THE MOST CONCERNING words to come out of France camp this week were delivered by centre Gaël Fickou, a big leader in the team and now their most-capped player ever in the Six Nations.
By way of explaining why les Bleus looked uncharacteristically sluggish during last weekend’s 29-24 win over Italy, Fickou stressed that they had gone hard in training before their opening clash against the Italians.
The French, he claimed, had today in Dublin [KO 2.15pm, RTÉ] in mind.
“We trained to hit our peak against Ireland,” said 28-year-old Fickou.
This is the big one for Fabien Galthié’s side. Reports from France say that they feel it’s something of an affront to hear so many people talk about Ireland as the number one team in the world. The French are the reigning Grand Slam champions and have won 14 games in a row, after all.
They have won their three most recent meetings against the Irish, meaning Andy Farrell has yet to taste victory against the French during his tenure. Farrell has taken down the All Blacks, Springboks, Wallabies, and others but France are the one team he hasn’t beaten.
This afternoon’s clash at the Aviva Stadium promises to be an epic between number one and number two in the world, whatever way you argue they should be ranked. There surely aren’t too many arguments against the suggestion that Ireland and France have been the two best teams in Test rugby over the last year. If France win or draw today, they officially move to number one in World Rugby’s rankings.
After flogging his squad with a heavy-duty fortnight of training in Capbreton – close to Bayonne on the southwest coast of France – ahead of the Italy game, Galthié opted to keep his squad in Rome for most of this week as they rested as much as possible with a six-day turnaround. The French boss hopes to see plenty of energy today.
Ireland have had an extra day to recover from their bonus-point win over Wales last weekend, but they have lost another starter with Dan Sheehan ruled out due to a hamstring injury. He joins Tadhg Furlong, Jamison Gibson-Park, Cian Healy, and Robbie Henshaw on the injury list.
That’s encouragement for France, of course, but they have absentees of their own. Jonathan Danty, Cameron Woki, Gabin Villiere, and Peato Mauvaka – crucial men in the Grand Slam success – are sidelined. French rugby’s depth is impressive but they are likely to be missed today.
So Ireland have their own reasons to be confident. They could point out that France’s unbeaten 2022 included bringing a second-string squad to Japan for a two-Test summer tour, rather than a series success against an All Blacks group fighting for their lives.
The French had an ideal run of three home games in the Six Nations last year, including the visits of Ireland and England, so this year is different.
This meeting between the sides is also different because Johnny Sexton is fit. He has missed Ireland’s defeats to the French in the last two years. It barely needs to be mentioned that he’s a game-changer for Ireland.
For most people, the bounce of a ball or the kicking of a penalty will decide this one. Even without a few first-choice players, Ireland are four-point favourites.
The French have opted for exactly the same starting XV as last weekend, although there are two changes on the bench as relentless Toulouse flanker François Cros and rapid Lyon scrum-half Baptiste Couilloud come into the 23.
The unchanged side means there are plenty of familiar threats for Ireland, with halfbacks Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack capable of game-breaking moments. Dupont’s freakish strength and balance mean he can create even when surrounded by defenders, while Ntamack’s more languid skillset includes the kind of cross-kicks we saw against Italy last weekend.
Thomas Ramos is at fullback again, preferred to the fit-again Melvyn Jaminet as Galthié looks for more of a playmaking influence from the number 15 shirt. Fickou is the defensive captain but he’s more than that, offering passing and short kicking ability too.
Whatever about the stardust in the backline, it’s this French pack that causes most concern. Behemoth pair Uini Atonio and Paul Willemse give the tighthead side of their scrum serious ballast, with Romain Taofifenua offering more of it as second row cover off the bench.
It’s a shame that we don’t get to see Sheehan opposite France hooker Julien Marchand, who has a strong claim as the best in the world in this position.
The French back row includes superb number eight Grégory Alldritt, a year older than Caelan Doris and similarly complete. He and Marchand are the two biggest jackal threats to Ireland’s hopes for quick ball in attack.
As for Ireland, the only change sees Rob Herring come in for the injured Sheehan. The Ulsterman is generally excellent at set-piece time and while he isn’t the same power athlete as Sheehan, he can smash people in the tackle. Rónan Kelleher returns to add more dynamism to the Irish bench.
Farrell will hope to see more of the ultra-clinical accuracy that Ireland showed in the opening 25 minutes against Wales. A fast start is key again given that Farrell’s men have trailed the French at half-time of their three most recent meetings.
With a thrilling atmosphere anticipated in Dublin today, it would be another big statement from Ireland to add France to their list of conquests.
Ireland:
- 15. Hugo Keenan
- 14. Mack Hansen
- 13. Garry Ringrose
- 12. Stuart McCloskey
- 11. James Lowe
- 10. Johnny Sexton (captain)
- 9. Conor Murray
- 1. Andrew Porter
- 2. Rob Herring
- 3. Finlay Bealham
- 4. Tadhg Beirne
- 5. James Ryan
- 6. Peter O’Mahony
- 7. Josh van der Flier
- 8. Caelan Doris
Replacements:
- 16. Rónan Kelleher
- 17. Dave Kilcoyne
- 18. Tom O’Toole
- 19. Iain Henderson
- 20. Jack Conan
- 21. Craig Casey
- 22. Ross Byrne
- 23. Bundee Aki
France:
- 15. Thomas Ramos
- 14. Damian Penaud
- 13. Gael Fickou
- 12. Yoram Moefana
- 11. Ethan Dumortier
- 10. Romain Ntamack
- 9. Antonie Dupont (captain)
- 1. Cyril Baille
- 2. Julien Marchand
- 3. Uini Atonio
- 4. Thibaud Flament
- 5. Paul Willemse
- 6. Anthony Jelonch
- 7. Charles Ollivon
- 8. Gregory Aldritt
Replacements:
- 16. Gaetan Barlot
- 17. Reda Wardi
- 18. Sipili Falatea
- 19. Romain Taofifenua
- 20. Francois Cros
- 21. Sekou Macalou
- 22. Baptiste Couilloud
- 23. Mathieu Jalibert
Referee: Wayne Barnes [RFU].
- This article was updated at 7.54am to correct an error in Ireland’s team sheet, with Craig having been listed twice.
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I cant wait !
Tough one to call.
Ireland need to move this big French pack all over the field and tire them out.
Limit the tight exchanges as much as possible.
Murray and van Der Flier will target DuPont and try to limit his influence.
With a good start Ireland can get the job done.
Will be a close one.
First time in the six nations that the worlds #1 will be playing #2. …. cannot wait..
0 more sleeps
This is going to be a cracker of a match!!
The French have a long proud rugby tradition and I think it stings to be ranked 2nd to Ireland , given recent winning streak is longer than ours – they also build on confidence as a game progresses and the firmer the foothold the more self belief they gain – vital we match their initial onslaught with our own but I think our measured and systemic style might edge the battle if we keep our heads – either way it’s a beauty to look forward to
Hopefully this lives up to billing.
If its anything like the South African game I will be calling in sick Monday.
Nil all.
Craig Casey listed twice?
@Robert Duffy: So good they named him twice ;)
And the worst ref,