RUGBY: Eyes and thoughts have long since started wandering toward the quadrennial global feast in Australia, but for 80 minutes-plus at Murrayfield today Scotland host Ireland in an encounter that will be a test in every sense.
Defeat in the last preparatory match wouldn't be a disaster but it would be ill-timed.
Once again Ireland meet a side on the rebound from a disappointing defeat and hoping for a "backlash". The difference being that, at Murrayfield especially, Scotland's threat looks a good deal more real than Italy's last week.
Ireland ended a nine-match losing sequence in Edinburgh last February but haven't recorded back-to-back wins here since 1971, and as Eddie O'Sullivan said yesterday: "There's a good reason for that." One good reason has probably been a slightly self-delusional belief that Irish sides were better than their Scottish opponents, another the failure to legislate for some grey fox in the Scottish camp plotting mischief, not to mention the local high-tempo rucking game.
In other words, much the same script as today, and this is a Murrayfield farewell for the Ian McGeechan-Jim Telfer double act, the former replacing the latter as director of rugby in making way for Matt Williams after the World Cup.
O'Sullivan's hopes for this game are, he says, the same as the last two: "A good performance, individually and collectively. A victory. It would be good to win in Edinburgh if we can and I suppose more information for me to sit down and pick the squad on Saturday night."
Having trained in Boroughmuir yesterday in time-honoured tradition, O'Sullivan noted that the pitches were even harder here than back home. "It's probably ideal in terms of the rugby World Cup. Hopefully conditions will hold and we'll be playing in Australia-like conditions," he said.
He also noted that with both sides having had a couple of games behind them, it ought to be a higher-tempo, higher-octane game: "I'd like us to get into our stride earlier in the game and be a bit more clinical. Both sides have plenty of good ball carriers and the Scots will probably play their normal 100-mile-an-hour stuff. It should be a very good, open game of rugby."
Alas, on both counts, he and we could be disappointed. Rain is forecast, and McGeechan is far too canny not to have learned from previous beatings out wide. Ireland have scored 13 tries in winning three of the last four meetings, and 10 of them have been by the backs.
It's likely the Scots will try to keep the action closer in, launching Nathan Hines, Ross Beattie, Simon Taylor and co around the fringes - where Ireland's defence may be most tested - and Andrew Henderson up the middle.
However, the Scots' ability to do another number on Ireland up front and deny the pacier Irish backs any ball is greatly hindered by Simon Kerr's withdrawing yesterday with a shoulder injury and joining Tom Smith and Bruce Douglas on the sidelines.
Nor will Ireland's lineout bête noire at this venue, Scott Murray, be around to inflict damage, so despite Ireland's own scrum being unhinged by the absence of John Hayes and Emmet Byrne, the Irish pack should certainly give as good as they get. And whatever about the imbalance of the back row, where Eric Miller is tried at openside again, there's plenty of motivation and ball-carrying ability there.
It'll be tough for Ronan O'Gara to hit the ground running, but he looks fit and is surrounded by familiar sidekicks. History has taught Irish sides the dangers of taking anything for granted at Murrayfield, but with Brian O'Driscoll, Denis Hickie and Geordan Murphy all in tandem for the first time since the Six Nations, Ireland should have enough in their armoury to win this.
SCOTLAND: G Metcalfe (Glasgow Rugby); C Paterson (Edinburgh Rugby), A Craig (Orrell), A Henderson (Glasgow Rugby), K Logan (London Wasps); G Ross (Leeds Tykes), M Blair (Edinburgh Rugby); A Jacobsen (Edinburgh Rugby), G Bulloch (Glasgow Rugby, capt), G McIlwham (unattached), S Grimes (Newcastle Falcons), N Hines (Edinburgh Rugby), R Beattie (Gwent Dragons), S Taylor (Edinburgh Rugby), A Mower (Newcastle Falcons). Replacements: R Russell (Saracens), M Proudfoot (Glasgow Rugby), J Petrie (Glasgow Rugby), I Fullarton (Sale Sharks), G Beveridge (Glasgow Rugby), J McLaren (Aviron Bayonnais), S Webster (Edinburgh Rugby).
IRELAND: G Murphy (Leicester); A Horgan (Munster/Cork Constitution), B O'Driscoll (Leinster/Blackrock), K Maggs (Bath), D Hickie (Leinster/St Mary's); R O'Gara (Munster/Cork Con), P Stringer (Munster/Cork Con); M Horan (Munster/Shannon), K Wood (Munster, capt), R Corrigan (Leinster/Greystones), M O'Kelly (Leinster/St Mary's), P O'Connell (Munster/Young Munster), D Wallace (Munster/Garryowen), V Costello (Leinster/St Mary's), E Miller (Leinster/Terenure). Replacements: S Byrne (Leinster/Blackrock), S Best (Ulster/Belfast Harlequins), S Easterby (Llanelli), K Dawson (London Irish), G Easterby (Rotherham), D Humphreys (Ulster/Dungannon), G Dempsey (Leinster/Terenure).
Referee: N Whitehouse (Wales)
Scotland v Ireland, Murrayfield, 1.30, On TV: Network 2
