How stern Vern Cotter revived Scotland

That Ireland retain a psychological stranglehold over Scotland, after a decade and a half of unmerciful beatings, is without question. But Vern Cotter appears to have gained his own psychological stranglehold over Scotland, and this is what threatens to make today’s Aviva Stadium encounter interesting.

We all noticed Cotter’s uncharacteristic show of emotion in the moment of triumph over France at Murrayfield last Sunday. Under relentless pressure, his team refused to yield. But this wasn’t a typical contemporary Scottish win, in that they didn’t nudge their noses in front and then barricade their way to a one-score success. They beat France by 11 points, and it was when the margin of victory was confirmed, rather than the victory itself, that Cotter let the mask slip.

After four rounds, Scotland are the least penalised team in the championship. In the past, a tired forward would have lost concentration and conceded a penalty in that moment — or worse. Remember last season, when Scotland snatched the wooden spoon out of Italy’s grasp with a last-minute penalty try to leave their home crowd thinking things really weren’t ever going to change? This time around, it was all about last-minute discipline, not last-minute indiscipline, and it caused a man nicknamed “Stern” Cotter in some quarters to break a smile and take a breath and look around for someone who might be sharing his feeling of euphoria.