Ireland are odds-on favourites to make a winning start to the NatWest 6 Nations against France in Paris, with a strong November campaign behind them and only one defeat in their last seven meetings with les Bleus.
2018 NATWEST 6 NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP: Saturday, February 3
FRANCE v IRELAND, Stade de France, 5.45pm local time/4.45pm Irish time (live TV3/BBC 1/DMAX/FR2/NBC/RTÉ Radio 1/IRFU Live Blog)
Team News: Ireland head coach Joe Schmidt has included three NatWest 6 Nations debutants – Jacob Stockdale, Bundee Aki and James Ryan – in his team for this evening’s opening clash with France in Paris.
The selected Ireland XV shows three changes to the side that defeated Argentina in the final game of November’s GUINNESS Series, with Keith Earls and Robbie Henshaw returning to the back-line and Josh van der Flier replacing the injured Sean O’Brien at openside flanker.
Rory Best captains his country for the 22nd time, flanked in the front row by Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong who wins his 20th cap. The 21-year-old Ryan will make his Six Nations debut and only his second start, linking up again with Iain Henderson in a youthful second row.
Van der Flier comes in for his first Six Nations start since the early rounds of 2016 Championship. He joins the Munster duo of Peter O’Mahony and CJ Stander in a newly-formed back row.
Earls and Henshaw slot back in on the right wing and at outside centre respectively, determined to transfer their impressive form in Europe onto the international stage, with the latter reuniting in midfield with his former Connacht team-mate Aki, another of the tournament’s exciting newcomers.
Jonathan Sexton and Conor Murray will steer the ship from half-back, with almost 130 Ireland caps between them, while powerful Ulster winger Stockdale (21) will make his Six Nations bow in the back-three alongside the equally electric Earls and full-back Rob Kearney, who is set for his 75th start for Ireland.
Sean Cronin returns to the matchday 23 after missing out on the November internationals, and there is also a recall for Fergus McFadden who is in line for his first Test appearance since March 2016. Joey Carbery has recovered from a fractured wrist and is poised for his Six Nations bow off the bench, while it could be a second Championship appearance for flanker Dan Leavy.
Reflecting on the team selection, Schmidt said: “We felt James (Ryan) went really well recently against Montpelier who are a big side, and we’re really looking forward to seeing what he delivers on Saturday.
“We want to be able to keep building in that position (of second row), it’s a position we probably don’t have huge depth in. We’ve got a few young guys pushing through that we’ve given opportunities to and James is obviously one of those.
“(Bundee and Jacob) are really excited too about getting the opportunity to play in the Six Nations. I don’t think there’s a better place to be than in between Johnny Sexton and Robbie Henshaw if you’re making your debut in the Six Nations.
“And having Keith and Rob working with him in that back-three triangle, I think it’s a great position for Jacob to be in as well. That’s kinda part of the balance. A lot of people speak in terms of World Cups and sacrificing opportunity or risking results in the Six Nations – I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. I think you can be working as hard as you can in the Six Nations and still that’s good preparation for whatever comes next year or beyond.”
He added: “I had a good chat with Jordan (Larmour), he was very close to making the replacements bench. It’s a really competitive area for us. The back-three, we’ve gone for a mix of youth and experience in Jacob, Keith and Rob, and I think that’s probably a pretty good balance for us. We also have the experience of Fergus McFadden who is also a pretty accomplished goal-kicker too.
“Andrew Conway is managing a knee that was a little bit inflamed, for a period of time. It looked like it was going to be okay. He’s probably going to be out for this week and next week as a result of that. It’s certainly nothing serious, we just need to let it settle down and he’ll springboard back into things.”
Meanwhile, 19-year-old out-half Matthieu Jalibert will make his debut for France in Jacques Brunel’s first match in charge,. Jalibert, who played twice against the Ireland Under-19s last season, will partner Maxime Machenaud – the team’s goal-kicker – at half-back in a much-changed starting XV, with the second debutant being Castres’ Geoffrey Palis at full-back.
Captain Guilhem Guirado is comfortably the most-capped member of the squad with 56 caps, featuring in the most-recognised of France’s combinations – the front row. Props Jefferson Poirot and Rabah Slimani complete the trio, who all started last time out against Japan in November.
The 23-year-old Arthur Iturria comes in for his first start, linking up with his Clermont Auvergne team-mate Sébastien Vahaamahina in the second row, while La Rochelle’s Kevin Gourdon shifts to number 8 for the first time at this level, with Wenceslas Lauret and Yacouba Camara filling the flanker roles.
Teddy Thomas and Henry Chavancy are the only backs retained in their positions from the 23-23 draw with Japan. Racing wingers Thomas and Virimi Vakatawa will support newcomer Palis in the back-three, and Chavancy and Clermont’s Rémi Lamerat form the midfield tandem.
There are also four uncapped players on the bench – front row reserves Adrien Pelissié, Dany Priso and Cedate Gomes Sa and Bordeaux-Bègles number 8 Marco Tauleigne – and Brunel, who coached Italy between 2011 and 2016, is quietly confident that the new players will deliver on their debuts.
