The China Mail - Complacency? What's that, says Irish wing Lowe ahead of Scots game

The 31-year-old New Zealand-born flier's stunning tackle on South Africa's mammoth lock Eben Etzebeth summed up the spirit in the Irish team in their epic 13-8 win over the defending champions a fortnight ago.

Lowe said they would not let that victory go to waste by slipping up when they meet the Scots at the Stade de France. The statistics are on Ireland's side as they have won their last eight meetings against the Scots.

The Irish will top Pool B if they win or draw, but they could also miss out on the quarter-finals if they lose by eight points or more without getting a try bonus point.

Referring to the 16-match unbeaten run, Lowe said: "It does give us confidence in what we've done over the last three or four years in terms of what we have built.

"We know what works. But even in wins, there are still things to learn.

"Invincible? I wouldn't go anywhere near that word. Complacency is something that can't creep into this group and it doesn't."

Similarly Lowe dismissed the notion the Irish have a psychological advantage due to the Scots' failure to beat them since 2017.

"I know we have had the better end of the stick from the last few encounters, but they are a team who play with a lot of passion and width and physicality," said Lowe.

"You respect them because you really, really don't want to lose.

"They have definitely got one of the best 10s (Finn Russell) in the world, they have picked a nine (Ali Price) who likes running from the base.

"They are definitely going in with the mindset of scoring tries and putting us under a lot of pressure."

- 'Different beast' -

Lowe and his fellow wing Mack Hansen have developed into feared finishers at Test level but so too are their opposing wingers, Darcy Graham and Duhan van der Merwe.

"Darcy is an exceptional player. Fortunately I haven't had to man-mark him yet," said Lowe.

"He has very good feet, similar to the two South African boys we played last time with his ability to create something out of nothing."

Lowe described Van der Merwe as a "behemoth".

"He's a few inches taller than me and definitely got a bit more muscle than me as well," he said.

"He is a serious threat ball in hand but we are going to try to put them under as much pressure as we can and hopefully Russell doesn't find them too often in too much space."

Lowe's tackle on Etzebeth also showed how much his defensive skills had improved compared to his early days in an Ireland jersey when his critics queried how head coach Andy Farrell could keep faith with him.

"I pretty much just fell into a position where I had to make the tackle and that was the end product," said Lowe of the Etzebeth incident.

"It's funny how the world works. It probably just proves if you work on something long enough, you will get the fruits of your labour.

"I'm happy with where I am defensively but it's a completely different beast tomorrow."

Lowe rarely passes on an opportunity to crack a joke and even with so much at stake could not resist when asked whether his wife had become accustomed to his moustache.

"My wife hates my moustache, that's part of the reason why I have it," said Lowe.

F.Brown--ThChM