Assistant coach Mike Catt says Ireland won't get bogged down in permutations, with winning the only outcome they're aiming towards in this Saturday's final Pool B game against Scotland [live on RTÉ Radio 1 with a live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app].
Ireland know a win or a draw would be enough for them to advance to the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup as pool winners, while there are also scenarios in which they could qualify with a losing bonus-point.
And while the Ireland attack coach said they will be up to speed on the the mathematics involved in the game, he stressed it's not something they will be putting too much weight on.
"Me personally? No. I'm just focusing on our performance and the preparation of the players," Catt said.
"But as a group of coaches, Andy [Farrell] is fully aware of what's going and what needs to happen. Ultimately, both teams need to win the game. If you do that then you put yourself in a good position. That's what we will try and achieve."
Among the many permutations, there is one extremely specific and unlikely scenario in which both Ireland and Scotland could advance at the expense of South Africa, which would require Scotland to beat Ireland by more 21 points or more, with both sides scoring at least four tries.
Catt laughed off any potential conspiracy theories.
"That stuff is just white noise in the background. No, we're not going to go in cahoots with Scotland.
"Firstly I'd ask you, would we want Scotland to beat us by 21 points? If you asked any player in this room, any of us would they want Scotland to beat you by 21 points? No, sorry," he scoffed.
The squad continue to report a clean bill of health with all 33 members of the group taking a full part in training.
James Ryan sported strapping on his hand and wrist at this morning's session in Tours, with Catt confirming he got a "knock" to his hand in the win against South Africa, but there's no question over his availability for this weekend.
Ireland have racked up more scores than any of their Pool B rivals, including South Africa who have played a game more, but attack coach Mike Catt believes further improvement can be eked out. #RWC2023 pic.twitter.com/CvE6WDJcwq
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) October 3, 2023
With three wins from three, and buoyed by a victory against the Springboks, the pressure and expectation is very much on Ireland this week, with South Africa's Rassie Erasmus and New Zealand's Ian Foster shifting the focus onto the world number one side following their own wins in recent days.
But Catt says they're perfectly comfortable dealing with it.
"Very much so, and I think that's where the trip to New Zealand last year put ourselves in those situations, the Six Nations and winning the Grand Slam on the back of that with England and Scotland, those games.
"So, we're well aware and we understand what needs to be done, and again if we put in a performance defensively and in attack, then there’s a chance that things will go our way but it’s going to be a proper Test match, and that’s why we play the game.
"It's understanding, they understand what needs to be done in the heat of battle and how calm they are when they do it.
"Everybody's stepped up, your Caelan Dorises, your Hugo Keenans have stepped up with leadership roles on the pitch and there's a lot of trust between the players on the pitch.
"Ultimately, that's what they need to be successful."
Ireland have won eight games in a row against Saturday's opposition and 12 of the last 13 meetings between the sides.
But the England World Cup winner says Ireland don't necessarily take any extra confidence from that record.
"It’s not about being eight [in a row], it’s the next game, that they’re pulling on an Irish shirt and looking to put in a performance that the nation is going to be proud of and we are going to be proud of too, and I think if we can do that then there’s a good chance that the game might go our way.
"So, history is history. It doesn’t come into it at all, from our point of view. We’ve prepared well for this game, we’ve had a weekend off on the back of that South Africa game and we need to chase our potential.
"We need to make sure we go up another level to what we were against South Africa."
Ireland were 22-7 winners when the pair met in the Six Nations in March, but found themselves under huge pressure in the opening half when the Scots created a number of gilt-edged opportunities which they failed to convert.
Catt added that while those on the outside will put a spotlight on Scotland's Finn Russell as the main man, the Bath out-half isn't the only dangerous weapon in their side.
"He's one of those guys that you can look too deeply into sometimes. He's going to pull magic out of the hat every game that he plays, so it's just making sure that we stay connected, we understand what he's capable of doing.
"But it's not just him. You've got Darcy Graham and those guys, and they've got threats everywhere, [Blair] Kinghorn's a fantastic player at 15 as well so it's making sure that you understand the whole package, it's not just Finn.
"Finn might orchestrate it all but they have some dangerous runners around him that help him out."
Listen to the RTÉ Rugby podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.
Listen to live commentary of Ireland v Scotland on Saturday on RTÉ Radio 1, or follow a live blog on RTÉ.ie and the RTÉ News app.
