Ciara Griffin: Set-piece battles and playmaker duels define World Cup quarter-finals

Ireland cannot simply play reactively in Sunday's World Cup quarter-final. They must impose their own rhythm and find opportunities to stretch a French defence that, while robust, can be unpicked with width and pace

ALL A BLUR: France's scrum half Pauline Bourdon Sansus leaves thre South African cover for dead in their Women's Rugby World Cup pool D clash at Franklin's Gardens. Pic: Adrian Dennis/AFP/via Getty Images

Alongside England’s Red Roses, New Zealand and Canada remain the pair best equipped for women's Rugby World Cup glory and both will look to underline their credentials with commanding quarter-final displays against South Africa and Australia respectively.

For South Africa, the fairy-tale run appears destined to collide with reality against the Black Ferns, who dismantled Ireland last Sunday with a ruthless mix of precision and power. New Zealand’s superiority in contact was stark, consistently winning the gain-line and suffocating Irish momentum on both sides of the ball. The Springboks may carry their trademark power, but sustaining it across 80 minutes against the relentless tempo and ferocity of New Zealand looks an impossible task. This quarter-final has the air of a mismatch – and the perfect stage for the Black Ferns to make another emphatic title statement.