Eddie O'Sullivan has primed his side for another physical encounter against Scotland tomorrow and will be taking nothing for granted, despite the wretched form of the visitors.

Ireland have struggled against the Scots in each of the last three meetings and O'Sullivan has warned his side they must not be outmuscled at Croke Park tomorrow.

"Physically Scotland have been very hard for us to handle in the past couple of years and we lost a lot of collisions," he said. "Last year at Murrayfield in the Six Nations it was a hugely physical game and they disrupted us by being in our faces.

"It took us a long time to wear them down. It was more of the same in August when we also didn't cope very well with the physicality Scotland have used to great effect over the past couple of years.

"It will be physical again tomorrow and we have to make sure that we break even — at the very least — in that area of the game."

Scotland arrive at Croke Park on the back of a miserable run. Limited and ponderous, a third successive championship defeat would intensify speculation over coach Frank Hadden's future.

Former England boss Andy Robinson's successful involvement with Edinburgh and Scotland A has only added further urgency to his search for a swift change in fortune.

But the 53-year-old has an admirer in opposite number O'Sullivan, whose own position with Ireland was crumbling until a creditable defeat to France earnt some breathing space.

"The pressure is part of the job. Frank has done one hell of a job with Scotland over the last few years," said O'Sullivan.

"He's been very successful at coming in, taking a style of playing and deciding to change it in the belief the players he has are capable of doing certain things.

"Scotland have been a very different team to play against under Frank. In sport if you win by a point everything is right, if you lose by a point everything is wrong.

"But that's not the case. Frank has been unlucky this year in the championship."