Eager Healy eyes French opportunity

IT’S already been a year of firsts for Cian Healy and the Leinster prop is hoping to add to his list of achievements by making his first competitive appearance on French soil tomorrow.

This time 12 months ago, he made his European bow in the away pool fixture against Edinburgh and he followed that with his first appearance in an Irish squad under Eddie O’Sullivan last January.

Healy also made Declan Kidney’s extended national selection for the autumn internationals while another important staging post was reached when recording his first 80-minute shift for Leinster against the Dragons.