Nallet hoping for déjà vu at Croker

It should have been the perfect day. Croke Park, brimful with expectation, had opened its doors to rugby for the first time but, on a historic day of outward celebration for Irish sport, all was silenced by a piece of late Gallic magic.

For Irish supporters, France’s first visit to GAA headquarters two years ago is tinged with the bitter memory of Toulouse flyer Vincent Clerc stealing in for a last-minute, match-winning try.

And the dream of a first Ireland Grand Slam since 1948 was left in shreds, after just two rounds of the Six Nations.

These were good times for Irish rugby, however. After an autumn Test series replete with swashbuckling wins over South Africa and Australia, the 2007 Six Nations was seen as the year Ireland’s golden generation would finally land a cherished ‘Slam’. It’s a day that will never be forgotten for a variety of reasons, not least the sight of rugby being played at GAA headquarters. Although for France captain, Lionel Nallet, his memories appear to have faded fast.

“I don’t even know if I played in Croke Park,” Nallet ponders first. When assured of his presence in the second row alongside Pascal Pape and Clerc’s late intervention, his eyes light up. “Ah, when France won in the last minute?” Given the demands of an exhausting 11-month season for France’s elite players, Nallet’s absent-mindedness is forgivable. After all, the historical significance of the day meant more to the Irish than to their Gallic visitors.

“2007 was a good memory because we won, but there are always tight scores between France and Ireland,” Nallet says. “The same type of matches between us crop up time and time again like ’07 and even last season — there is never much difference in points at the final whistle. Obviously France have won the last few matches but it’s difficult to know what to expect against Ireland and what to predict when the two countries meet.”

Last season Lièvremont’s youth policy, of rotating teams and allowing his players to rediscover the joys of running rugby saw France finish a disappointing third in the Six Nations. And it would appear from reports in France that nothing but first place is acceptable this year.

After a spring and summer of experimentation, their autumn Test series saw a more settled French side emerge, and Nallet is confident the November matches against Argentina, Australia and the Pacific Islanders can act as a springboard to Six Nations success.

“The integration of young players was fast but without any great problems,” he argues. “It was more of a natural process than anything else.

“It’s very interesting obviously to have these new players come in and some of them have stayed and have become a real part of the French team. So it’s important to see new players come in who have real potential; there’s also competition for places which is really good.”

No less than 10 of France’s initial Six Nations training group of 30 were under the age of 23. Nallet, however, will find he’s surrounded by plenty of hard-nosed experience on Saturday, but appears to be enjoying overseeing the emergence of young French talent like Maxime Médard and Sébastien Tillous-Borde.

As an emerging talent himself, the tough Castres forward had to endure long periods looking in from the outside during the Laporte era. First capped in May 2000, Nallet missed out on the Grand Slam-winning seasons of 2002 and 2004 but has become a permanent fixture since.

The uncompromising lock forward was regarded by Lièvremont as leadership material following the retirements of Fabien Pelous and Raphael Ibanez after the 2007 World Cup, and though he played only a minor part during France’s run to the semi-finals, he described it as a “massive surprise” to be then named as captain in January 2008. If France are seen to be struggling however, Nallet is in the middle of a relegation dog-fight with his club Castres, a situation the 32-year-old describes as “a bit of a disaster”.

“It’s been difficult and it will be difficult. We’re looking for solutions but we can’t find any,” he says of the club languishing second from bottom in the Top 14.

Even the influence of Irish coaches Mark McCall and Jeremy Davidson are struggling to help Nallet and company move up the table. “Obviously the match against Wasps was a good performance and a bit of ‘trigger’; maybe something that will move things forward for us. The Irish coaches have good contact with the group and I, as a captain, need to talk to them regularly as well. There are good relationships with coaches and players, but they need to find solutions at this stage and it’s not an easy thing to do.”

Club problems aside, he’s looking forward to leading France into the Championship and on Saturday, faces Paul O’Connell, regarded as a strong candidate to lead the Lions in South Africa this summer. And O’Connell receives a ringing endorsement from Nallet.

“Certainly — he is not just an icon for Irish rugby but for world rugby. He is one of the second row players we love to play against. He brings high levels of consistency to his game both for province and country. An amazing player.”

He adds: “Ireland have many strong points. They never give up, they hang in until the very end of the match.

“Other qualities are the way they fight for everything on the field and how they treat each game as a conquest.

“It will be interesting too to confront one of the best lineouts in the world. They’re a group of players whom have been playing together for years, both at province and international level, and know each others’ game off by heart.”