Paul O'Connell warns that Ireland will face the most threatening Scotland side he's come up against when they clash in Six Nations battle on Sunday.
The Scots have only played two games in this year's championship due to France's Covid issues but impressed in beating England before losing out in a thrilling scrap with Wales.
Ireland have had the whip-hand over the Scots for a decade but their new forwards coach is extremely war of the challenge facing Andy Farrell's men in Edinburgh against a side that he rates.
"I think every game is a litmus test," said O'Connell. "First game against Wales was incredible.
"I couldn’t believe after 15 minutes we probably lost one of the best line-out jumpers in the Six Nations (when Peter O'Mahony was red carded).
"It’s been a real challenge around every corner.
"There’s no doubt Scotland are an excellent side. Any team coached by Gregor Townsend always attack very well.
"Going back to his Glasgow days they always had an incredible physical edge.
"You think sometimes if a coach is into attack then his team won’t have a physical edge, but every Glasgow team I played back in the day were excellent attacking sides, but were physical as well. It’s the same with this Scottish team.
"So much good attack in the Autumn Nations Cup and the Six Nations has come from Scotland.
"Then they’re very physical as well. Fantastic performance against England, excellent set-piece performance which laid a real solid foundation for them to go on and win.
"It’s a massive test, these next two weeks against a resurgent, confident Scottish side and an England side we’ve struggled against in recent years. It’s a real tough challenge now in the next few weeks.
"I think it’s the best Scottish team I’ve ever gone up against as a coach or a player.
“And they’ve got some real X factor players as well, Finn Russell to name one, Stuart Hogg to name another.
"So they’re in a very, very good place and we’re aware of the challenge."
The former Munster and Ireland great says it is vital that Johnny Sexton and his team-mates show real resilience over their final two Six Nations fixtures against the Scots and, with a six day turnaround, England.
"We’ve taken confidence from some of the things we’ve done in the last three games when we’ve been unlucky in some regards and haven’t helped ourselves in some regards, probably given sides a leg-up when we’ve played them at times," said O'Connell.
"That’s something we can’t do in the next few weeks. You have to be hard to beat, you can’t give things away to teams and we’ve probably done that a little bit.
"In the next two weeks, that’s one of the most important parts of what we have to deliver.
"We have to be hard to beat, we can’t give things away and give teams a leg up. This Scottish team will take advantage of that."
