Farrell: Sexton, Furlong and Gibson-Park to be fit for Scotland

Andy Farrell says he expects Ireland to have Johnny Sexton, Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Furlong all back for the Round 4 Guinness Six Nations clash with Scotland at Murrayfield in just over two weeks.

Sexton will sit out Saturday's visit to Italy at Stadio Olimpico due to a groin injury suffered in the win against France in Round 2, but the captain travelled with the squad to Rome on Thursday, and has been heavily involved in preparing the group throughout the week at the high performance centre in Abbotstown.

When asked how confident he is, on a scale of 1-10, that the captain will return for the trip to Scotland on 12 March, Farrell was adamant in his response of '10'.

And he says Gibson-Park and Furlong will also be available for selection, with the pair yet to feature in the championship. Furlong hasn't played since suffering an ankle injury in Leinster's win against Ulster in early December, picking up a calf issue in January which has delayed his return. Gibson-Park, meanwhile, had been due to start Ireland's Six Nations opener against Wales in Cardiff, before a hamstring injury on the eve of the game.

While those three players are expected to return against Scotland, Farrell stressed that he isn't looking any further than Saturday's game against Italy, whom the coach says are the "most dangerous" Italian side he's seen from an attacking perspective.

"I thought England squeezed them really well a couple of weeks ago, but they fought hard, didn't they, in the second half and hung on in there and made it a tough old second-half for England. It shows the character that they've got.

"You're talking about all those individuals and the flair et cetera that they've got, but that's all because of the systems that Kieran's