Ireland will be happy to get back to home turf after being pushed to the wire by the plucky Italians in the opening Six Nations match of 2011. Ireland looked down at end heading into the closing stages of the game in Rome, until Ronan O’Gara popped up with a drop goal to save the Irish blushes from a first ever Six Nations defeat against the Italians. Ireland were a long way from perfect and nearly threw the entire match away when they conceded a try in the 75th minute. The Irish were terribly guilty of being wasteful and not executing a lot of simple stuff in the face of the weakest opposition in the tournament, but at least they can be happy that they came away with a victory. They will have been glad to have gotten that one out of the way, and now they can move on. There were doubts about the potential of Ireland heading into the 2011 RBS Six Nations, simply because their form has been dipping and they don’t quite have that brilliant old Irish fluency and control that has made them a force to be reckoned with in the pass. They just didn’t have the clinical penetration needed to close out the Italians, who, to their credit, defended pretty solidly for the entire match. If Italy had simply held on to ball themselves at the end of the match, then the Irish would have been going into this one on the back of a defeat. That is something they could have ill afforded to do, and now they will have to raise their game to take on the French. They may have to face the French without scrum half Tomas O’Leary who has been struggling with a back problem, which as forced Ireland to call up Peter Stringer as a reserve.
The Irish have recalled Jamie Heaslip to number eight, with Denis Leamy moving to the bench. The Irish were hit pretty hard with injury before the tournament, which really hasn’t helped them, missing key men like Tommy Bowe and Andrew Trimble, who misses out again. That is the only chance that coach Declan Kidney has made, and he is never one to be forced into major panicked changes. The Irish threw a lot of passes astray and couldn’t hold onto the ball in hand against the Italians, and if they continue that trend, then the French will punish them hard. What the Irish cannot afford to do, is start the game in any kind of conservative manner, and stress themselves out too much about handling errors. They have to relax and take the game to the French at the Aviva Stadium, because if they set back, that will just invite trouble from the French. For the French, they looked to be over a dip in form themselves, as they put in one of the best performances of the opening weekend of the Six Nations, with a solid victory over Scotland in Paris. France, who had been battered senseless by Australia in the autumn, responded extremely well, and looked full of power, pace and creativity.
There were still some holes in the back line for the French, which should give Ireland a bit of hope of making a breakthrough, but as a whole the French look solid. They really controlled the ball well up front against the Scottish, and even though Scotland had a huge weight advantage in the scrum, the technique of the French won the day in that area. The longer the game went on, the more that the French flair came into play, and were ready to attack from the back with some breathtaking counter attacking moves. There always seemed to a man right there on the shoulder of the breaking player, and the extra pace that they had over the Scottish backs, simply meant that they could find space. The Irish back line isn’t particularly full of pace and so you would expect the French to gain some kind of upper hand. Even though it is an away game, last year’s winners and defending Six Nations Champions France, can really come up trumps in this game. Ireland don’t look a confident side, they don’t look together as a unit, and while they will gain an extra man with the home support, judging from the first weekend, the French have the all round game to break the Irish down. Home advantage is huge in the Six Nations, but France are just the better team at the moment and they are capable of overcoming the away trip. Would look for the French to sneak this one, even by a narrow margin. The Irish are just in a bits and pieces at the moment, and the French are looking far more fluent.
Ireland to win: 8/5 at SportingBet
Draw: 20/1 at SkyBet
France to win: 4/6 at Totesport
Paddy Power are running a Six Nations special on the Ireland v France match. If Brian O’Driscoll scores a try at any time in the match, then Paddy Power will refund all losing try scorer and winning margin bets placed on the match. This is some pretty good coverage, and Ireland will certainly need a big performance from their captain. Paddy Power offer a £25 free bet for new customers opening an account with them.
