It’s a curious thing that while Ireland currently sit second in Pool B of the Rugby World Cup ahead of Saturday night’s last match, they almost definitely won’t finish there.

As things stand, Ireland have 14 points from their three matches to date, one behind South Africa, who wrapped up with a straightforward victory over Tonga last weekend. Any result other than a defeat without a bonus point would see Andy Farrell’s team reclaim top spot – if they were to finish level on 15 with South Africa, they would have a head-to-head advantage over them.

However, if the unlikely – but not unthinkable – outcome of a Scotland win and no bonus point for Ireland were to materialise, then the countries would be tied on 14 and Scotland would progress thanks to bettering Ireland on the head-to-head. We would be eliminated, as horrific a prospect as that might seem.

There is one, highly remote, possibility where Ireland finish second. It would need a defeat of 21 points or more, but still scoring four tries for a bonus point; such a scenario would see Scotland finish top with Ireland runners-up and South Africa third. Naturally, the conspiracy theorists – and others, from whom you’d be expecting more sense – reckon Ireland are Machiavellian enough to bring about that eventuality.

Of course, Scotland won’t be easy to beat: they finished third in Six Nations Championship this year and are currently ranked fifth in the world.

Scotland

Equally, though, the trip to Murray in the second-last round of the Six Nations in March was seen as a chance for Scotland to halt Ireland’s gallop and, though the hosts scored an early try, it was the extent of their scoring output as Ireland won 22-7. It was Ireland’s eighth straight win over the Scots and it was achieved with Josh van der Flier throwing lineouts for half the game.

Facing tests like these and coming through them have become commonplace for Ireland during Farrell’s tenure.

While the fatalistic among us – and it is a condition that the sports fan is never reluctant to embrace – fear disaster and an early exit, any rational analysis has to expect that Ireland will back up all that we have seen over the past few years.

Fear

There is a fear in some quarters that Bundee Aki’s comments after the South Africa win, that the countries might meet each other again, might serve as motivational fodder for Scotland but in modern professional sport it takes more than a chip on the shoulder to win a big game.

Ireland have been building for moments like Saturday, and the likelihood is that they will once again deliver when required to.

If they do that, there will be an exceedingly tough quarter-final against France or New Zealand to look forward to – assuming that Italy don’t cause the mother of all upsets against the hosts on Friday night – but there will time enough to look forward to that.

Essentially, Saturday can be treated like the knockout stages beginning a week early and Ireland are ready.

The permutations are many and varied but, ultimately, they are just something to fill column inches. A win for Ireland would make things very simple.

Every so often, a GAA person will lament the state of affairs pertaining to them. If it’s at club level, the ire will be directed at the county board; if they’re involved with a county team, there is likely to be an arrow pointed to the people “above in Croke Park”.

It’s probably unfair to paint it as a uniquely GAA stance – it’s the human condition to feel put-upon by those in charge. However, when it all boils down to it, the GAA is as democratic an organisation as you’ll come across; there are times when it feels as if it’s a bit too democratic.

A motion proposed at club level goes forward to county convention. If it’s successful there, it’s put on the clár for the annual Congress. Reach the threshold there and it becomes law. From the back room of the parish hall to Croke Park.

While ‘the GAA’ can be painted as the decision-makers at headquarters, it is and always has been its units that direct policy. And so it was that last weekend’s special Congress decided that the All-Ireland hurling preliminary quarter-finals will remain on the schedule.

Since 2018 (and with the exception of the COVID-19-impacted 2020 and 2021 seasons), the sides finishing third in the Leinster and Munster championships must face off against the winners and runners-up in the second-tier Joe McDonagh Cup.

Only once – Laois’s victory over Dublin in 2019 – has the accepted order been upset, but there remains overwhelming support among the McDonagh counties for the link to remain.

While Tipperary or Cork or Dublin or whoever are likely to come away from Carlow or Antrim or Kerry with victory, these fixtures are felt to provide unique promotion of hurling and that’s something that should not be knocked.

The status quo remaining does mean that there still exists an anomaly – as only the McDonagh champions earn promotion for the following year.

The runners-up there could manage to go all the way to All-Ireland victory but still be outside the Liam MacCarthy Cup for the next campaign but it’s not like to be a problem in reality.

Post-Pauw success for Ireland

Given the controversy surrounding Vera Pauw’s exit, there was pressure on the Republic of Ireland women’s team in their UEFA Nations League games against Northern Ireland and Hungary last week, but respective 3-0 and 4-0 wins served as a strong response.

Bigger tests await, naturally, but the performances showed a professionalism and ability to block out the external noise.

Kudos to Aldi, by the way: they’ve just launched a recruitment campaign and Pauw’s image features. Never miss an opportunity.