Johnny Wattersontalks to Ireland centre Gordon D'Arcy who knows the size of the challenge that lies ahead

By now we should know better. Having witnessed Gordon D'Arcy finding gaps where few exist, having watched him bullock his way forward festooned with tacklers, we should know that he doesn't fear physical situations, he dominates them.

This week the Ireland centre will face Scotland's Rob Dewey. D'Arcy at 5ft 11ins and around the 14st mark against 17½st of 6ft 3in Dewey makes for quite a head-to-head, the type of match-up in which D'Arcy has, well, excelled. Still, we ask him how he is going to face the behemoth that next season will line out with Ulster.

"I've played against him, yeah," he says with a wry smile. "I'm kinda getting sick of it now. Every week it's, 'how are you going to tackle a fella that's bigger than you'. I'll put a line in the sand now," he adds. "Everybody is bigger than me."

D'Arcy knows only too well how size doesn't matter and how high hopes can perish so easily in Edinburgh. When he travelled with Leinster to face Edinburgh in the Magners Celtic League earlier in the season, the Scots sent them home with a bloodied nose. Sometimes it is difficult to nail down the matches you are supposed to win. So Scotland on Saturday are this week's beatable side.

"The last time we played Scotland was by no means a comprehensive victory," he says. "We got away with two tries in the end. Up to that it was neck and neck."

But not so when Scotland played Italy last weekend? "Any team you give 21 points to in the first five minutes, it is going to be hard to come back from. I don't think Scotland necessarily played badly but they got freakish bad luck and after that played (themselves) back into the game."

The difference this week is that expectations centre around the Scotland team that collapsed to Italy, not the side that defeated Wales. That Ireland walked from Croke Park humbled by the magnitude of their win over England only increases what people expect to happen in Murrayfield. It may not be scientific, but although the reality of being super-favourites may burden players, it does not tax those who pay their TV licence to watch one of the best Irish teams.

"We never expect to win against a team. That's disrespectful to the team and it means you may be getting cavalier with your approach," says D'Arcy. "You play to a game plan and try to implement a game plan. Scotland had very bad luck in the first five minutes against Italy - two intercepts and a blockdown. I can't think back to when that happened before - the under-13s in Wexford maybe."

Ireland against France in Paris two years ago, a few intercepts, a block? "Yeah, you could definitely compare it to that. But Scotland are going to be really hurting from Italy. That is the team we are going to play. They are not going to be looking at too many of the negatives from that game. They'll have to put it down to bad luck and move on."

For many of the players on the side, including D'Arcy, the carrot now is the possibility of another Triple Crown, a trophy that is within their reach. Winning that and a whole bunch of the squad would become the first players to win three Triple Crowns. Many players have won two Crowns, while Ireland have won it eight times in total, twice in the last three years alone. Before that, wins came lumped together but never so close as to allow one player span more than two winning sides, in 1894, 1899, 1948, 1949, 1982 and 1985. Most of this team now were part of the 2004 and 2006 winning Irish side.

"Look at Irish sport over the last few years," says D'Arcy. "It is not exactly littered with Triple Crowns so just because we've won it twice over the last three years, it doesn't make it any less impressive for us. To win the Triple Crown we have to beat England, Scotland and Wales. The importance doesn't lose any of its impact.

"No," he adds, when asked if the players know that no individual has ever won three Triple Crowns. "That's something you look back on. The greater picture here is the next six months."

Ireland meet Scotland. D'Arcy fronts up to Dewey. One team a big favourite, one player a big centre. D'Arcy won't lose the physical confrontation because he never does. Dewey should have anxiety attacks.

"They haven't lost two games in a row in Scotland for a long time," says D'Arcy. Guarded as always, confidence only ever softly spoken.