Ireland’s players have been urged to "breathe some fire" and make a statement against France tonight as they bid to make amends for last week’s opening RBS 6 Nations defeat to Wales.
Assistant coach Les Kiss made his plea as Ireland landed in freezing Paris yesterday with the odds stacked against them heading to Stade de France for a game forecast to be played in sub-zero temperatures, just six days after slumping to a last-minute 23-21 defeat at home to the Welsh.
It may be cold in the French capital but the prospect of playing with a windchill of minus 12 degrees centigrade, conditions that will necessitate a late pitch inspection this evening, less than two hours before kick off, will be irrelevant to the Irish players, who have been charged with raising the temperature themselves following their Aviva Stadium disappointment.
"It’s up to us to make sure we go out and right some wrongs from last week," Kiss said. "Whether it’s anger or just a desire to put a few things right for ourselves personally or as a team, they’ll take what they want from it. But it’s going to be a desperately tough battle and it’s up to us to make sure we put our best foot forward to make a difference. We disappointed ourselves last week and it’s important we come out there and breathe some fire and make some statements for ourselves and get back to where we know we are in terms of being a tough team to beat."
A strong start for Ireland was also emphasised by Kiss, who added: "In the first 20 minutes, if it’s nil-all and we’re applying the pressure then we know there’s a place we can go possibly, but if we’re 10-down that makes it tougher. So we just have to make a commitment to ourselves that we get out there and start well."
a d v e r t i s e m e n t
This appeared in the printed version of the Irish Examiner Saturday, February 11, 2012
