Ireland v New Zealand
“New Zealand are a very dangerous beast. They have recovered from their opening-day defeat by France by scoring a total of 36 tries in their wins over Namibia, Uruguay and Italy and showing their free-flowing, intelligent rugby.
“But in a top-end Test match, against an Ireland side who have not put a foot wrong in the tournament, you need more. You need to be able to back up those moments of genius with relentless physicality and faultless consistency and I just don’t think the All Blacks have that gear in them.
“Ireland have a 16th man, with the fans at the Stade de France. They beat South Africa there a fortnight ago, they beat Scotland there on Saturday and they will play New Zealand there at the weekend. Paris has become a home from home with thousands of supporters in the stands and the streets. The team feed off the fans, the fans feed off the team and the connection feels really personal between the two.
“Ireland have been too good for too long and have too much momentum for the All Blacks.”
Dawson’s prediction – Ireland victory