Für unsere Gäste » Tide would come no closer than seven

We look at five talking points ahead of Irelands Six Nations clash with Scotland on Saturday.Who needs it more?Before their win over Italy in round four, Scotland were under enormous pressure. Their Six Nations run of defeats were piling up, dating back to 2014. But the relieving win was joined by another, and Cotter is convinced his side is on the verge of realising their potential. Ireland also started the Six Nations on the back foot. The departure of a legendary captain was just one reason the defence of their title would be a difficult one.Although they started well in the opening 20 minutes against Wales in round one, its been a struggle since then. Will Joe Schmidts job be under threat if Ireland lose to Scotland? A loss for Ireland would leave them in second-last place at the end of the tournament, a sharp slide from the previous year. But even worse, six of Irelands next seven internationals are against the top three sides in the world.A three-test tour against South Africa is followed by a friendly against New Zealand in the US before facing the All Blacks once more in the autumn internationals to go with their showdown with Australia in the same series.Bluntly, fifth place in the northern hemisphere is no way to prepare for that many games against the southern hemisphere.Should Scotland win it would likely leave them in third place unless France dismantle England by a sizeable amount, while Ireland could finish fourth - even with a win.Weir ahead of Horne Weir gets the nod ahead of Horne When Finn Russell left the field early against France, his replacement Peter Horne performed brilliantly to steer Scotland to a 29-18 win.However, with Russell still ruled out this week, its Duncan Weir who has been given the nod ahead of Horne. It is by no means a bizarre call given Weirs experience, but does seem slightly harsh on last weeks capable replacement. In announcing his side, Cotter was keen to point out how much of a collective effort Sundays win was: We were pleased with our sustained effort against France.I was happy with the way we adapted to losing Finn so early in the game. The team came together and was rewarded for their endeavour with the end result.Peter played really well when he came on. It wasnt easy for him.He gets himself back on the bench and were hoping hell bring the same contribution whether its 10, 12 or 13 during the game.Attacking 15s Simon Zebo looking to attack for Ireland Stuart Hogg was in superb attacking form against the French, orchestrating the winning try with a flick to Tim Visser, but his defensive capabilities have been called into question in the past.Despite the perceived frailties, Sky Sports Stuart Barnes backed the full-backs credentials in his column this week.The balance of attacking pluses can outweigh the odd defensive negative as Hogg gloriously emphasised, Barnes wrote on Monday.Hoggs opposite number this weekend is no stranger himself to a microscope hovering over his tackling technique.Simon Zebos ability to unlock opposition defences is well documented, but hes not as effective without the ball, which is partly why Rob Kearney is most often preferred ahead of him.This weekends match could see two of the worlds most exciting full-backs with ball in hand go head-to-head, as they bid to prove that scoring tries is the most important element of rugby.Battle up front WP Nel anchors the Scotland scrum It will be a great scrum battle as two in-form front rows come up against each other.Alasdair Dickinson was superb for Scotland against France and really applied the pressure onto Rabah Slimani. Dickinson will be up against Mike Ross on Saturday who has also impressed this campaign.WP Nel may have been bumped off by France full-back Scott Spedding but he has fast become the anchor for Scotlands scrum.He will be up against Jack McGrath who has held off the experience of Cian Healy for the starting loosehead jersey. Both are excellent scrummagers and have good work rates around the paddock too. Nel will also need to be on his game because Healy - no slouch in the scrummaging department himself - will at some stage be thrown into the fray.Tommy ODonnell v John Hardie munsters Tommy ODonnell will have a fierce battle with Hardie Another player who stood out against France was Scotlands John Hardie who stood out in defence and in the breakdown. His 13 tackles against France were the best of the day for Scotland while he was a key man in the turnovers as well.ODonnell gets his chance after Josh van der Flier was ruled out with an injury and it is a chance for him to really stake his