Williams tips Ireland for Grand Slam

Scotland coach Matt Williams believes Ireland are rightly considered favourites to win the Grand Slam.

Williams saw his side dismantled by Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday as Eddie O’Sullivan’s men took the second step towards a first Grand Slam since 1948.

Scotland took the early initiative and scored the game’s first try through Hugo Southwell but Ireland came thundering back and tries from Malcolm O’Kelly and Paul O’Connell before the break set them on the way to a convincing 40-13 victory.

The win was achieved without their mercurial captain Brian O’Driscoll and Gordon D’Arcy but, after the first 20 minutes, it was almost one-way traffic in favour of the visitors.

Williams, who worked with many of the current Ireland side – including O’Driscoll, D’Arcy and O’Kelly – when he was coach at Leinster, believes O’Sullivan’s team is the most complete in the RBS 6 Nations.

He said: “I think it is correct that Ireland are favourites if you look at the health of the other countries.

“France are a bit off their game, England are a touch down on where they have been and Wales are coming good but still developing.

“Ireland have played together the longest and are a very talented side. I know, because I coached many of them at Leinster.

“You look at the two players they brought into midfield; Kevin Maggs is their third most-capped player I think and I always liked Shane Horgan at centre when I was at Leinster.

“They played a very good Munster game, in fact very much like Toulouse in the European Cup with excellent mauling and brilliant kicking. They also had strong runners and on the day were too strong.”

Meanwhile, O’Sullivan has praised O’Connell for his leadership against Scotland in the face of the home side’s bright start.

The Munster lock is tipped to pip O’Driscoll to the captaincy of Clive Woodward’s eagerly-anticipated Lions tour to New Zealand in June and July.

O’Sullivan said: “Paul did a good job as captain. It was a very physical game but he led by example. He was an inspiration to those around him.”

O’Connell himself was delighted with the mauling of his forward pack, an aspect of the game which brought O’Kelly a try on the day he became Ireland’s most capped player.

O’Connell said: “Mauling is something we always want to do well. We have been good at it and it worked well against Scotland.

“We concentrated on doing that and it showed you don’t have to flash it out wide to make ground.”