'Graham comments offer Ireland ammunition before Triple Crown decider'

When Darcy Graham's ill-advised line about Ireland being "there for the taking" in the Triple Crown, and possible Six Nations, decider in Dublin on Saturday landed in the media on Monday evening you could almost hear the glee coming across the Irish Sea.

Irish rugby folk never waste an opportunity to brand Scotland as arrogant losers even when there's zero evidence of it.

This annual casting of the Scots as a collection of players who are good at talking a big game without ever delivering one, is an odd phenomenon.

Scotland have lost this fixture 11 times in a row. If there was ever bombast in this environment - and I say this as an Irishman who's been covering the team for 21 years - then it disappeared long before my time.

The humility in these players is unarguable. If you have regular access to them you'll see it, week-on-week. No airs, no graces, no pomposity.

They believe they can win things even when results tell you strongly they can't. To any criticism of them backing themselves they might reply - what do you want us to say? We're hopeless? We'll never amount to anything?

For those of us who have spent years telling our Irish colleagues and pals that they have lost the plot with this notion of Scottish narcissism, the Graham comment posed certain challenges.

It came across badly, that's for sure. There is, of course, a grain of truth in it - everybody would surely agree that this is one of Scotland's biggest chances to end their hoodoo against Ireland - but in saying what he said he just offered Ireland ammunition.

The Irish players may - or may not - react in public but you'd fancy them using it privately.

Rugby is a complicated game but such old school motivation still has a place. Stick it up on the dressing room wall.

Is Graham arrogant? No, he is not.

Does his comment reflect the rest of the Scotland dressing room? I'd wager, no. I'd also bet that some in his playing circle might be kicking his behind for giving Ireland something extra to get them motoring.

This is destined to blow into something significant in the build-up to Saturday. In the media, at any rate. In truth, it's already started.

Without wanting to go all Sigmund Freud on Graham, his words, possibly, reflected the high of beating France earlier in the day and the desperation that all of these Scottish players will feel in wanting to beat Ireland.

That's the scalp they want more than any other.

Historically, England is always the biggest game, but given their dominance in the Calcutta Cup, beating England isn't the be-all and end-all.

Ireland have now become the team Scotland would love to beat - avenge - more than any other. There's history there. All of it bad for these Scottish players.

A win on Saturday would give them the Triple Crown and would keep them in the hunt for the championship, for a little while at any rate. It would also exorcise some demons from before, all clad in green and white and going back nine years.

"There for the taking" will come up multiple times in the build-up to Dublin. 'The blowhard Scots at it again. Will they ever learn?'

Graham can expect a volley if things go wrong on Saturday. If they go right, he can say 'I told you so'. A charge of arrogance won't matter a damn in that scenario.