HE might not be the biggest character in the game, but the prospect of leading Scotland to a RBS 6 Nations whitewash is one that provokes a kind of fiery contempt in Greig Laidlaw.

And when Ireland come to Murrayfield on Saturday they might just see that emotion in action.

There is some significant history here. Thirty years ago, Laidlaw's uncle Roy was appointed captain of the Scotland side that was sent out - against Ireland - to defend the Five Nations title they had won in their triumphant 1984 Grand Slam season. The campaign fell at the first hurdle as the Scots lost 15-18 to the Irish.

The captaincy was then handed to David Leslie, but Scotland were whitewashed in that 1985 championship - becoming the first side in history to back up a clean sweep of victories with four straight losses. Understandably, the Laidlaw of today would prefer not to have another stain on the family's good name.

Of course, the bookmakers have installed Ireland - third in the world rankings at the moment - as clear favourites to win and put themselves in a position to claim the Six Nations title for a second year in succession, but Laidlaw is determined to put spanners in their works, spokes in their wheels and his body on the line if he has to.

He has a hatred of losing, and it is made all the worse when he carries the responsibility of captaincy.

"It certainly hurts," said the former Edinburgh scrum-half who moved to Gloucester last summer. "Losing is tough, regardless. You tend to go home and you can't let it go.

"But we've got an opportunity this weekend to finish on a high. If we can win this one, it gives us a bit of relief going into the pre-World Cup games. If we lose this one it's a long time before we then play for Scotland again."

In what seems to have become an almost annual contest, Scotland need a win to make sure that Italy, whose points differential is far worse (and who are unlikely to beat Wales in Rome) collect the wooden spoon. After last weekend's 25-13 loss to England at Twickenham, Laidlaw is determined not to have that unwanted item on his record, although he would feel the same even without his leadership role.

"It's a big driving factor whether you're the captain or not," he explained. "Nobody wants to be in the team that failed to pick up any wins. It wouldn't really matter who we're playing this weekend - we need to get our part right and concentrate on our game. If we do that, we believe as a squad we'll put ourselves in a good position to win.

"If we can beat a good team like Ireland, it gives us confidence and shows that our improvements have led to something in the end. We want to win for the jersey, win for ourselves, win for the fans, because they've been brilliant throughout a tough campaign.

"We know it's not going to be easy and we're not taking Ireland lightly. They can still win the Championship and they'll be coming here to put in a big shift as well. But we can feed off our own fans. For us this weekend we want to go out there and give the fans something for their continued support.

"It's been a tough championship for the players and fans alike, but we're all focused now and we're desperate to win the game. The Scotland boys will put in everything they've got to try and get something out of this Six Nations."

The Scots have won a lot of admirers throughout the championship, but they have also revealed a fatal flaw in their failure to put sides away. The plaudits they have received have mostly been for their first-half displays, but they have gone badly off the boil after their interval refreshments. In two of their games - against France and England - they have failed to register a single point after the break. Their first-half scoring average is 12 points, their typical second-half return just four.

"I don't think teams are figuring us out after half-time," said Laidlaw. "We're getting to half-time in good positions and maybe dropping slightly. Looking back at the weekend, there wasn't enough urgency in the early part of the second half. We just let England come at us and come at us, and there's only so much you can soak up before cracking and so they scored a try.

"Looking at the performances from early on to later on, we just feel we're getting away from what we're doing well. It has to be addressed, what's going on there. When the game gets tight, let's not do something else. We're in the game because of what we've been doing so let's stay with that. We moved away slightly at the weekend and that's what's put us under pressure."

Laidlaw is adamant that his players should not draw into themselves as a consequence of that has happened over the past four games. Indeed, he is determined that they must maintain their drive to express themselves in the final 80 minutes of this year's championship if they are to take anything from the competition.

"Players can go quiet when they're under a little bit of pressure," he said. "For me it's got to be the opposite. I'll be encouraging the players to keep coming out of their shells, keep expressing themselves, keep attacking. If we do that, it'll put us in the best position to win the game."