Donal Lenihan: French investment in youth already yielding impressive returns

The French management will have extracted the maximum return from this international window. Can the Irish say the same?

France head coach Fabien Galthie before the 6 Nations match at the Stade de France last month. Picture: PA Wire via MaxPPP. 

There's a strange symmetry about Ireland starting and finishing the most bizarre of calendar years with a home game against Scotland.

Taking over the reins of the national side from a head coach with the lengthy list of achievements Joe Schmidt had accumulated is challenging enough at the best of times.