claim on the No 7 jersey.Van der Flier has been excellent for Ireland and has proved his worth as an excellent scavenger. Like van der Flier, ODonnell is very much in the mould of the more traditional No 7 and his battle with Hardie at the break down will play a huge role in who wins this game.Ireland: 15 Simon Zebo, 14 Andrew Trimble 13, Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Rory Best (capt), 3 Mike Ross, 4 Donnacha Ryan, 5 Devin Toner, 6 CJ Stander, 7 Tommy ODonnell, 8 Jamie Heaslip.Replacements: 16 Richardt Strauss, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Nathan White, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Rhys Ruddock, 21 Eoin Reddan, 22 Ian Madigan, 23 Fergus McFadden.Scotland: 15 Stuart Hogg, 14 Tommy Seymour, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Alex Dunbar, 11 Tim Visser, 10 Duncan Weir, 9 Greig Laidlaw, 1 Alasdair Dickinson, 2 Ross Ford, 3 Willem Nel, 4 Richie Gray, 5 Tim Swinson, 6 John Barclay, 7 John Hardie, 8 Ryan Wilson.Replacements: 16 Stuart McInally, 17 Rory Sutherland, 18 Moray Low, 19 Rob Harley, 20 Josh Strauss, 21 Henry Pyrgos, 22 Peter Horne, 23 Sean Lamont. Clearance NHL Jerseys .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. NHL Jerseys Outlet . -- Jakob Silfverberg is making himself right at home with the Anaheim Ducks, scoring four goals in his first four games. https://www.chinanhljerseys.us/ . -- Arizona raced out to a big lead and did not back off, hitting the accelerator instead. Wholesale NHL Jerseys China .875,000, avoiding arbitration. Clippards deal Monday means all eight Nationals players who filed for arbitration wound up settling before a hearing. Wholesale NHL Jerseys . LOUIS -- Alexander Steen scored a power-play goal with 59.WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Alabama womens basketball lost its first game of the season, falling 70-59, to Georgetown in McDonough Arena on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Crimson Tide stands at 7-1, while the win brings the Hoyas to 8-2 overall.Its all about coming on the road and having toughness, said Alabama head coach Kristy Curry. You need to make plays on both ends of the floor and do that with consistency, and we didnt do that today.Junior Hannah Cook led four in double figures for Alabama with 11, while junior Ashley Williams, sophomore Shaquera Wade and freshman Jordan Lewis chipped in 10 apiece. Both Lewis, fellow freshman Ashley Knight and junior Meoshonti Knight finished with a team-high seven rebounds, while Lewis dished out a season-high six assists. Georgetown was led in scoring by junior Dorothy Adomako, who had 20 points, while senior Faith Woodard recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds.Alabama opened the game with an 8-0 run over the first 90 seconds, large in part to Cook, who knocked down back-to-back threes. From there, Georgetown scored 16 unanswered points to pull ahead by eight with 2:22 remaining in the quarter and would lead by the same margin at the end of the period, 18-10.The Hoyas lead reached double digits at the 8:10 mark of the second following a layup by sophomore Dionna White. Georgetown would go on to lead by as many as 13 in the frame before the Tide cut it to nine, thanks to nine points and six rebound from Ashleyy Knight.dddddddddddd Alabama would trail by 11, 34-23, at the half.The Tide scored nine of the first 15 points of the third to cut the Hoyas lead to eight, 40-32, with 5:13 to go in the quarter. Georgetown responded with a 9-2 run over the next two minutes to give the home team a 15-point advantage, its largest of the game. Alabama chipped it down to seven with 24 seconds to go before Adomako scored the final basket to give the Hoyas a 53-44 lead heading into the final period.The Tide would come no closer than seven points in the fourth as Georgetown would outscore Alabama, 17-15 over the last 10 minutes of play.For the game, the Tide shot 30.2 percent (19-63), while the Hoyas were 50.8 percent (30-59) from the floor. Alabama outrebounded Georgetown, 47-33, and took 28 free throws compared to the Hoyas nine attempts from the line.At the end of the day we just have to finish plays, added Curry. They made shot after shot, and we didnt. We outrebounded them, 22-6, on the offensive boards. Those are energy statistics. We have to be able to make the shots on the road though, and today, we didnt.Next up, Alabama returns to Tuscaloosa for a pair of home matchups against Georgia State and Georgia Tech. Thursdays game against the Panthers will tip at 11:30 a.m. CT, while Saturdays game versus the Yellow Jackets is slated for a 2 p.m. CT start. ' ' '