With France recovering from a loss to England with a thumping display against Italy in Rome, they travel to meet unbeaten Ireland in Dublin in a clash that’s likely to decide the outcome of the 2025 Six Nations.
Whilst Ireland sit on top of the table they were certainly given a scare against Wales in Cardiff as the Principality saw their team throw off the shackles of the Warren Gatland era.
All time great and Wallaby legend David Campese is relishing the clash at the Aviva Stadium and sees a potential upset on the form card.
Early engagements
“For me, this is a match that sees the structure of Ireland take on the intuition of France,” Campese said.
“It’s all about early momentum for both sides and those early exchanges are absolutely vital to win, and possibly more so for France as they’re a more emotional team than Ireland.
“Rugby needs entertainment and both of these teams always oblige. But they’re sides of contrasting styles. Ireland play an incredibly organised game, running pods off their ten and their secondary carriers, and love creating chaos with dummy runners, often running their plays behind those men, legally or often illegally!
“But it’s all done in a remarkably co-ordinated, and dare I say innocent way. The key question though is always about how Ireland react when the structure crumbles?
“For France, whilst it’s mostly about intuition and flair, they have their Toulouse axis back, with Romain Ntamack returning alongside Thomas Ramos and of course, that man Antoine Dupont.
“This is the battle of rugby’s perennial under achievers; Ireland might be ranked in the top two but in terms of big trophies – and I mean World Cups, their record is nothing short of a joke on the biggest stage.
“Equally, for all the talk of a golden generation of French players – and this really is that – they simply don’t have the pots to show for it either, and it’s key for both sides that they come out of this Six Nations with silverware to show for their talents.”
Ruck dominance vital
Campese continued: “Both Ireland and France crave fast ruck ball – I mean, who doesn’t, but these sides are masters at it. However, they use their recycle speed in different ways.
“Ireland will recycle back into pods and go again. In Caelan Doris, they have a massive carrier with brilliant footwork and two handy lads at lock who both hit hard with ball in hand. The return of Dan Sheehan is important for them as an attacking force, but France have both Peato Mauvaka and Julien Marchand, both absolutely world class hookers in their own right, so any perceived advantage in Sheehan’s return is countered by the two Toulouse men.
“France’s use of the quick ruck is different to Ireland. They attack more directly, one on one carriers running off nine and very directly around the fringes. They crave rucks down the middle of the pitch where Dupont can attack both sides – it’s an absolutely key component of their game and if you go back to the England match when Matthieu Jalibert played at ten, France lost their straight lines due to Jalibert’s UBB tendency of attacking wider.
“When France create that ruck momentum against a retreating defence, the ability of Dupont to make those breaks is quite remarkable and Ireland will be very mindful of the need to keep key defenders as pillars either side of the ruck.
“Where I do think France hold an advantage is in the 10/12 channel defence. Sam Prendergast has been flaky in his D, recording a c.60% completion rate in his tackles this season; in contrast, Ntamack, a big guy for a ten, has a 100% completion rate, although admittedly he’s only played one Test. If France get through Prendergast and into scramble, Ireland will be in trouble and that will surely be France’s aim.
“Two key men going head to head to watch out for in this battle are the flankers Josh van der Flier and Francois Cros. Both are world class operators, Van der Flier the arch disruptor with Cros the consummate link man. France rely upon Cros to win one man rucks at pace, whilst Ireland look to Josh to really disrupt the breakdown and to create pressure on the half-back. There’s many delicious match-ups in this match, especially down the eight/nine/ten spine, but the battle of these two breakdown masters will have the most significant impact on the result,” observed the World Cup winner.
Bench approaches
“300 caps or 800kgs, which wins – that’s the question!” quipped Campese.
“Cian Healy, Conor Murray and Peter O’Mahony have all been fantastic servants to Irish rugby and the Aviva will rise to their legacy, that’s for sure.
“In contrast, France go for a 7-1 split, and some of the talent they can bring on includes Marchand, Jelonch, Meafou and Lucu, all world class performers, so whoever wins the battle of benches might very well win the game,” he continued.
“But this isn’t just a battle of skills and strength – the emotional factor is key and Ireland’s trio of centurions will create a huge lift for fans and players alike when those guys enter the battlefield, and we cannot discount that balance of feelings, especially in a nation so passionate as Ireland.
“For me, this boils down to France winning the first 50 minutes; if they do that, then the power Les Bleus have on the bench will see them home, but if the match is close, I can see that emotional impact as a key point of difference between the two teams.
“But all in all, there’s something in me that believes that France, fully loaded with Greg Alldritt fit, Ntamack and Penaud restored, might just turn up and, if they do that, I can see them pulling off the biggest win of this season – and I’m going with them 35-22.”
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/david-campese-labels-ireland-a-joke-and-highlights-flaky-sam-prendergast-as-player-france-can-exploit
