All or nothing for Scots & Irish
THREE FACTORS THAT COULD BE KEY IN MATCH
Ireland’s victory over defending champions South Africa two weeks ago has been hailed as one of the great Rugby World Cup performances and they will not wish to spoil that by losing to Scotland today.
Several members of the squad have endured heartbreak at previous World Cups and, driven on by talismanic captain Johnny Sexton, who retires after the tournament, they will be hungry to put the game to bed early on.
The No 1 ranked team in the world will qualify for the knockout stages with a win or a draw.
Defeat by eight points or more without getting a try bonus point would see Ireland crash out.
AFP Sport picks out three factors that could be key in the match:
Sexton v Russell – a titanic duel
Sexton may downplay it but whoever wins the flyhalf battle between him and his opposite number, Scotland’s Finn Russell, will decide the match.
The crowd are in for a treat as two of the greatest playmakers of the modern era pull the strings.
Sexton will be no frills, or “high church”, as former Ireland fullback Hugo MacNeill described him to AFP, calling him “disciplined, controlled and with a structured game,” whereas Russell is Welsh chapel – “more populist and crowd-pleasing.”
Sexton may be 38 but he has certainly not looked it in his performances so far, something backline coach Mike Catt puts down to the freshness he derived from being banned before the tournament.
Russell is capable of the most wonderful and outlandish passes and kicks that expose opponents’ defences. However, like with any magician, the 31-year-old’s tricks can also fail to come off and can sometimes provide rich pickings for their rivals.
Both normally would be targeted early-on but Russell says the dark arts of rugby will stay firmly in their box when it comes to Scotland’s handling of Sexton.
Gerulaitis sets precedent Scotland could be forgiven for not bothering to turn up if they studied the statistics too closely.
Ireland are ranked No 1 in the world, are seeking a record-extending 17th successive Test win and have beaten the Scots in their last eight meetings.
However, Catt said that meant nothing. “No, I don’t think it gives them (the players) anything,” he said, referring to the winning run.
If the Scots need to draw inspiration from anywhere then it is the late American tennis player Vitas Gerulaitis when he beat Jimmy Connors in January 1980 after losing to him 16 consecutive times.
Calm heads required
The stakes are high and when it concerns two teams that have a history of prickly encounters, this match threatens to boil over.
Certainly Jean Kleyn believes this will be the case. The 30-yearold former Ireland lock, who is now in the Springbok squad, experienced that in matches between his Irish province Munster and Scottish sides.
“At club level, you look at teams like Munster and Glasgow there’s always been this underlying – I wouldn’t call it hatred – but there’s a little bit of knife in the back. It’s very much magnified at international level.”
Russell did his best to fan the flames, stirring up Peter O’Mahony, who has had his disciplinary problems in the past and on his 100th cap will be emotional.