KEY POINTS:
Ireland sought divine inspiration in their improbable task to save their World Cup but instead found a more human source of motivation.
While Eddie O'Sullivan's men try to conjure up a miracle by beating Argentina, scoring four tries while not allowing Los Pumas a bonus point tomorrow, squad member Simon Best will be back in Belfast recuperating after falling ill on Thursday (NZT).
With his brother Rory on the bench, the Irish do not have to look far for a reason to turn what has been a disastrous campaign around.
On the other side of the ball, Argentina have only to guard against complacency. Since upsetting France on opening night - and it was an upset despite what many after-the-fact pundits have since said - things have sailed on smoothly for the good ship Argentina. They have taken maximum points off Georgia and Namibia without conceding a try all tournament, so only the bravest punter would back a clueless Ireland to dramatically buck the trend.
Their paths to this Parc des Princes showdown couldn't be a greater study in contrast.
Argentina, guided by the understated Marcelo Loffreda, have displayed a calm assurance not always associated with teams of Latin temperament.
Always at his side is captain Agustin Pichot, a good halfback but an even better leader.
Their goals are simple and understated, as second five-eighth Felipe Contepomi demonstrated in the lead-up to the match.
"The first thing for us is playing as we always do and try to keep possession of the ball," Contepomi said. "The less they have the ball, the fewer tries they can score. I expect our defence to work as it did until now, being the only unbeaten team in the pool."
Then there's Ireland and O'Sullivan. Always the front man, O'Sullivan has struggled to convince his public through either their bizarre preparation (remember the bloodbath versus Biarritz?) or selection, that he knows how to get the best out of his squad.
This, more than any other week, would seem the perfect time to throw the team over to captain Brian O'Driscoll and forwards leader Paul O'Connell and let them figure a way out of the excreta. O'Sullivan, by all accounts, is not a man to let go of power easily, however.
There have been rumours hovering over the Irish camp from the time they touched down in Bordeaux, some of them no doubt apocryphal, that this has been an unhappy camp.
First five-eighth Ronan O'Gara had to defend himself over allegations he had huge gambling debts and had been thrown out of home, while fullback Geordan Murphy, restored for this match, was forced to deny he had nearly walked out of camp.
Anybody who had seen their team filter through the bowels of Stade de France following their 3-25 defeat to France would have seen that this was a team not just feeling the pain of a heavy loss, but a side beaten down to the point of being broken.
"We need a miracle," Paul O'Connell, the supposed epitome of a Celtic warrior, lamented.
Some things, however, can't be legislated for.
Casting an almighty shadow over Ireland's preparations has been the sudden and shocking illness to Best. The 29-year-old Belfast prop was a passenger in a car driven by Ulster teammate Paddy Wallace when he complained of a loss of feeling down the right side of his body, a headache, and difficulty speaking.
He was rushed to hospital in Bordeaux where he underwent a series of tests and scans that have revealed the problem was not neurological as first feared but probably heart related - the lesser of two evils.
In a poignant twist, Best's brother Rory, a prop, has been called on to the bench for Ireland's do-or-go-home effort.
"We did consider his brother Simon's condition when making that decision," O'Sullivan said. "But Rory is an incredibly mentally tough individual and was adamant he wanted to be considered for selection. We have no doubts he will be ready if called upon."
Ireland will need more than Best, however, they'll need the incarnation of Cuchaillan.
