland are ready to use ‘heartache’ as a springboard when they lock horns with Scotland.
The onus will be on Joe Schmidt’s defending champions to roar back in Round Two of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations following their 32-20 defeat to England last time out.
Conquering BT Murrayfield (kick-off 2.15pm) is the challenge at hand for Ireland but defence coach Farrell is hopeful that his charges are ready to respond to adversity.
“It’s about our processes and making sure that we learn from the experience last week,” said Farrell.
“You can take a loss – albeit that you wouldn’t like to – if you learn from it and push on, and progress over the coming months.
“We’ve had a good week. We’ve learned a lot. A bit of heartache at the start, obviously, but we’re ready to put a good performance on the pitch.”
Conversely, Scotland kicked off their 2019 campaign with a 33-20 triumph over Italy in Edinburgh.
Gregor Townsend’s team will be in bullish mood and Farrell is certain that his side will need to stand up and be counted.
He said: “They’re playing some brilliant rugby at the minute. Over the last couple of years, they’ve really expanded their game.
“I think they play a wide, expansive game, with a lot of tricks up their sleeve – their attacking kicking game is very good.
“They’re a forceful team up front as well, so we’re expecting a bit of everything.
“They’re a side that’s high on confidence at this moment in time and they beat us here two years ago (27-22), so it’s a massive old game.”
