| Venue: Stade de France, Paris Date: Saturday, 7 October Kick-off: 20:00 BST |
| Protection: Take heed to dwell commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Stay & BBC Radio Scotland; comply with textual content updates on the BBC Sport web site and app |
Knockout rugby comes early for Eire and Scotland with one of many world’s high 5 nations exiting the Rugby World Cup come Saturday’s last whistle in Paris.
It is not precisely winner-takes-all, with Scotland having to win with a bonus level, or by denying their opponents a dropping bonus, to progress from Pool B and attain the quarter-finals at Eire’s expense.
Solely a Scotland win by an unlikely 21 factors or extra, with Eire amassing a single dropping bonus level, would take either side via on the expense of holders South Africa.
Amid questions on conspiracy theories and potential collusion, Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber expressed hope there can be no “match-fixing”.
However to even win, by no means thoughts ship Eire a crushing defeat, Scotland must finish an eight-match dropping streak towards their rivals stretching again to 2017.
Certainly, the Irish have dominated the fixture throughout the previous decade, profitable 12 of the final 13 conferences, together with a 27-3 pool-stage success on the final World Cup and a 22-7 triumph on the way in which to profitable the Six Nations Grand Slam earlier this yr.
The final time Scotland registered a victory over the Irish that might be adequate for development this weekend was means again in 2007 – a 31-21 warm-up win forward of the final World Cup to be staged in France.
Scotland, ranked fifth on the planet, have effectively dismissed Tonga and Romania since dropping to South Africa however will seemingly have to enhance on that exhibiting towards the world quantity two aspect if they’re to finish a 16-game profitable run established by the present world’s finest.
The Pool B winners will face New Zealand within the quarter-finals, with the runners-up taking over France, who topped Pool A after Friday’s 60-7 crushing of Italy.
Ready within the quarter-finals for the 2 Pool B qualifiers are New Zealand and, almost definitely, France ought to they defeat Italy on Friday.
Group information
Iain Henderson begins at lock for Eire, with James Ryan, who has been affected by a hand harm, dropping to the bench.
Dan Sheehan takes over from Ronan Kelleher at hooker in the one different change from the win over the Springboks, whereas flanker Peter O’Mahony will earn his one hundredth cap.
Solely three gamers retain their locations from the Scotland aspect that thrashed Romania 84-0 – a match that head coach Gregor Townsend used to present fringe gamers an opportunity to impress.
Ali Worth is a kind of and replaces Ben White at scrum-half, with the latter omitted from the 23-man squad as George Horne is most popular because the alternative on a bench containing six forwards.
Captain Jamie Ritchie returns after going off with concussion within the first half of the win over Tonga a fortnight in the past, whereas full-back Blair Kinghorn will earn his fiftieth cap.
View from the Eire camp
Eire wing James Lowe: “Clearly it does give us confidence in what we have performed over the past three to 4 years when it comes to what we have constructed. Invincible? I would not go anyplace close to that phrase. Complacency is one thing that may’t creep into this group as properly and it would not.
“We perceive the intense threats and we have revered each opposition that we have performed to this point on this competitors. Scotland are a tremendous workforce who’ve positively pushed us. We’re trying ahead to the problem.”
View from the Scotland camp
Scotland lock Grant Gilchrist: “That is as massive a second as you may get in your profession. It is all or nothing for us. It is a vastly thrilling problem, the stuff of goals for gamers to exit in an area like this with the whole lot on the road, having had the journey we now have had thus far.
“It is about bringing that emotion, do not be petrified of it. We’ll embrace it. We’ll put completely the whole lot we now have obtained into the sport and we consider that is going to be sufficient to win.”
“This Scotland workforce has performed issues that different Scotland groups have not performed. We all know beating Eire on an enormous stage is one thing we now have not performed, however that is what excites us.”
Line-ups
Eire: Keenan; M Hansen, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe; Sexton (capt), Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Furlong; Beirne, Henderson; O’Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris.
Replacements: Kelleher, Kilcoyne, Bealham, Ryan, Conan, Murray, Crowley, McCloskey.
Scotland: Kinghorn; Graham, Jones, Tuipulotu, Van der Merwe; Russell, Worth; Schoeman, Turner, Fagerson, Grey, Gilchrist, Ritchie (capt), Darge, Dempsey.
Replacements: Ashman, Sutherland, Nel, Cummings, M Fagerson, Crosbie, Horne, Smith.
Match officers
Referee: Nic Berry (Australia)
Assistants: Wayne Barnes (England), Jordan Means (Australia).
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia).
Match info
Head-to-head
- Eire have crushed Scotland of their newest eight conferences
- Eire have gained 12 of the final 13 conferences, together with a 27-3
- Eire beat Scotland 27-3 within the pool stage on the final World Cup
- Scotland have solely managed a margin of victory of eight factors or extra twice of their final 30 video games towards Eire
Eire
- Eire are rating quantity on on the planet
- Eire have gained 16 matches in a row
Scotland
- Scotland are ranked fifth on the planet
- Scotland have by no means crushed the highest ranked aspect on the planet