In picking his side to face New Zealand, Scott Bemand has to balance the scales.
On one end, the Ireland head coach will be keen for his side to lay down a mark and make a statement ahead of their Rugby World Cup quarter-final against either France or South Africa.
On the other side, he will want to avoid the injury pitfalls, and the risk of rushing players back into action too soon. We'll find out his selections on Friday morning.
He took a gamble with his team selection to face Spain last week by making seven changes to the side that defeated Japan a week earlier, rotating several squad players in, while giving some of his first-team regulars a day off, or in some cases, a smaller workload off the bench.
The big question is whether or not Aoife Wafer (below) will play.
The back row was the undisputed player of the match when Ireland defeated the Black Ferns a year ago in Vancouver, but she’s yet to play since round four of the Six Nations after undergoing knee surgery in the summer.
As you would expect, Bemand and his fellow coaches have been coy around when she will return.
Earlier this week, scrum coach Denis Fogarty revealed that the 22-year-old had stepped up to contact training in the last week, and their plan would have been for her to take a full part in training today, which would be their big session of the week.
She’s "in contention" to play, according to Fogarty, and in an ideal world the powerful back row could get some minutes on the pitch this weekend in Brighton before being unleashed from the start in a quarter-final next week.
It would be a big risk, though.
Even in her short rugby career to date, Wafer has never been the kind of player who has needed to build her way into a campaign, and there would be few doubts around her ability to go straight into a quarter-final if fit.
If she is on the pitch, she’s going to be carrying a lot of ball, and having tormented the Black Ferns in Vancouver a year ago, you can expect there would be a target on her back every time she carries into contact.
Bemand (above) has never shied away from taking risks with his selections, but this would feel like an unnecessary one.
There are other knocks to consider.
Sam Monaghan departed last Sunday’s win against Spain after just over 20 minutes with a hip issue following a heavy tackle, although she isn't expected to be a major injury concern.
Any absence this weekend would likely just be an abundance of caution.
In the front row, the emergence of Ellena Perry has given real depth at loosehead, and the former England international made a real case to retain her starting spot last week.
Niamh O’Dowd was rested last week, but considering her best performance in an Ireland shirt came in last year’s win in Vancouver against the Black Ferns, she has credit in the bank to be restored to the starting team.
Neve Jones could return for Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald at hooker after they swapped roles last weekend, while the only certainty of the front row selection is that Linda Djougang will continue in the tighthead shirt after hitting 50 caps last weekend.
If Monaghan is fit, the co-captain would be expected to start along with Ruth Campbell, who should be fully refreshed after a short cameo last week.
Eimear Corri-Fallon appears to be next cab off the rank while Fiona Tuite is being used mainly in the back row.
So much of Ireland’s back row selections hinge on Wafer’s fitness.
If she isn’t risked, Tuite would likely retain her spot at blindside flanker, with Brittany Hogan and Grace Moore (above) contesting the number 8 jersey.
Edel McMahon sat out the win against Spain, having only returned from a knee injury for the tournament opener against Japan, but the co-captain appeared to take a full part in Sunday’s warm-up in Northampton, which bodes well for her availability this week.
After Ireland struggled to slow down the Spanish ruck at Frankin’s Gardens, going after the breakdown will be imperative to their chances this week.
At out-half, Dannah O’Brien has owned the 10 shirt for the last year, and the only thing preventing her from doing so again this week would be if Bemand decides to wrap her in cotton wool and give Nicole Fowley some minutes.
Scrum-half is becoming more and more difficult to predict every week, with Molly Scuffil-McCabe (below), Aoibheann Reilly and Emily Lane splitting time quite evenly this year.
While Lane has played all 13 games in the last year, nine have been off the bench, including the last six in a row.
Bemand has spoken about how he takes a horses for courses approach to his selections at nine, and described Scuffil-McCabe as "the strategist" of the trio last week.
Given her experiences playing against many of these Black Ferns players in New Zealand, she ticks plenty of boxes this week.
Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton appear to be the regular centre partnership, with Enya Breen’s versatility meaning she has had to be content with a place on the bench for the opening two games, but her kicking game does offer some temptation to get her on the pitch this week from the start.
At full-back, Stacey Flood will be expected to go again at full-back, with her Sevens team-mate Amee-Leigh Costigan likely to continue on the left wing.
On the right wing, the 14 shirt is up for grabs between Béibhinn Parsons and Anna McGann.
Parsons started both warm-up games against Scotland and Canada, as well as the tournament opener against Japan, scoring three tries in those games.
McGann, meanwhile, is also in lethal scoring form, with two tries last week in addition to the brace she scored against Canada.
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