IRE team announcement (v SCO): head coach Farrell, Sexton, Henderson

Comments from Ireland head coach Andy Farrell, captain Johnny Sexton and second-row Iain Henderson after the announcement of their team to play Scotland in their final Pool B match at Stade de France on Saturday, 7 October.

Andy Farrell, head coach

On whether second-row James Ryan, who has dropped to the bench, is fit:

"James is fit. He had a bit of niggle on his wrist but he has trained the house down, the best I have seen him train in a good amount of years yesterday. He nearly took Johnny's [Sexton] head off three or four times so he is fit and raring to go."

On Peter O’Mahony winning his 100th Ireland cap:

"We could sit here all day and talk about what he brings and means to us all, what type of bloke he is, the family man he is. He’s selfless. You guys see his performances on the pitch and what it means for him to play for Ireland but behind the scenes, he is definitely, 100 per cent, the best I have ever seen at making the dressing room feel right.

"It is him being himself because he’s genuine. There’s no better man you’d want sat alongside you than Peter O’Mahony. He’s a selfless player who gives everything to his team-mates and backs that up with consistent performances week in, week out."

On having families with them in France:

"It’s the right thing to do. If the families are looked after, and they realise that’s going on, it makes these lads’ lives a lot easier. It feels like we’re one big family and that’s how it should be."

On the permutations of Saturday’s game:

"We want to win. It’s a massive game, so important to us and obviously to the travelling fans and the people back home. Fortunately we have Iain Henderson who is good at maths so we're across everything as far as that's concerned. But the easiest thing is to make sure we perform well and deserve to win the game outright."

On Robbie Henshaw’s fitness and whether they may need to call up a replacement:

"He pulled up with a hamstring issue at the end of the session on Tuesday. They want to see how things settle down and it probably takes about five days for that to happen with an issue like his, but it looks like it could be a minimum of a couple of weeks at this stage. We will assess him as we go, he will be rehabbing and then we'll see how this weekend goes with other injuries [before we decide on a replacement]."

On Stuart McCloskey, who comes into the 23 on the bench:

"He’s been excellent, as has everyone else who has not had as much game time as they might wish for. His attitude has been top drawer. The message all along has been they have got to be ready and have the attitude to prove that day in, day out, and Stu is certainly one of those who has."

Johnny Sexton, captain

On Peter O’Mahony:

"Peter has been a great friend of mine over the last 10, 11, 12 years, whatever it's been. He’s a consistent big-game player. He’s very different to some of the other leaders. You don’t get to see the real Peter O’Mahony, he gives very little away in public. But he’s the life and soul of the group behind closed doors. It’s a privilege to play with him."

On how he is physically:

"Good. The South Africa game was definitely the most physical since my return. It was tough but the week off came at a good time. We had a few days to chill out and unwind before we started building up again for this massive game."

On playing opposite Finn Russell:

"Like I have said any other time I’m asked about the opposition fly-half, it’s never us against each other, it’s our teams and you rely so much on guys around you. You tackle each other very rarely anyway. We are both in charge of our teams and he is an outstanding player. He has got a full bag of tricks and we have to prepare for that."

On what atmosphere to expect at the Stade de France:

"It was a very special atmosphere and occasion against South Africa and we enjoyed the night and the celebrations. We know there are lots of Irish fans coming again, and I believe a lot of Scotland fans are travelling as well, so it should be a tremendous occasion."

Iain Henderson, second-row

On returning to the starting line-up and getting the nod for such a big game:

"It’s been a good week, an exciting week, a big one to be involved in at this crunch time of the tournament so I am delighted. But we have been working hard together for the entire tournament and helped each other out as much as possible, we’ve all pitched in with preparing the team. It’s a huge privilege and honour for me to start as always and I’m looking forward to the challenge."

On Stuart McCloskey:

"He’s been brilliant, him and Jimmy [O’Brien, wing], to be fair to them, they’ve both been in great form. For the entire environment, it’s much better than anyone could have imagined. They’ve been really good for us in preparations, bringing it to the table for the rest of the team."

On the lineout:

"There have been a handful of times over the past number of months where the lineout hasn’t gone well. We were there pre-game trying to come up with a plan and again at half-time and then reviewing it afterwards. Scotland have a good lineout defence, we know it’s a big area they will look to target. But we have a plan and we have confidence in that."

On how they figured out the lineout issues against South Africa:

"The first three or four lineouts didn’t go the way we wanted. That was partly our fault and partly a smart plan by South Africa. But James [Ryan] came back in [to the changing room at half-time], showed a cool head, and after that we had a really good lineout performance. When things are not going well, you need to go back and rely on the work you have done. Tadhg Beirne is also a fantastic lineout option as well and sees a lot of pictures."

On whether their recent dominance over Scotland helps for this game:

"They have definitely pushed us close a couple of times over the last number of games. We can’t deny the results but we’ve seen the way they can attack and threats they have across the backline and the carrying threats in the pack. They’ve come out and said they have full belief, and we are definitely wary of their threats.

"It’s a crunch game for them as well as us, and I would expect to see a different Scotland to what we have come up against in the last four years. We have seen how good Scottish teams can be at provincial level and if they can transfer that on the weekend, we know they can do damage. But on the flip side, we need to look after our own game and if we do that, we have confidence in what we are doing."

On whether he has always had a leader’s mindset:

"It’s something I’ve always liked to think I’ve believed but in the last few years, I’ve had the opportunity to live it. The environment Faz [head coach Andy Farrell] has created has made sure people can be helpful. Everyone is all genuinely pulling towards the same goal, whether I’m starting or on the bench. That’s genuinely the way it feels and having that mentality makes you feel lot more comfortable in what you’re trying to do."

On whether he’s worked out all the permutations:

"I wouldn’t say I have a particular aptitude for it. Obviously we talk about different scenarios and what might need to be done. We are used to it in competitions like towards the end of the Six Nations, it’s not alien to us.

"We know there are a handful of permutations but for those of us playing, trying to get through our defensive or attacking shapes, the last thing the coaches want is for us to be looking at scoreboards. I’m sure the coaches will be on top of that and getting messages to us that we need to hear."