Upbeat Ireland ready for French test

KEITH Wood tells of a conversation he had with Fabien Pelous at the official launch of the Six Nations championship during which the French captain explained the difference between playing in the World Cup final and failing to make it beyond the pool stage. France, it seems, played one good match in the tournament, whereas Ireland played one bad one. As simple as that.

It was a generous gesture by Pelous, if just a little short on accuracy. At the time, the notion of Ireland being compared in any way favourably with France was faintly ridiculous.

But two months on and the ball game has changed utterly. Ireland have been transformed, the French team decimated by injury and suspension, and it now seems possible that the grainy footage from 28 years ago showing Ray McLoughlin tumbling over the French line at the Stade Colombes might finally be consigned to the RTE vaults for good.

History holds little relevance for this Irish team, eight of whom have never played an international match in Paris. In fact, of the starting line-up, only Mick Galwey and Peter Clohessy carry the psychological scars of ritual humiliations in the French capital.

For Wood and a few others, meanwhile, Paris signifies one glorious missed opportunity two years ago, when a victory was lost primarily by a questionable line-out call involving two players just arrived off the bench.

It's worth pointing out, of course, that the French were abysmal that day, clearly bloated by a 50-point win in Edinburgh a fortnight earlier.

But for many Irish players, the effect of a narrow defeat helped to demystify French superiority, while regular games in the European Cup have served to hasten that process. If, for example, Peter Stringer and Ronan O'Gara know what it's like to beat Colomiers on French turf, then the prospect of playing at the Stade de France becomes almost appealing.

So it was with a refreshing naivete that the Irish backs flung the ball around Greystones during their dress rehearsals last week, all intricate lines and fancy hands. If there was an air of unreality to proceedings, with the odd rucking pad being the only barrier to sweeping, pitch-length manoeuvres, there was also the realisation that the coaching staff had figured out there is only one way to stretch the French. And that is by using the full width of the pitch.

It has to be significant that Emile Ntamack is the only survivor from the French backline that began the championship against Wales.

But far more relevant is the absence of Olivier Magne, the elasticated link between backs and forwards. Take him out of the equation and there is the possibility of running bigger men such as Abdel Benazzi and Pelous around the park and tiring them out in the process.

The objective must be to do this often and early, as against Italy, for there is simply no point in engaging the French in any mutual softening-up contest. There can only be one winner on this front, as France proved conclusively in Edinburgh a fortnight ago.

Equally ominous was the manner in which the French forwards shunted the Scottish pack off successive scrum put-ins.

This, then, is the afternoon when we learn whether John Hayes has what it takes to be an international tight-head.

Nobody is questioning the contribution that he has made in the two victories - his work-rate in the loose, his lifting at the front of the line-outs. However, what has not yet been examined to the full is his scrummaging ability. With his back-line selection so disrupted, French coach Bernard Laporte will place even more emphasis than normal on establishing dominance up front.

One of his last games in charge of Stade Francais - against Leinster back in December - surely provided Laporte with his blueprint for this afternoon.

It was only in the final quarter that the ball made it any further than Diego Dominguez at fly-half and before that, the sole intention of the Stade pack was to pummel their opponents into submission.

It made for an endless afternoon of front-on tackling, and to bring that style of attack up to international level is to set the type of examination Simon Easterby and Kieron Dawson have not yet faced. Also, while Ireland's defence either side of the ruck is now better organised, there is also the danger of leaving the most obvious area exposed - the path straight through the middle of the ruck itself.

There are other concerns, such as a defensive system which forces Denis Hickie and Kevin Maggs infield, leaving them vulnerable to long cut-out passes. By the same token, the Irish management got their selection right by bringing Rob Henderson in to seal up what had been a weak area.

For once, Warren Gatland also hit the appropriate note with his public utterances, emphasising that the performance took precedence over the result.

He knows as well as anyone that France should really have beaten England a month ago, and that it was only one tactical blunder by Pelous - when he decided to take a tap penalty instead of going instead for a scrum against a 13-man team - that prevented them from doing so.

All told, a 10-point defeat and Ireland should be well-pleased.

Copyright 2000
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.