Ireland must focus on job first, permutations later

The Rugby World Cup quarter-finalists will be decided this weekend after the last round of pool games.

Ireland will take on Scotland in what was commonly known as the 'group of death' in Pool B.

The permutations involved with the three top teams all fighting for first and second place, along with avoiding being dumped out of the competition altogether confirms just how difficult this pool was.

Ireland have nearly achieved the maximum points on offer so far, and when you reflect on how big a challenge it was to get the win against South Africa, you could consider their tally to be the realistic maximum.

A bonus-point win again Tonga and Romania, setting themselves up with the most advantageous points difference and a win against the Springboks is as much as anyone would ask for.

And yet, there’s a chance that Ireland won't even go through if they don’t look after their business on Saturday evening.

All the talk is about whether Andy Farrell’s side would be best suited to play against France or New Zealand in the quarter-final, and both history and the stats against Scotland would allow you to get carried away with that style of thinking.

However, the Dark Blues are a very good side, dangerous in many areas of their game and funnily enough, they aren’t any bit afraid of what the Six Nations champions bring to the table.

The Scottish expectation is optimistically high based on their ability, but not really based on the evidence of past performances against Ireland.

They have rocked most teams in fits and starts, but getting the all-important win against teams ranked higher than them is almost the same as Ireland’s quarter-final fate of the past.

Scotland haven’t done it when it mattered most, but that time is approaching and