U21s prepare for tough French tie

THEIR senior colleagues may have struggled in Lansdowne Road and Murrayfield last weekend but neither the Irish nor the French U21s had much difficulty in recording wins over Italy and Scotland respectively.

Mark McDermott’s side had braced themselves for a typically physical encounter with the Azzurri and, though they got exactly that, that didn’t prevent an ultimately comfortable 34-9 victory for the home side at Athlone’s Dubarry Park.

While Eddie O’Sullivan is struggling to provide a platform for his all-singing, all-dancing back line, McDermott will have been encouraged by the five tries in their opening fixture.

Though they showed a repeated preference for spreading the ball wide against the Italians, Ireland also displayed a willingness to slug it out up front.

Whatever the grade, France in France is never less than a daunting task for visiting sides. This particular French team showed no signs of homesickness last week either, judging by the 37-0 win over the Scots, so what they’re capable of on home turf in Strasbourg today is anyone’s guess.

For both sides this is the first serious examination of their credentials after the minor skirmishes of seven days ago, and the season effectively starts at the Centre Sportif de Hautepierre (1.30pm).

Like O’Sullivan, McDermott has named an unchanged side for the game, with hooker Stuart Philpott again wearing the armband.

Unlike the senior side of course, the U21s have earned their places on the merit of their performances and not on the basis that they are unlikely to play so poorly for a second game.

That said, improvement against the French needs to be a basic ingredient if the prospect of another win is in any way realistic. Though delighted with the victory seven days ago, McDermott has identified a number of key areas where Ireland need to improve.

“Last week we took the majority of our scoring chances, so we were happy in that respect,” said the Irish coach.

“This week presents a whole new challenge and the key areas where we wanted to improve, such as our ball presentation at the breakdown and areas of our defence, will be vital for Friday’s game,” he said.

IRELAND U21s (v France U21s): F Carr, Peter Durcan, D Cave, C Doyle, M Williams, J Sexton, P Marshall; D Hurley, S Philpott (capt), P Doran-Jones, D Touhy, D Toner, R Noonan, E Uzoigwe, B Holland.

Replacements: S Cronin, C Black, D McGowan, S O’Brien, D Williams, T Gleeson, F McFadden.