Scotland's Grant Gilchrist keen for response in Dublin after 'dark couple of days'

Grant Gilchrist has told his Scotland colleagues to embrace the pressure of having to produce a positive response against Ireland on Saturday as they bid to banish "a dark couple of days" following their damaging Guinness Six Nations defeat in Italy last weekend.

The Scots have been heavily criticised after losing 31-29 in Rome and squandering the chance to set up a title shootout with Andy Farrell's side in Dublin.

Instead Gregor Townsend’s team are now chasing a face-saving result away to "arguably the best team in the world at the minute" in order to avoid potentially finishing as low as fifth in the championship.

"We should feel under pressure," said veteran second-rower Gilchrist. "Every time you put on the jersey you should feel under pressure, nothing for me changes.

"Through our own play we’ve set the bar a lot higher than any other Scotland team that I’ve ever been part of and that pressure is a privilege.

"It’s a privilege to wear the jersey, it’s a privilege to play in a team that’s good enough to be expecting to get huge results and to win all these big games.

"We’re not going to shy away from pressure. Pressure comes with big games and big moments and that’s why we play the game.

"We know the strength of the opposition, Ireland are arguably the best team in the world at the minute. With their home record, you can’t pick a tougher test but that’s a huge excitement for us.

"We know we’re going to have to be at our very best but that’s what we strive to be anyway. We need to embrace the pressure, embrace the challenge – I don’t think there’s any bigger challenge – and go out and deliver a performance."

Gilchrist, 33, admitted the defeat in Rome was a tough one to swallow.

"In the immediacy, it was a dark couple of days,"