End of hype is nigh as French fans arrive for Croker spectacle

THE hype is almost over.

Tomorrow’s much-awaited Six Nations clash between Ireland and France at Croke Park (kick-off 3pm) will finally answer some of the most burning questions in rugby circles over the past few months.

Will the playing of a foreign national anthem like La Marseillaise on the hallowed turf of Croker signal a further demise in Irish cultural life? Will the usual rugby fraternity “Dart” it straight back across the Liffey to their traditional watering holes around Lansdowne Road after the final whistle?