Former Irish International Tony Ward believes Ireland have what it takes to claim a third Six Nations Title in four years.
"I think we're more than up for it, I think we've got huge challenges ahead, but we're capable of taking them on."
Joe Schmidt's side travel to Murrayfield next Saturday for their first encounter of the competition, hoping to build on a historic year in which they defeated the All-Blacks for the very first time.
Ward knows that the Scots will be no pushovers though "They'll see the Irish game as a real opportunity to make a statement. That's going to be a massive game. We've got to hit the ground running. That's a huge game in terms of momentum going forward"
Tony Ward was a guest on Now That's What I Call Sport with Jamie Moore, you can listen to how he believes Ireland will fare and England being labelled favorites by the bookies:
