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Darcy Graham insisted Scotland are ready to \u201cgo to a dark place\u201d as they bid to defy recent history in their mouth-watering qualification shootout with Ireland in Paris.<\/p>\n
The Scots secured the bonus-point win they required against Romania with a 12-try, 84-0 destruction of the eastern European minnows.<\/p>\n
To progress to the last eight Gregor Townsend\u2019s side must defeat Ireland in next Saturday\u2019s final Pool B fixture, either with a bonus point or by denying the world\u2019s top-ranked side a losing bonus.<\/p>\n
The Scots have won only one of the last 13 meetings between the sides and have lost the last eight, but Graham is adamant his team \u2013 ranked fifth in the world \u2013 are ready to dig deep for what would be one of the biggest wins in their history.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s winner takes all, we want to get out of the group and they want to get out of the group so both teams will be going for it,\u201d said the prolific Scotland wing. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be a hell of a game.<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s do or die now, it\u2019s pretty much a World Cup final for us. We\u2019ll take huge confidence from Romania and now we need to get our preparation right.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to go to a dark place but the boys are up for it. It\u2019s an exciting week. There\u2019s going to be massive support from Scotland and Ireland fans so there\u2019s going to be a real buzz going into this game.\u201d<\/p>\n
In their last meeting in the Six Nations in March, Scotland led briefly in the first half and were within a point of the Irish until Andy Farrell\u2019s men pulled away to win 22-7 at Murrayfield.<\/p>\n
Scotland have shown for long periods of their three matches against France this year that they can live with the top teams in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got the capabilities to beat any team in the world but we have to get things right not just for 40 minutes or 60 minutes, but for 80 minutes,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to take our opportunities when they come. We might only get two or three opportunities and we have to nail them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham\u2019s four-try haul against Romania elevated him from sixth to joint-second on Scotland\u2019s all-time try-scoring list. He is now level with Ian Smith and Tony Stanger on 24 and just three shy of record-holder Stuart Hogg, who retired this year on 27.<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah, I\u2019m closing in on it but I\u2019ll get there when I get there,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve added four on to my tally so I\u2019m happy.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant Gilchrist \u2013 who captained the Scots against Romania \u2013 has no doubt his long-time Edinburgh club-mate will soon break the record.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I was a betting man, I\u2019d say yes,\u201d said the lock.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was outstanding against Romania. I\u2019ve played a lot of games with him for Scotland and Edinburgh and you know exactly what you\u2019re going to get with him week in, week out.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome of the tries he scored were world-class, and I\u2019m sure he\u2019ll keep doing that as long as he plays.\u201d<\/p>\n
Scotland scored six tries in each half against Romania in a match that saw them fall just five points short of their record World Cup victory, 89-0 against the Ivory Coast in 1995.<\/p>\n
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Gilchrist said: \u201cWe knew we needed five points but we needed more than that, we needed a performance that was a step forward for us as a group, and I think we got that.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe know everybody will big up next weekend, it\u2019s huge. Our preparation will reflect that and we\u2019ll give absolutely everything.\u201d<\/p>\n