The undisputed match of the weekend in the 2023 Rugby World Cup will see Ireland looking to move back into pole position in Pool B when they face Scotland in the group decider at Stade de France on Saturday evening.
It all comes down to this match for the Scots, who must defeat Ireland and prevent them from earning a bonus point, which will see them edge ahead of South Africa based on head-to-head results.
Match preview
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Heading into this match, Ireland are in excellent form, having set a new national record by winning each of their last 16 Test matches and currently holding the longest winning streak of any team in the tournament.
After winning the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this year, the Shamrocks were flawless in their warmup campaign and eased through their first two matches of the World Cup, beating Romania 82-8 and Tonga 59-16.
Andy Farrell's side then reminded the world why they are the number one ranked side as they handed the Springboks their first defeat since the 2019 tournament in what was arguably the match in the competition to date.
Still, there is work to be done as Ireland could potentially be eliminated from the tournament on Saturday, with Scotland and South Africa advancing to the quarters if they lose without securing a bonus point.
While there has been media talk in the week of colluding to ensure mutual advancement at the expense of South Africa, both teams have appropriately dismissed any speculation, and Ireland will have their eyes firmly fixed on delivering another solid performance in this one.
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Meanwhile, this is the last chance for Scotland, who have been on the back foot throughout the group stage of the competition after a poor start, where they lost their first match 18-3 against South Africa.
Indeed, it feels a little harsh that a solitary lacklustre performance against the Springboks could ultimately be the main reason they do not progress, but that is how fine the margins are in competitions like this, especially when involved in the group of death.
Following that defeat, though, the Scots secured two bonus point victories against Tonga and, most recently, Romania, where Darcy Graham headlined the match with four tries, three of which came in the first 40 minutes.
However, having kept their heads above water until this point, it is fair to say that the level of competition significantly rises now as they prepare to face the world's top-ranked team and one of the favourites to lift the Webb Ellis Cup.
Gregor Townsend has recalled some of his biggest hitters for this match, and based on the lineup the Scots are going with, we can expect them to leave absolutely everything on the field in this blockbuster clash of the heavyweights.
Ireland Rugby World Cup form:
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Ireland form (all competitions):
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Scotland Rugby World Cup form:
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Scotland form (all competitions):
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Team News
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Ronan Kelleher received some stick for his inaccurate line-out throwing in the first half against the Springboks a couple of weeks ago, and Farrell has responded by opting for Dan Sheehan in the hooker spot for this one.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, and James Lowe maintain their positions in an unchanged Ireland back three, while Garry Ringrose and Bundee Aki continue their partnership in the centre, just off Johnny Sexton and Jamison Gibson-Park in the halves pairing.
Peter O'Mahony will reach a significant landmark here, poised to achieve his 100th cap for Ireland as he starts on the blindside flank, making him the 10th Irish player to reach the milestone.
Townsend has rung the changes in the opposite dugout for this do-or-die encounter, switching up as many as 12 players from the side that faced Romania last week.
Grant Gilchrist keeps his spot in the starting 15 and partners with Richie Gray in the second row, while Rory Darge and Jack Dempsey join him in the back row, with returning captain Jamie Ritchie taking the blindside flank position.
In the pack, loosehead prop Pierre Schoeman and tighthead Zander Fagerson make their return to the front row, joining hooker George Turner.
Ireland starting lineup: 15. Hugo Keenan, 14. Mack Hansen, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Bundee Aki, 11. James Lowe, 10. Johnny Sexton (c), 9. Jamison Gibson-Park, 8. Caelan Doris, 7. Josh van der Flier, 6. Peter O'Mahony, 5. Iain Henderson, 4. Tadhg Beirne, 3. Tadhg Furlong, 2. Dan Sheehan, 1. Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. David Kilcoyne, 18. Finlay Bealham, 19. James Ryan, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Conor Murray, 22. Jack Crowley, 23. Stuart McCloskey
Scotland starting lineup: 15. Blair Kinghorn, 14. Darcy Graham, 13. Huw Jones, 12. Sione Tuipulotu, 11. Duhan van der Merwe, 10. Finn Russell, 9. Ali Price, 8. Jack Dempsey, 7. Rory Darge, 6. Jamie Ritchie (c), 5. Grant Gilchrist, 4. Richie Gray, 3. Zander Fagerson, 2. George Turner, 1. Pierre Schoeman
Replacements: 16. Ewan Ashman, 17. Rory Sutherland, 18. WP Nel, 19. Scott Cummings, 20. Matt Fagerson, 21. Luke Crosbie, 22. George Horne, 23. Ollie Smith
Head To Head
Familiar foes Ireland and Scotland have faced each other in 140 rugby union matches. Over that period, Ireland have won 69 times, Scotland have won 66 and five matches ended in a draw. Ireland secured a 22-7 victory at Murrayfield on their way to the Six Nations Grand Slam back in March, and they also defeated Scotland convincingly during the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
We say: Ireland 28-17 Scotland
Scotland is in a must-win situation to avoid an early exit, but their recent poor record against Ireland makes it challenging to envision how they could emerge victorious in this match. Ireland are brimming with confidence after beating South Africa, and we feel they will secure their place as Pool B winners with a victory here in the French capital.
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