If one participant may ever be the bodily embodiment of a rivalry between two groups, then Peter O’Mahony would certainly be the poster boy for all of the aggro and argy-bargy with Scotland and Eire over the previous decade or so.

Eire are actually having fun with a interval of unprecedented dominance over the Scots. In a run stretching again to 2014, they’ve received 14 of the final 15 matches between the perimeters.

Scotland’s one and solely triumph throughout that run got here in 2017 in Vern Cotter’s final Six Nations as head coach, which means that Gregor Townsend has by no means crushed Eire in 10 makes an attempt.

Rivalry? What rivalry? This has been a horribly one-sided affair for a lot too lengthy, a flexing of inexperienced muscle that so typically ends in a brutal slap-down for these carrying the blue jerseys.

No participant has contributed extra to that than O’Mahony, the good enforcer in Eire’s again row who’s now winding down his profession on a farewell tour on this Six Nations.

Now 35-years-old and with over 100 caps underneath his belt, O’Mahony didn’t play within the win over England final weekend and it stays to be seen whether or not or not he might be concerned towards Scotland.

The flanker was entrance and centre when Eire sealed the 2024 championship with a 17-13 win over Scotland in Dublin

However, no matter his involvement on the enjoying facet, you’ll be able to guess your backside greenback that his affect and management might be to the fore within the Irish camp this week.

With retirement looming on the finish of the season, the Murrayfield crowd would definitely love to offer him one ultimate send-off.

Why? As a result of O’Mahony is the participant that Scottish rugby followers like to hate. He’s the pantomime villain who has dominated this rivalry for a decade.

Broadly talking, there have been too many good guys within the Scotland camp over the previous 10 years and never sufficient Peter O’Mahonys. That’s the lengthy and wanting it.

It is a man who has left Murrayfield numerous instances through the years with the lunch cash of Scotland gamers rattling round in his pocket.

Actually, no participant has contributed extra to the niggle that has brewed and festered between each groups.

For Scotland, that is the massive one. Neglect England. There isn’t any level hamming-up drained previous narratives in regards to the Auld Enemy for a Scotland squad the place so many gamers grew up abroad and have to study the phrases to Flower of Scotland when they’re referred to as up.

When you have been to ask Townsend and his gamers which crew they dearly like to beat within the Six Nations, they’d, virtually with out exception, all say Eire.

Conor Murray is one other Eire participant who Scotland followers have grown to dislike immensely 

The 2 groups have clashed quite a bit lately, with Eire normally popping out on prime

Andrew Porter celebrates scoring towards Scotland of their Six Nations assembly final 12 months

Within the modern-day, there isn’t any better rivalry for Scotland. That is the grudge match which tops all others.

It’s troublesome to pinpoint a precise second the place it began. The genesis of the rivalry will depend on who you ask.

However it’s usually seen that it was across the time when Glasgow Warriors began competing for silverware underneath Townsend a decade in the past.

As an illustration, when Glasgow received the Pro12 title underneath Townsend in 2015, they beat Ulster within the semi-final and Munster within the ultimate.

The earlier season, that they had crushed Munster within the semi-finals earlier than then dropping to Leinster within the ultimate.

These contests at membership degree laid the foundations for what was to unfold with the nationwide groups, but it surely was in 2017 when issues actually moved on to a brand new degree.

In January of that 12 months, in a Champions Cup recreation between Glasgow and Munster, Conor Murray claimed a number of the Warriors gamers had intentionally tried to  injure him.

Munster and Eire scrum-half Murray felt that he had been on the receiving finish of some tough therapy and soiled techniques from Ryan Wilson, Josh Strauss and Jonny Grey.

In membership rugby, the 2017 Champions Cup tie between Glasgow and Munster was a brutal affair

The 2017 conflict at Murrayfield turned often called ‘bus-gate’ for what occurred pre-match

Murray insisted afterwards that he was ‘correctly p***** off’ by Glasgow’s method to tackling him and stated they have been intentionally attempting to focus on his standing leg throughout his box-kicks.

That recreation then set the tone for the Six Nations conflict at Murrayfield a few months later and the nonsense of what turned often called ‘bus-gate’.

Eire arrived at Murrayfield later than deliberate after being compelled into what they felt was a questionable detour round Edinburgh on the crew bus. They went on to lose 27-22.

