Welsh win template can hush Murrayfield crowd - Toner

Ireland should follow the template from their victory over Wales to hush the Murrayfield crowd, says Devin Toner.

Andy Farrell's unbeaten side are chasing a Grand Slam, while Scotland still have title ambitions following two wins from three games, ahead of Sunday’s Guinness Six Nations clash in Edinburgh (3pm, live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1).

The visitors, ranked number one in the world, start as favourites to pick up their sixth competitive win in a row over the Scots, who last beat Ireland in 2017.

Gregor Townsend’s men were narrow losers against France in round three and will have the added motivation of winning a first Triple Crown since 1990.

In the midst of a crisis in Welsh rugby, and the return of Warren Gatland, Wales fans were in expectant mood prior to their meeting with Ireland on 4 February.

However, a blistering start by Ireland, who scored two tries in the opening eight minutes and led by 21 points after 21 minutes, kept the Welsh choirs quiet and paved the way for what was a comprehensive 34-10 win.

Asked how to negate the expected hostile Scottish crowd, Toner, the former Ireland lock who won three and lost two in Murrayfield, said: "It’s kind of personal. Everyone has their own way of dealing with things, in your own head and dealing with the pressure.

"I suppose as a team, you can see [what happened] in Wales.

"If you get ahead early or if you start well, the first five or ten minutes, if you get an early try or something, that does kind of quieten down the crowd a little bit but again, it’s a hard thing to do, especially against a great team but it’s all individual mentality and how you are prepared for it.

"If you are well prepared as a team and everything is lined up, it’s a thing that you can