Rugby World Cup: Finn Russell tells Scotland to play with swagger as he anticipates Irish verbals and tricks

Finn Russell has called on Scotland to rediscover their swagger and embrace the occasion when they take on Ireland in the Rugby World Cup Pool B decider on Saturday.

The stand-off thinks it could be feisty in Paris with so much on the line and expects verbals from rival 10 Johnny Sexton and "handbags" from Irish forward Peter O'Mahony as both sides seek an edge.

Scotland need to win and deny Ireland a bonus point to pip them for a place in the quarter-finals and Russell has warned his team not fixate on opponents they haven't beaten since 2017. The fly-half felt he was "overfocused" for Scotland's World Cup opener which they lost to South Africa and feels he and the team would benefit from a more relaxed approach against Ireland.

"I wouldn’t say I get nervous," said Russell. "I know the enormity of the game and know there is more pressure and more on the line, but that just makes me think I’ve got to have everything right. Against South Africa I went the other way and was probably over-focused. I’m trying to find a balance this week, but I wouldn’t say that’s nerves. I’ll be pretty relaxed going into the game. We’ve got to be clear in our roles and what we have to achieve. We’ve done all the work, it’s just about going out there, enjoying yourself and executing.

Scotland talisman Finn Russell is excited by the prospect of taking on Ireland in Paris.

"It’s a massive occasion, the chance to show how good we can be as a team and as players. It’s the biggest stage in the world, so having a bit of swagger can be a good thing."

Scotland, who have bounced back with wins over Tonga and Romania, found themselves smothered by South Africa in the 18-3 defeat in Marseille last month. The speed of the Springboks defence limited Scotland's attacking opportunities and Russell feels he may have been guilty of overthinking it.

"I thought a lot about their blitz defence and what was going to come," he said. "I was almost looking more at their defence than what we could do in attack. This week it’s more about focusing on us, what we can do to put them under pressure and score points.

"Of course we will look at the Irish defence and attack but I’ll be more chatting to the boys outside me about what we are going to do, instead of thinking of what their defence will do to us. It’s about going after them, taking them on and having the confidence to do that."

Scotland turned on the afterburners against Romania, recording an 84-0 success.

The South Africa match marked the first time in almost three years that Scotland had failed to score a try. They rediscovered their mojo in the next two Pool B games, albeit against lesser opposition, scoring seven tries in the 45-17 win over Tonga and 12 in the 84-0 thrashing of Romania. Playing against Ireland, the No 1 ranked team in the world, is a huge step up in class and Russell expects them to use everything in their power to gain an advantage. He will be up against Sexton but thinks it would be a mistake to dwell too much on the veteran fly-half.