So while Ireland can do France a favour today in beating Argentina and ensuring Bernard Laporte's side get a quarter-final in Paris, the World Cup hosts can help Eddie O'Sullivan's side out too. It wasn't until late this week that most people realised France would have to earn a four-try bonus point against Georgia if Ireland's goal of a four-try, eightpoint victory over Argentina was to be enough for quarter-final qualification. But despite Georgia's fine performances throughout the tournament, it shouldn't be something we have to worry about too much.

For one, the Eastern Europeans are likely to be wrecked after Wednesday's defeat of Namibia and on that same theme, they mightn't be all that bothered having already achieved the one victory they would have craved from the outset of the competition. Added to that, we have France's return to relative form. Laporte has mixed things around a little for today's game, with Lionel Beauxis starting at out-half, and Christophe Dominici and Aurelien Rougerie coming in on the wings and that kind of competition for places, and the attitude of Yannick Nyanga for one, should ensure there's absolutely no French complacency at Stade Velodrome.

"We will be approaching this with humility and respect, " says the French openside flanker. "We need to go into the game with determination and without making mistakes if we are to qualify. They are athletic, it is part of their culture. We know that the players are well prepared and many of them play in our championship. We have got to stay humble but ambitious because we have got everything it takes to achieve something interesting. They are a team which is constantly progressing and we need to approach the game in the right way. They have a very good number 10 and we will need to be careful."

In all, Georgia have made seven changes from the team that beat Namibia during the week and while they were competitive for 65 minutes against Argentina, and 80 minutes against Ireland, surely they'll tire around the 50-minute mark in this, their fourth game of the tournament. That's around the time when France should be looking to wrap up the bonus point, thus making Ireland's task a touch easier.

POOL A SOUTH AFRICA v USA Montpellier, 7.00 Live, Setanta Ireland The Springboks are already through to the quarter-finals but this final pool fixture offers a chance to put the disappointing display against Tonga behind them before they get down to real business. Accordingly, Jake White has picked something close to his first-choice side for the game against the US Eagles, with Bryan Habana, John Smit, Francois Steyn and Percy Montgomery all starting.

"The US game is not about making a statement, it's just getting more game time together as a group, " says Jake White.

"What we're going to try to do out of this fixture is to build on last week's game against Tonga and use this as a second warm-up game before the quarter-finals."

The US, meanwhile, have lost all of their games so far and no matter what way you look at it, you can't see them getting any kind of souvenir to show the folks at home from this particular encounter.