“From the moment we thought he (Jalibert) was up to playing at this level, there was no reason not to pick him. We think he’s able to handle this role. I think he’s settled and well integrated into the group,” said Brunel, who coached Jalibert over the first few months of the season at Bordeaux-Bègles.
“Palis is coming back from injury but he’s had a great return to league action. He’s been here for two weeks now, we know his qualities, especially against the Irish kicking game. I think he’ll give us security (at full-back), he’s well built and has a big left boot which can be useful to us.”
He added: “We’re up against an Irish team in full confidence who had a great last year (2017), beating England and winning all their November Tests. We know we’re not favourites but these two weeks we’ve built a spirit that will allow us to compete with this team.”
FRANCE: Geoffrey Palis (Castres); Teddy Thomas (Racing 92), Rémi Lamerat (Clermont Auvergne), Henry Chavancy (Racing 92), Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92); Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Bègles), Maxime Machenaud (Racing 92); Jefferson Poirot (Bordeaux-Bègles), Guilhem Guirado (Toulon) (capt), Rabah Slimani (Clermont Auvergne), Sébastien Vahaamahina (Clermont Auvergne), Arthur Iturria (Clermont Auvergne), Wenceslas Lauret (Racing 92), Yacouba Camara (Montpellier), Kévin Gourdon (La Rochelle)
Replacements: Adrien Pelissié (Bordeaux-Bègles), Dany Priso (La Rochelle), Cedate Gomes Sa (Racing 92), Paul Gabrillagues (La Rochelle), Marco Tauleigne (Bordeaux-Bègles), Antoine Dupont (Toulouse), Anthony Belleau (Toulon), Benjamin Fall (Montpellier).
IRELAND: Rob Kearney (UCD/Leinster); Keith Earls (Young Munster/Munster), Robbie Henshaw (Buccaneers/Leinster), Bundee Aki (Galwegians/Connacht), Jacob Stockdale (Ballynahinch/Ulster); Jonathan Sexton (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Conor Murray (Garryowen/Munster); Cian Healy (Clontarf/Leinster), Rory Best (Banbridge/Ulster) (capt), Tadhg Furlong (Clontarf/Leinster), Iain Henderson (Ballynahinch/Ulster), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Peter O’Mahony (Cork Constitution/Munster), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), CJ Stander (Shannon/Munster).
Replacements: Sean Cronin (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), Jack McGrath (St. Mary’s College/Leinster), John Ryan (Cork Constitution/Munster), Devin Toner (Lansdowne/Leinster), Dan Leavy (UCD/Leinster), Luke McGrath (UCD/Leinster), Joey Carbery (Clontarf/Leinster), Fergus McFadden (Old Belvedere/Leinster).
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Television Match Official: Rowan Kitt (England)
Match Odds (Paddy Power): France to win: 5/2; Draw: 25/1; Ireland to win: 4/11
Pre-Match Quotes: Rory Best (Ireland) – “I think at this stage they (the Six Nations debutants) are probably a little bit unaware as to the magnitude of the game – to come to the Stade de France with 80,000 people and the atmosphere, the microscope you’re under in the Six Nations.
“It’s probably going to be a bit of a surprise for them but, at the same time, these are guys that are used to playing in big games. They have handled big occasions before and they stepped up very well in the autumn.
“Sometimes with not knowing what’s coming, it’s a good thing because there’s less that you fear and you can just go out and play. In this build-up, you can worry about playing your own game and don’t worry about some of the things that have gone before that other players have.
“The favourites’ tag isn’t something we talk about. We give the opposition the respect they deserve, we treat each opposition as they come and we look hard and make sure we study them. Our record here (in Paris) isn’t very good over some 40 years and that’s because it’s a tough place to come.”
CJ Stander (Ireland) – “There are a few boys getting a chance and all of us had a good week’s training so excited for the weekend. For all of us it’s the start of a new Six Nations, so it’s new and something we’ve worked hard to get into.
“If you train well and prepare well as a collective during the week and make sure you know your role, it’s going to be another game for you. If you prepare well and go out on Saturday and learn from the experienced lads, know what the feeling is in the stadium, and it’s going to be another good game for us.
“We spoke a lot about it last year and especially coming into this one, we can’t start slow in this competition because you’re going to make it tough for yourself. You have to go out prepare well and get the best result every game, get the win, to give yourself a chance at the end. We’ll take it game by game, week by week.
“This week is a massive game for us. We just need to start well. Get into the game early, make sure you warm up well and don’t let the distractions get into your head and play your game from the start.”
Pre-Match Links –
Head-To-Head: Ireland v France
‘In Touch’ Magazine: Six Nations Special Out Now
In Pics: Ireland Training At Carton House
Irish Rugby TV: Simon Easterby Previews France v Ireland
Irish Rugby TV: ‘Playing France In Paris Is Always Tough’ – Greg Feek
Recent Meetings –
2015: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 18 France 11, Aviva Stadium; Rugby World Cup Pool D: France 9 Ireland 24, Millennium Stadium
2016: RBS 6 Nations: France 10 Ireland 9, Stade de France
2017: RBS 6 Nations: Ireland 19 France 9, Aviva Stadium
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