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Hooker Dan Sheehan admits it would be \u201cstupid\u201d of Ireland\u2019s players to be unfamiliar with complex permutations which could extinguish their Rugby World Cup dream.<\/p>\n
Andy Farrell\u2019s men will top Pool B and qualify for the quarter-finals by avoiding defeat in Saturday evening\u2019s crucial Paris clash with Scotland.<\/p>\n
Ireland could even progress to the last eight with a loss but that would be dependent on the Scots\u2019 margin of victory and bonus points gained.<\/p>\n
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Sheehan is eager to avoid \u201cover-hyping\u201d a pivotal Stade de France showdown which will also determine the fate of reigning champions South Africa.<\/p>\n
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While the 25-year-old hopes to emphatically banish any prospect of elimination by helping his country register a 17th consecutive success, he insists Ireland\u2019s squad are au fait with all possible scenarios.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all aware of the different little permutations, but our job is to go out and win a game,\u201d said Sheehan.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m sure there\u2019ll be scenarios throughout that, if we find ourselves in a situation, we\u2019ll know what to do, and it would be stupid of us not to know it going into a match.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course everyone is fully aware of what we need to do at what time and depending on what the scoreline is.\u201d<\/p>\n
South Africa top arguably the competition\u2019s toughest pool with 15 points from their four games, with Ireland and Scotland on 14 and 10 respectively ahead of what could be a tense encounter in the French capital.<\/p>\n
Tournament regulations state teams level on the same number of points at the end of the group stage will be separated by their head-to-head result in the first instance.<\/p>\n
However, in the event of a three-way tie, the nation with the best overall points difference will top the pool, with head-to-head then used to rank the other two.<\/p>\n
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\u201cObviously there is a lot on the line, especially this week,\u201d said Sheehan.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut I think we probably stick to the same procedures in regards to preparation.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think you can be in danger of over-hyping a game or getting too feared up about an occasion, so realistically it\u2019s pretty similar to a Test match, but obviously everyone knows that there is a lot on the line.\u201d<\/p>\n
The weight of expectation is firmly on in-form Ireland, with comments from Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus and head coach Jacques Nienaber ramping up the pressure.<\/p>\n
Sheehan is uninterested in the outside noise and pays no attention to press coverage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t read or contribute to any sports media really,\u201d he told reporters.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just like that as a kid, I wasn\u2019t really interested in\u2026 in your job, really.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just another Test week for me and I sort of focus very much on what\u2019s going on in the camp and what people tell me within the camp.\u201d<\/p>\n
I feel in a great place, probably the fittest and the best condition I have been in a long time.<\/p>\n
Leinster man Sheehan is pushing for a full World Cup debut this weekend.<\/p>\n
He returned from a foot injury as a replacement in Ireland\u2019s 13-8 win over South Africa on September 23 following a layoff which also allowed him to rehabilitate shoulder and hip niggles .<\/p>\n
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\u201cI feel in a great place, probably the fittest and the best condition I have been in a long time,\u201d said Sheehan.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was nice to have that rehab window, where you can focus on other things as well. The body is in great shape.\u201d<\/p>\n