​Adam Hastings: Making his mark

The longstanding rivalry has seen the two sides go head-to-head 135 times, however Scotland have only played Ireland once in a Rugby World Cup.

Adam’s father, Gavin, was a key figure in Scotland’s 24-15 victory against Ireland in the 1991 Rugby World Cup – with the full-back contributing 13 points to the scoreboard.

Looking ahead, however, the 22-year-old is eager to make his own mark on the global stage.

Hastings said: “In any international, it is going to be feisty, but there are obviously rivalries there in these games.

“It will be an intense game and there will be a lot of big shots going in, which is what people want to see and it is what you want as a player as well, so I am looking forward to it.”

Although the stand-off has not previously faced Ireland, he has faced experienced Irish figures, including Johnny Sexton, whilst playing for his professional club, Glasgow Warriors.

Hastings continued: “They are a really well-drilled team and they have got a really good set piece and some good half-backs who try to control the game very well.

“They are a big side as well, so we have just to be really brutal around the contact area and try to rumble up their set piece a bit.

“If we can slow down their ball and make life hard for their half-backs, that will bode well for us.”

Scotland open their Rugby World Cup campaign against Ireland (Sunday 22 September, kick-off 8.45am BST), before facing Samoa (Monday 30 September, kick-off 11.15am), Russia (Wednesday 9 October, kick-off 8.15am) and hosts Japan (Sunday 13 October, kick-off 11.45am).