FRANCE HEAD COACH Philippe Saint-André isn’t buying into the negativity around his team on home soil, stating his confidence that les Blues can win in Dublin against Joe Schmidt’s Ireland on Saturday.
Saint-André acknowledges that Ireland are an excellent team, and admits that returning men like Johnny Sexton and Jamie Heaslip add to that quality, but has underlined that his own side travel with belief.
Reaction on the ground to France’s 15-8 victory over Scotland last weekend has been gloomy, with the majority of the French media and supporters viewing the stuttering performance as a portent of further ills to come.
Furthermore, Saint-André has yet to record a victory over Ireland in his time as coach of les Blues, although he has seen his France team draw twice [2012 and 2013], as well as losing by just two points last year in Paris.
The combined effect is that the French rugby fraternity is preparing itself for another defeat under Saint-André this weekend, but the former Toulon and Gloucester boss remains defiant.
In the last three matches, there have been two draws and one defeat by only two points,” said Saint-André at a press conference in Paris yesterday. “We can see the gap is not as huge as people might tell us and we’re preparing to be competitors in this match.
“Ireland have strung together eight wins in a row and are the third-ranked nation in the world [fourth after last weekend] but we’re going there to play and we believe in ourselves.
“We respect all teams, but we fear nobody. We’re going there [to Dublin] with ambition. We know we’ll have to be disciplined, good in contact, ferocious in the collisions, strong in the tackle and that we’ll have to move [around the pitch] well.
“We’re ready for this match and we’re going there to win.”
Saint-André indicated that the opening 20 minutes of the fixture are of paramount importance to France’s chances of success, while pointing to the fact that Ireland will not give up the penalty-scoring chances Scotland did last weekend.
It took five place kicks from man of the match Camille Lopez to secure victory in Stade de France last time out, but Saint-André says les Blues won’t be able to rely as heavily on the same source at the Aviva Stadium.
“Ireland are very disciplined and they concede only eight penalties per game. I believe Ireland are a team with real confidence, we saw how they scored 14 points in two minutes against the Italians. They’re effective and disciplined.”
The returning Jamie Heaslip and Johnny Sexton will give Ireland an even more effective edge than they had against Italy, although Saint-André did indicate that the Racing Métro man may be somewhat rusty after his long spell on the sidelines.
They’re players of a very high level, they’re key Irish players,” said Saint-André. “I believe Johnny Sexton hasn’t played for 12 weeks so we must test him.”
Finally, the France head coach revealed that his decision to included Vincent Debaty on the bench for this fixture was down to the Clermont man’s success against Marty Moore during the closing stages of last year’s clash with Ireland in Paris.
“Because of the strong play against Ireland, the strong play at tighthead last season. It’s true that Vincent had him in big, big difficulty in the last 20 minutes. [We want] to have a strong scrum, to win penalties at the end of the match.”
I wonder how it’ll go down when he’s celebrating with his Tricolour when they win Division 2, no doubt it’ll be accompanied by a rendition of the Famine Song
It’s fairly simple lads! As a southern Irish catholic u will be HATED by rangers! There is a savage hatred there! I would play for 3,000 easily somewhere else
I know, I support Celtic
How the hell could you play for them
It’s a job and he is out of contract.
If u were a true Irishman u wouldn’t go near them
Macca, you saying you have never worked for a British company? or bought British products which fund the British economy??? Drop that sh*te about being a “true Irishman” its a job and hes getting to do what he loves most! Fairly sure you would change your attitude if it was you being offered upwards of 30,000 per week to play!
I wouldn’t play for rangers in a fit! That’s what this is about!
I wouldn’t play for rangers in a fit! That’s what this is about
It’s alright, Macca. Somehow I don’t think they’re looking to sign you.
And I bet if asked neither would any “real” Irish player on the Republic of Ireland team
True Irish man would go f*ck off with that. How about being a true Irish man when you have a mortgage to pay and no income coming in. Would you go on the dole or get a decent paying job playing soccer? Grow up.
