For once, a match resembling a Six Nations Tournament is being played in the middle of October. Ireland and Scotland face each other at the Stade de France on Saturday October 7 in the final day of Group B of the Rugby World Cup. This is a disguised round of 16, since both nations have no room for error.
Scotland must win by a large margin. The data is simple: to get ahead of the Irish (second, with 14 points), the Scots (third, with 10 points) must win without leaving any defensive bonus to their opponents (by more than seven points difference, therefore ). A defeat, a draw or a too short victory would, however, eliminate the XV du Chardon.
Ireland clearly favorite. The challenge is immense for Scotland, against an arch favorite Ireland and recent victorious over South Africa (13-8). Finn Russell’s teammates remain on eight straight defeats against the XV du Trèfle. Worse, the last Scottish victory against Ireland by more than seven points dates back to… August 2007. But Scotland, the fifth nation in the world, is sure of its strengths and has the offensive assets to bring Ireland to its knees.
The Blues waiting. This match will determine the next opponent of the XV of France, Sunday October 15 in the quarter-final at the Stade de France (9 p.m.). In the event of an exploit, the Scots will finish second in this group and will find the Blues. If Ireland take at least one defensive bonus point, they will secure their first place… and relegate South Africa to second place. In this case, the Blues of Fabien Galthié, who hope to recover Dupont by then, would face in the quarter the terrible pack of the South Africans, reigning world champions.