Ireland cannot afford to underestimate Scotland in pursuit of their ultimate dream of World Cup glory, writes Tommy Bowe.
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Yes, Saturday's match against Scotland may still be in the pool stages, but this is effectively knockout rugby. It's a massive game and Ireland can't afford to be caught on the hop. But Scotland deserve credit. They've done everything they could do to keep themselves in the hunt and set up a do-or-die showdown with Ireland.
Andy Farrell's main selection call for this match concerned the second row with Iain Henderson coming in for James Ryan. Henderson has been Ulster captain for four years. He has leadership qualities in abundance and Ireland will be looking to him to demonstrate his calmness under pressure on Saturday.The atmosphere for the South Africa game was absolutely immense and Saturday should be no different.Being in the Stade de France a fortnight ago reminded me of the second British and Irish Lions Test against South Africa in 2009 in Pretoria, which was among the most ferocious games I've ever been involved in.
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