Former France Head Coach Philippe Saint-Andre and ex Ireland A international Johne Murphy look ahead to a fascinating clash between underdog France hosting potential tournament favourites Ireland
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TIGNES RUGBY ACADEMY, THE ULTIMATE RUGBY CAMP
THE FRENCH VIEW (PHILIPPE SAINT ANDRE)
France can’t go any lower after drawing with Japan in November and dropping to 9th in the IRB rankings but with the recent head coach change, the improved squad availability & the number of young French players featuring in Top 14 starting teams, the tide is turning back for the future of the international team.
Will these positive changes come soon enough to allow France to win against a very strong Ireland this weekend? The head says no but the heart says maybe. With new young stars like outhalf Matthieu Jalibert & full back Geoffrey Palis making their debuts, the hope is that new coach Jacques Brunel gives these players a license to express themselves and have a go at a very well drilled but maybe rusty Irish defence.
There a some things we can definitely expect tomorrow afternoon in an atmospheric & patriotic Stade de France – massive intensity from both teams, a lot of tactical kicking from Ireland to test the new caps, a big test of discipline, some very strong forwards carrying and set pieces play to see which side wins dominance. Ireland will hope to establish early territory and build a lead through penalties, to put pressure on the young French team and to quieten the crowd. The French team will want to unsettle the Irish and break the structures to create space. Whether they have the experience or fitness to convert pressure into points over 80 minutes, we will have to see.
Philippe’s Prediction – France by 1 point
THE IRISH VIEW (JOHNE MURPHY)
This is a great test for this Irish side first up in the 2018 6 Nations. Whilst it will frustrate Joe Schmidt not to have any first hand evidence of the gameplan of new coach Brunel or international playing style/pedigree of the new young debutants, he will be confident in the structures and tactical experience of his own side to deal with the unique test that is Paris in a 6 Nations tie.
The stats rarely lie and for any Irish fans considering counting les poulets before they’ve hatched, remember that Ireland have only won twice in Paris in 40 odd years. It is really hard to go there and contain the French. Two years ago, the Ireland squad was in transition and certainly wasn’t as strong as it is now but France won through a mixture of full on (marginally illegal) defence and sheer intensity. They’ll try to match this tomorrow, plus gamble of the unknown but clear star quality potential of new caps like Matthieu Jalibert from Bordeaux-Bègles. On all known evidence, this twist of the dice from new coach Jacques Brunel shouldn’t be enough but it all depends on how Ireland deal with the occasion and the variables.
I’m expecting Ireland to whether the early storm, build a lead through penalties resulting from forward dominance and then look to run through the Joe Schmidt strike plays to open up a winning margin on the French. There are areas where the Irish team are vulnerable, like the midfield distribution and occasional lack of invention in multi phase red zone attacking so they’ll need to be really sharp to put the game to bed before the last quarter. The more likely scenario is that the occasion, intensity and fact that it is the opening game for these sides, will result in a scrappy affair, with Ireland unable to truly shake off an improved, committed French team. History and the game 2 years ago say that we should be just happy to get out with a win of any hue so take Ireland to win in a tighter finish than it should be
