Niamh O'Dowd hoping Ireland finish on a high at Hive Stadium against Scots
A shoulder injury suffered in the 49-5 round-three loss to England ruled the Wexford woman out of last weekend's victory over Wales but she's "all good" to go at the Hive Stadium in Edinburgh as Ireland bid to finish on a high with a third success of the campaign.
Prop O'Dowd has been first choice in the front row since getting her first start against Australia last September. She'll win her 15th cap in tomorrow's 2.30pm kick-off.
She didn't travel to Newport to catch the 40-14 win last weekend in person and admitted it was a strange feeling watching on.
"A few of us watched it together at home, it was weird," said the dynamic loosehead.
"I think the last game I watched on telly was when the girls played in Japan [in 2022] so I've been lucky enough not to have too many injuries. And this is just one week so I can't really complain.
"I'm all good. Fully available now, back to full fitness.
"AC [acromioclavicular], just took a knock towards the end of the [England] game and it just needed a week but yeah, I'm good to go.
"I'm just excited to get out there.
"After a game like [England], you kind of just want to get out and rectify your mistakes straight away but at the same time there was nothing that I could really do about it when I was ruled out.
"So I just had to make sure that I was doing everything I could off the pitch in terms of being on top of my detail and just making sure I was up to speed that way.
"I'm very grateful now that I have the last weekend to put my hand up again."
Ireland, with a healthy points advantage over Italy, look good for a second consecutive third-place finish but the possibility of three wins in a campaign for the first time since 2020 provides an extra incentive and would mark another milestone in the team's journey under Scott Bemand, who took over in July 2023.
"This weekend is a really good opportunity for us to hopefully finish the campaign with some momentum and then we'll have a little break then," said the 25-year-old Old Belvedere forward (below).
"Two years ago [a 36-10 loss against Scotland] it was a very different story but this year we've had two good wins.
"Even last weekend, we put 40-odd points on Wales and still we were like no, there were definitely some areas where we could have sharpened up.
"Comparing it from years ago, there's quite a vast difference. So we'll be hoping to put some points on them this weekend away from home."
Scotland beat Wales on the opening day but have lost three in a row, to France, Italy and England, since.
Ireland have won 15 of 17 Six Nations games against the Scots, including last season's nervy 15-12 victory but lost heavily the last time they met in Edinburgh two years ago.
"We are predicting a tight match," said scrum coach Denis Fogarty.
"I think that's been another area in which we have grown over the last 12 months.
"We have been in tight games. We speak about it as well, to remember those times that we were in tight games, Scotland last year in Belfast, New Zealand in the WXV.
"We look back at those moments and kind of go remember what that felt like, remember what we had to do to close out those games.
"They are things we have spoken about and that's what we try to do from a training point of view, put them under those types of pressure environments, what they would face in a game, and they have reacted really well to that.
"They are a very, very good set-piece team, have a very strong maul. It's kind of teed us up the last few games when we watched them, they haven't changed passively in terms of pictures that we will see.
"It is just making sure that we are getting that in our heads from a defensive point of view in what pictures they show."
Watch a URC double-header, Scarlets v Leinster and Ulster v Sharks, on Saturday from 4.45pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player
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