Here we are, back in France. Like we’ve never ever been away.
With the very first leg of the Guinness Six Nations taking us to the Algarve in Portugal for Ireland’s training school, there were more than a couple of unintentional slips of ‘Merci’, instead of ‘Obrigado’, and a couple of ‘Bonjour’ rather of ‘Ola’. 3 months on, the World Cup has actually plainly left a mark.
We’ll discover tonight (kick-off 8pm) whether the World Cup has actually been parked by Andy Farrell’s Ireland. The coach and the gamers insist it has.
With Ireland on the rebound, it’s most likely for the much better that the Stade de France is off limitations ahead of the Olympic Games in Paris this summer season. While the Stade offered us some memorable memories in September and October, it likewise provided us the most agonizing of them as we saw Ireland meander from stage to stage in desperate search of a winning shot versus the All Blacks.
The French will be far from their typical home, however it does not precisely level the playing field. The Orange Velodrome in Marseille has actually hosted its reasonable share of French internationals in previous years, while a portion of this Irish group understand how daunting an environment can be produced there after La Rochelle’s advocates took control of the arena before the Champions Cup last versus Leinster in 2022.
Both France and Ireland might have had their legs swept from under them on the planet Cup quarter-finals, however for the last 3 seasons they have actually been the most constant groups in the video game, and although the outcome has actually gone the method of the home side in the last couple of conferences, they’ve offered perhaps the 2 finest video games of the last 2 Six Nations champions, in specific last season’s 32-19 win for Ireland at the Aviva Stadium where the sides shared 4 shots and 38 points in an electrical very first 40 minutes.
The majority of the supporting cast from that day stays the very same, however the 2 top-billed characters have actually stepped aside. Johnny Sexton’s retirement has actually led the way for Peter O’Mahony to captain Ireland, while Jack Crowley takes control of at out-half on his 10th cap.
France have actually likewise gone through a significant modification, with Antoine Dupont briefly stepping aside to deal with the Sevens program ahead of the Olympics.
If we believed there was pressure on Crowley filling Sexton’s boots, it’s probably larger for Maxime Lucu who begins at scrum-half for the hosts. The 31-year-old has actually won 18 caps for France down the years, with numerous of those being brief cameos in video games that were long won. On 3 events in the last 3 seasons, he was left resting on the bench for the complete 80 minutes, the occupational danger of being the back-up to the world’s finest gamer.
While Ireland’s half-back pairings have actually corresponded throughout the last 10 years, France sliced and altered their mixes at will throughout the 2000s and 2010s. Because 2019, Dupont and Romain Ntamack have actually been secured as the beginning set.
Of France’s last 23 Six Nations video games, Dupont and Ntamack have actually been the beginning half-backs in 19 of them, with Ntamack missing out on 4 video games of the 2021 champion due to injury. You ‘d need to go back as far as the 2019 Round 2 defeat to England at Twickenham for the last time France began a Six Nations video game with neither gamer on the pitch; on that event Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez used 9 and 10 as Les Bleus were thumped 44-8.
Matthieu Jalibert (above) begins at out-half tonight, joining his Bordeaux-Begles colleague Lucu in the half-backs. Those who enjoyed the French side hammer Connacht in the Champions Cup will verify they’re more than a good back-up duo.
Lucu is among 5 modifications to the French line-up from their quarter-final defeat to the Springboks. Francois Cros changes the hurt Anthony Jelonch, Paul Gabrillagues and Paul Willemse enter the 2nd row, with Thibaut Flament hurt and Cameron Woki on the bench, while Yoram Moefana is chosen to Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the left wing.
With such a significant modification for Ireland coming at out-half as Jack Crowley takes over from Johnny Sexton, it’s easy to understand that Andy Farrell wishes to keep connection in his side somewhere else. With Jamison Gibson-Park inside him and the centre pairing of Bundee Aki and Robbie Henshaw outside him, Crowley is being tossed into the deep end with good armbands.
Mack Hansen and Jimmy O’Brien’s injuries have actually enabled Calvin Nash come onto the extreme right for a 2nd cap – his very first in the Six Nations – and he might have a significant function to play in this video game.
France’s World Cup quarter-final defeat to South Africa saw them terribly exposed under the high ball in large channels, and it’s led to Moefana selected over Bielle-Biarrey on their left wing. Nash has actually impressed with his workrate and hunger to get on the ball infield under Munster’s gameplan, however he’s likewise remarkable as a kick-chaser, something he showed simply down the south coast in Toulon 3 weeks ago for his province.
If you were to make a list of Ireland’s post-World Cup top priorities, their set-piece would undoubtedly be at the extremely leading of if.
Versus New Zealand their scrum showed to be too aggressive for their own great as they yielded 3 charges off simply 5 sets, and although the gamers and management felt they were difficult done by with those calls, scrum coach John Fogarty confessed today that they require to progress at adjusting their scrum-style to accommodate the referee.
The lineout problems go deeper than the World Cup, with Ireland having a hard time to discover a constant platform for their attack to shine.
“It’s quite essential isn’t it, not simply the belongings and area, however the sensation you’ve got as a forward pack too,” stated the Ireland head coach Andy Farrell.
“You could not put anymore time into it than we did, the lads are consumed with it and desperate to have a great lineout efficiency, in the scrum also and most other locations.
“We’ve got significant operators and led by someone who enjoys lineouts in Paul [O’Connell, forwards coach] and we’ve got wonderful first-rate operators because department.”
Thinking about those lineout problems, the choice to choose Joe McCarthy (above) over James Ryan seems a vibrant one, however the 22-year-old Leinster lock has actually made his shot in a significant Six Nations video game.
McCarthy’s lack of experience is balanced out by a great deal of Test rugby nous on the bench, with Ryan signed up with by Rónan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Ryan Baird and Jack Conan in a 6:2 split, while Conor Murray and Ciarán Frawley cover the backs.
France have actually likewise gone 6:2 with their replacements, and amongst them is Posolo Tuilagi. The 19-year-old, who is available in at a reported 6ft 4in and simply under 150kg, is the current off the popular Tuilagi assembly line, and terrorised the Ireland U20s in last summer season’s Junior World Championship last.
On Wednesday, Farrell concurred it would be among the “fantastic” wins if Ireland were to come far from Marseille with 4 match points, and their record of simply 3 wins away to the French in the last 40 years shows that.
The protecting Grand Slam champs will require to manage something extremely unique if they’re to begin their title defence with a win.
Decision: France
France: Thomas Ramos; Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Yoram Moefana; Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu; Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio; Paul Gabrillagues, Paul Willemse; Francois Cros, Charles Ollivon, Gregory Alldritt (capt).
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi, Dorian Aldegheri, Posolo Tuilagi, Cameron Woki, Paul Boudehent, Nolann Le Garrec, Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Calvin Nash, Robbie Henshaw, Bundee Aki, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong; Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Peter O’Mahony (capt), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Ryan Baird, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Ciarán Frawley.
Referee: Karl Dickson
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