Ronan O'Gara: I don’t think there’s an appreciation in Ireland of how good some of these French players are

There hasn’t been this much anticipation in France around any game since the World Cup quarter-final with South Africa.

FLYING FRENCHMAN: Damian Penaud of France dives to score his team's second try during the Guinness Six Nations 2025 match between England and France at Twickenham Stadium on February 08, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)

You’ve heard a lot about contrasting styles ahead of Saturday’s fascinating match, but much of that talk betrays a major misunderstanding of how France try to play rugby. Ireland’s structure versus France’s looseness is the easy narrative. But describing France as loose is a mistake. It’s a serious underappreciation.

Their game may look unstructured, but that’s what they train.