Ireland face New Zealand in their final pool game at the Rugby World Cup.
When and where?
The game will be played on Sunday with a 2.45pm kick-off at Brighton & Hove Albion Stadium.
How can I watch?
The game will be shown live on RTÉ2. We’ll also have live updates in the run-up and throughout the game, as well as a full match report, reaction and analysis after the final whistle.
Ireland set up New Zealand showdownHave we team news?
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand will announce his team later in the week. We’ll update when the team has been confirmed.
Are tickets still available?
A last-minute trip over to Brighton may be tempting given the excitement around this game but unfortunately tickets have sold out.
Ireland will be expecting to be well-represented in the stands given the relatively short distance to home, as well as some very interested neutrals.
How have Ireland fared so far?
Ireland’s World Cup campaign thus far has been emphatic. After a 42-14 opening win against Japan in Northampton, the Green Wave rolled over Spain 43-27 to guarantee Ireland a quarter-final spot.
Amee-Leigh Costigan scores a try for Ireland against Japan. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
The only concern for Bemand and his charges is that the Black Ferns have shown themselves to be equally formidable, crushing Spain 54-8 in their first pool game before taking a 43-point win over Japan.
What’s at stake?
With both teams having already secured a place in the quarter-finals there’s no do-or-die element to Sunday’s game, but there’s still motivation on both sides to get the win (despite what former Black Fern-turned-pundit Ruby Tui may believe).
The winner on Sunday will take the top spot in Pool C, putting them in the first quarter-final (to be played Saturday week) against Pool D’s runner-up. The loser will take second in the pool, sending them to the third quarter-final (to be played Sunday week) against the winner of Pool D.
Linda Djougang celebrates Eve Higgins’ try against Spain. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
Should Ireland and New Zealand finish level on points after this weekend’s game, who tops Pool C would come down to scoring difference where the Black Ferns hold a +89 advantage to Ireland’s +44.
As for who they’ll face next, Pool D is in a similar situation, with the two already-qualified countries meeting this weekend. South Africa lead France by a point heading into their game on Sunday (kick-off 4.45pm, live coverage on the RTÉ Player), so the result there will also have a bearing on who Ireland and NZ will meet in their respective quarter-finals.
How have their past meetings gone?
Ireland last met New Zealand in the WXV1 tournament last September. The game in Vancouver ended in a magnificent 29-27 win for Scott Bemand’s side, Dannah O’Brien’s conversion after Erin King’s second try of the game sealing the win at the death.
The teams had met twice prior, Ireland taking a 17-14 win at the 2014 World Cup before New Zealand exacted their revenge with a 38-8 November Series win in Dublin in 2016.