David Humphreys: Ireland v Scotland Talking Points

Former Ulster and Ireland out-half David Humphreys looks ahead to Ireland's final Rugby World Cup Pool game against Scotland in Paris.

Aside from a couple of early logistical issues, the weather, the crowds of travelling fans, the incredible atmosphere at every stadium and the quality of the rugby, has made this World Cup in France an unforgettable experience for everyone following the competition.

Too often, in the past, the pool stages have been completely one-sided, without any meaningful games until the knock-out stages, whereas the lopsided nature of the draw for this tournament has already entertained us with matches like France v New Zealand, Fiji v Australia, Ireland v South Africa and now Ireland v Scotland.

Ireland, unbeaten in 16 games and with eight consecutive wins against Scotland go into the game as very strong favourites, although an even more impressive stat, if social media is to be believed, is that Jonny Sexton hasn't lost to a Scottish team in the last 12 years!

There’s no question that Gregor Townsend’s side have the star quality to compete with any team, but Ireland have been building nicely over the last few weeks, have avoided injuries to any key players and if they impose their well-defined, high-intensity style of play from the start, they’ll win the game well.

Rugby has never been about individual head to heads, but this weekend throws together two world class 10s with very contrasting qualities and styles of play.

Finn Russell and Johnny Sexton are the heartbeat of their respective teams; they have had stellar careers, but their experiences with Racing 92 in France are an easy way to highlight their different mindsets and approaches to rugby.

Johnny didn’t enjoy his rugby in France where the lack