Previous to that recreation, former Eire fly-half Ronan O’Gara had been requested about Scotland and stated: ‘I hope we hammer them. They’re too mouthy, however they will’t again it up.’

That’s primarily the nub of it. There’s a notion in Eire that Scotland are all speak and no trousers, a crew who too typically over-promise and under-deliver.

After a recreation within the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020, former Eire head coach Eddie O’Sullivan gave Scotland each barrels, branding former captain Stuart Hogg ‘deluded’.

‘We’ve seen all this earlier than,’ stated O’Sullivan, who was Eire head coach between 2001 and 2008. ‘They (Scotland) all the time speak themselves up, they all the time speak an important recreation.

‘They’ve some deluded notion that they’re higher than they’re. I’m not being harsh. These guys haven’t received right here (in Dublin) in 10 years. They’ve received thrice towards Eire in almost 20 years.

Ronan O’Gara caught the boot into ‘mouthy’ Scotland saying they ‘cannot again it up’ earlier than the tie

‘It’s simply deluded. They speak themselves up, they arrive in after which they implode.’

By that time in late 2020, Hogg had already constructed his personal historical past with Eire.

Within the 2019 Six Nations, he was dominated out of the championship because of damage after being caught with a late hit from O’Mahony.

Within the Pro14 ultimate at Celtic Park a few months later, Hogg’s ultimate recreation for Glasgow was ended prematurely after he was poleaxed in mid-air by Leinster and Eire full-back Rob Kearney. Once more, no love misplaced.

Former Scotland coach and Irish TV pundit Matt Williams stated in 2022: ‘I feel that speak about it being their 12 months was coming from the Scotland camp, once more.

‘They’ve simply bought to close up. Till they really motion out and reside their speak, they’ve to close up as a result of they’re making fools of themselves.

‘Every time they arrive out and say: “We’re going to win, we’re an important facet”. They’re not doing themselves any favours within the rugby world.’

In all equity, what else are Scotland purported to say? All they do is categorical a perception that they will win. It might be most alarming in the event that they stated they count on to lose.

Blair Kinghorn talked up Scotland’s possibilities on the 2023 World Cup however was minimize right down to measurement

However there are occasions when self-belief strays into misguided bravado, reminiscent of when Blair Kinghorn spoke within the build-up to the World Cup conflict between the perimeters in Paris in 2023.

Figuring out that Scotland wanted to win and finish Eire’s lengthy profitable streak to progress, Kinghorn stated: ‘They’ve been on run of kind not too long ago, however we’ll finish that on Saturday.’

What unfolded thereafter was mortifying. Eire turned up on the Stade de France and completely destroyed Scotland, racing right into a 36-0 lead earlier than finally cruising dwelling to a 36-14 win.

Afterwards, O’Mahony stated: ‘They (Scotland) have been within the press beforehand saying they have been going to knock us off our profitable streak and the way that they had figured us out and labored us out. I don’t suppose they did.’

Ouch. Scotland by no means laid a glove on Eire. The one time they bought near touchdown a blow on them was when Pierre Schoeman rumbled with Dan Sheehan and despatched the Eire hooker toppling over an promoting board.

Previous to the Six Nations conflict in Eire final 12 months, Eire ahead Tadhg Beirne stated: ‘The Scots are the Scots.

‘We’ve our notion of them and I’m not going to verbalise it right here as a result of they’ve given us ammo up to now from what they’ve stated within the media and I might be stunned if it was any completely different this week.’

Eire received 17-13 to clinch the championship. Scotland, within the grand scheme of issues, have been little greater than an irrelevance.

Within the Six Nations Netflix documentary launched final 12 months, which confirmed footage from the earlier championship, there was a second which captured Townsend giving his gamers a pre-Eire team-talk.

‘The previous couple of years, I’ve heard lots of issues come out of Eire,’ stated the Scotland head coach. ‘The Irish gamers, the Irish media, imagine we’re tender.’

However there’s additionally politics concerned. Eire have been understood to be sad with Scottish Rugby’s determination to not again their bid to host the 2023 World Cup, with Scotland as a substitute voting for France.

It’s the little issues like that which have colored this rivalry. On and off the sphere, these two Celtic cousins fairly merely don’t like one another. 

When blue and inexperienced meet at Murrayfield on Sunday within the newest instalment, sparks will fly as hostilities are renewed.