Ronan O'Gara: Come Sunday, Ireland move into World Cup knockout mode

As good as Ireland's phase game is, no-one will want to play France in the World Cup quarter-finals - and that means seeing off Tonga and South Africa on successive, and sore, weekends. 

MINUTE MANAGEMENT: Johnny Sexton starts against the Tongans, but how long will Ireland keep him active? 

TRAVELLING to Paris last Saturday for Australia and Georgia, where my friend and colleague was captaining the Wallabies, was a joyful experience. A couple of beers on the civvie side of the street was a welcome step outside the bubble. Eddie Jones and the Wallabies will take down a big dog at this World Cup, mark my words. They have the firepower. They have a weapon at 3 in Taniela Tupou, Will Skelton at 5, some good talent in the back row, they’ve found a goal kicker and some of their backs are brilliant.

They play Fiji on Sunday in St Etienne and it’s one to watch. Tupou is some weapon and will be a big miss if a hamstring strain sidelines him, as reported. I was so destroyed after Saturday’s day out that by the time it came to Wales and Fiji Sunday night, the one-sided early exchanges sent me up the stairs early.