The old adage of styles making fights rings true when it comes to meetings between Ireland and France. Across these last few years, at a time when the strength and depth of the championship have perhaps never been better, these pair have stood apart as Six Nations heavyweights; their annual ding-dongs almost invariably decisive to the destination of the title.
The mathematics may not be totally straightforward – England harbour faint hopes – but come Saturday afternoon, these two will crouch in their corners as the reigning, defending, history-chasing champions and a No 1 contender so capable of dealing a knockout blow. After 80 exhausting, exhilarating minutes, just one will be left standing.
“This match has special stakes,” France boss Fabien Galthie admitted on Thursday, seeking not to play down the importance of a likely title bout. Ireland will still be in the hunt even with a defeat, but the strength of the visitors’ points difference means that they will be the likelier trophy-hoisters if the grand slam dreams are dashed.
“They’re a very high-level team,” Galthie continued. “One of the two best nations in the world, if not the best, and they’re playing at home. It's true that the challenge is immense. And taking on a huge challenge is what we’re looking for.”
France soothed the sores of their sloppy Twickenham defeat to England by delivering the sort of performance that perhaps only this Six Nations crop is capable of. The intoxicating highs that Galthie’s side reached against Italy stood in stark contrast to the slipshod showing two weeks before and raised the fear of a French side again flitting between fabulous and frustrating with relative regularity.
One rather fancies, though, that they will be right at it at the Aviva Stadium, unlikely though an 11-try repeat is. The natural motivations are clear with the title chase still alive, but there will also be an element of revenge for last year’s opener in Marseille, where a no-show by the hosts rather pooped their own party. In an era where they have largely confined their inconsistency to the past, one title in five years will be a disappointing return. If they and Ireland have surged clear of the rest almost in lockstep, another title for the men in green would make it three to one in recent years – tallies that would cause envy and enmity inside French rugby.
The thought that this might be a rebuilding year for Ireland in the absence of their head coach can now be declared most certainly wrong. As ever, their champion side have ridden the rigours of the campaign better than any other – aided though they were by the introduction of the 20-minute red card and the arrival of a fresh Bundee Aki to restore them to full complement in Cardiff.
A union that gets so much right appears to have done so again with the timing of the adieus for Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy. With their retirement announcements out of the way, Ireland can now focus on a fitting farewell in this final fortnight to three outstanding players who, in their own way, have shown the qualities that define this adaptable, accurate team.
“This weekend gives the Irish public the chance to mark the final home international appearances for Peter, Cian and Conor – three stalwarts of Irish rugby who help drive the highest standards in our camp,” coach Simon Easterby said. This Irish goodbye will most certainly not go unnoticed.
The absence of Tadhg Furlong and Mack Hansen is a shame for a fixture in which one would rather watch both teams in their finest fettle; likewise the long-term lay-offs for Charles Ollivon and Gael Fickou in the French ranks. But Caelan Doris is fit to feature, pleasingly, while the return of Romain Ntamack lends extra coherence to a French backline that may have to stay the course.
For while his starting side has almost picked itself, Galthie has again taken from the pages of Rassie Erasmus with just one back included on the bulkiest of benches. While the prospect of an early injury is a reason to fret, the head coach clearly feels his bold selection is a gamble worth taking if his deadly seven can wreak their wrath decisively.
“The choice of a 7-1 bench is linked to the profiles of the most competitive players we currently have in the French team,” Galthie explained. “Looking at the performances we've had for a while now, that's what we think is the best way to perform.”
Any ailment in the backline may force Antoine Dupont from scrum-half, which feels a touch peculiar given the match-turning impact the do-it-all No 9 can have. His encounter with Jamison Gibson-Park pits the two finest players in the world at the position against one another, with each encapsulating the traits of their sides’ stylistically: Gibson-Park a crucial and quite brilliant cog that keeps the Irish machine rolling; Dupont an engine in himself and capable of driving an acceleration that no other side can match.
Ireland have changed subtly in this campaign. Where previously they have looked to dominate the ball, playing high phase counts and trusting their attacking structure, with Prendergast at the helm they are kicking more than ever, playing the percentages.
The sample size is small, obviously, but many of their match-turning moments have been driven by the boot – their seven-minute salvo to open the clash against Scotland was a sequence of almost pure perfection from which the hosts never recovered, while their fly-half’s spiralling, spearing 50/22 against Wales proved a turning point, setting up the position that led to Jamie Osborne’s delightfully-constructed try.
Expect France to test Ireland’s aerial acumen, too, even if the efficacy of their kick pressure game has perhaps dissipated with recent law tweaks. But one can expect Dupont and co to want to play with tempo and tenacity, too, as they did in a thunderous first half on their last visit to the fair city.
There is a slight shame that this is not a true grand slam decider. The scheduling for the penultimate weekend is always peculiar but perhaps salvaged somewhat by the fact that France have already been beaten. But let that not detract from an encounter of such might and meaning. That last Dublin meeting illustrated so wonderfully the contrasting qualities that make the bouts between these two so captivating – and this has all the makings of another Six Nations epic.
