O’Driscoll happy to share centre stage with Maggs
“It’s not as if I’m going out to play with a rookie,” said O’Driscoll yesterday of the Ulster centre, who earns his 67th cap against France.
“This guy has been around the block, I won my first cap alongside him and we’ve played together many times. If anything, he will bring a new style to our play against France.
“In this particular season it might be perceived as a new challenge for both of us but it’s not really because we’ve been there and done that together in the past.
“I feel sorry for Shane (Horgan) and Gordon, who did not get a chance to be selected this weekend. It’s not the perfect situation when you have two quality players injured but I can’t think of a better guy to bring in than Kevin.
“When you bring in a guy with 67 caps, who has done the business for Ireland in the distant and recent past, then you know there should be no problem. We know our respective games very well, I don’t have a problem and I know he won’t either.
“We have both been part of the squad for so long that we know exactly the way to go. If training is an indication, we have slotted in straight away to the way we played together the last time.”
Maggs came in against Scotland to partner Shane Horgan when D’Arcy and O’Driscoll were ruled out.
The captain noted: “Kevin had a great game that day. It was his turnover that resulted in us getting the try that killed the game off. Whenever he started or came in for Ireland he has done a magnificent job. He will certainly bring back some hard lines of running to our game that we might have moved away from a bit, he will bring a new dimension in a certain way and it’s good that France might be left guessing about what we’re about to do. What you see with Kevin is what you get, and that’s usually a lot.”
O’Driscoll admitted that, come what may, it will be difficult to break down the French defence.
“They have one of the best defences in the world, very difficult to break down, so it will take something special to score five-pointers against them.”
He added: “We have got to be clinical. It’s going to be a huge dog-fight up front and the pack must get parity at least in all the set-pieces. But we in the backs have to make sure we don’t fall into the trap of kicking away possession or giving France the opportunity to attack from loose play.
“We have our own strengths and defence is one of them, but this French team is capable of scoring from any part of the pitch. We have to cut the options, frustrate them and play the game in a clinical fashion. We’re capable of that, but we have to ensure we carry out the game plan.
“There will be times when we will find ourselves going backwards but I would bet on our defence coming out on top against anyone. We have just got to make sure that the ball they get going forward is predictable.”
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