Josh Strauss says a sold-out crowd should give Scotland a boost when they take on Ireland at Murrayfield on Saturday.

Strauss came off the bench as Scotland got their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start against Italy last weekend.

With Ireland next up, Strauss says he hopes that the Scottish crowd will be ready to roar their team on at home, where they are unbeaten in the Championship since 2016.

‘It’s great that it is sold out,’ Strauss said. ‘It’s a great feeling singing the national anthem with a full stadium. It does boost us a lot.

‘I think a lot of teams are now trying to get away from the whole fact of focusing too much if we’re home or away.

‘That comes later in the week when you start talking about a few mental things. Earlier in the week, the mental side starts to come in and you talk about playing at home and what it means.’

Photo: EPA/Wallace Woon