And ur gonna try tell me this lads only option was rangers? Lmao! u go around and ask most southern Irish people would they play for rangers if they were professional footballs and I know the answer ul get
Are you gonna try tell me otherwise? Do you know him, his situation and his offers? No. 2 offers on the table so lets say one is 7 grand a week at rangers and the other is 3 grand at another place. So you’re saying you would still not go for the sake of 1/3 of a million more? If the money was on the table in front of you?
Only option? Maybe not, best option? Probably.
Not everyone is as backwards in their thinking as you are.
Celtic are a British club..
It’s a job!!! My dads from Glasgow and even there in the epicentre of it all, you get offered a chance to play professional football, you take it. Now if both are in for you that’s a different matter…
Who cares!!! The Celtic v Rangers crap is the reason most people can’t stand the old firm derby!! People give others abuse for following Man Utd, Liverpool etc because they have no connection with them. The same argument should hold for these historically bigoted sides!
Celtic fans are possibly the worst soccer fans in the world. I once was told, while wearing an AC Milan shirt, (they were playing Celtic) I should support Celtic because they’re catholic… I had fun pointing out that Italy is the home of Catholicism, which I did in no uncertain terms!
P.s I have no love for AC Milan, just an old jersey I stole off the lads!
Are you for real, the abuse fans from English clubs give each other is unreal and as you say for no reason at all.
At least Celtic and rangers fans have history and with that some sense of ( misguided as it is ) justification about not liking the other.
As for rangers and Irish players well its Like Michael Jordan playing for the KKK’s basketball team, the club hate who you are, the fans hate who you are and if you want to play for them go ahead there’s nothing stoping you but don’t expect to be invited to too many supporter club functions. ( unless its a 12 of July one then I’d Make an excuse and stay at home or wear something flameproof)
Your uneducated-you have 1 conversation with an idiot and you brand the clubs fans as the worlds worst???Celtic and their fans came across as fantastic over the their recent European nights-You don’t have 1 notion as to what your talking about
I’m uneducated?! I disliked Celtic before this, the vast majority of Celtic fans have never been in Scotland, let alone Celtic park. Plastic IRA wannabes
You are wrong but with you being so small minded and a brain of so little magnitude I am not going to waste my evening in reading your rants, And yes, you come across very uneducated
Whatever helps you sleep at night sweetheart. Anyone who who supports a team defined by religion has no right to call anyone else small minded.
I never mentioned anything about being a supporter-Sweet Dreams
Then why attack me on my opinions?
A lot of people are misunderstood here and think his detractors are complaining about him playing for a club with strong British vibes. It’s more extreme than that; Rangers are not just a British club, but a strongly anti-Irish club, who sing songs about being “up to our knees in Fenian blood.” For those who think its silly in this day and age to dislike Rangers for what they stand for, then try and spend half an hour unharmed in a Rangers pub on matchday. Your Irish accent won’t help you one bit!
Completely agree, it’s not about playing for a pro-British club it’s playing for an anti-Irish club
See how long he lasts with them dirtbird fans
Am I the only one that finds people’s following of the Old Firm in this country absolutely bizzarre. They play football in a different country, but the way some people go on about it you’d think it was two sides from Dublin. Sure, there’s a catholic/protestant rivalry there, which most consider stupid these days anyway, but that in no way makes it an Ireland vs the brits game. If people are so wound up about British people that they consider an Irish man playing for Rangers a national disgrace, they can go live in the Gaeltacht, speak nothing but Irish, buy no British products at all and see where it gets them. People bearing grudges for things that happened before many of their births is ridiculius
And wearing Celtic Jersey’s to an Irish game. I follow hibs, and despite their Irish links I wouldn’t dream of wearing the Jersey of a Scottish side to an Irish international game. For all their Irish connotations, they are and remain a Scottish club from Glasgow, and it’s laughable that many try to pass them off as our major national side.
100%agree with you
Cork goalkeeper Alan Smith made his Rangers debut last month… So he’ll be the 2nd Irish player in 80 years!
He can play for whoever he likes. Let’s just hope he doesn’t join in with the fans when they start belting out “The Billy Boys”.
Well done to him for ignoring the biggoted rubbish that spews from the underclass up there.