Paris in spring no fear for cool O’Brien

Sean O’Brien has never played rugby in temperatures of -7C before but has farmed in the depths of a white winter when the mercury plummeted to -15.

After that, well, Stade de France’s wind chill won’t be a factor.

“It will be different playing at those temperatures but it shouldn’t affect us,” he said. “We’ll be nice and warm in the forwards. I don’t know about some of those outside backs.”

Weather aside, Paris has always taken a bit of adapting to for the other ‘home’ nations, whether that was because of the trademark brown ball, the free-spirited cockerels or simply the fear that the Gauls could take a notion and run riot.

Tomorrow’s fixture brings the added imposition of an 9pm kick-off (local) time which will sentence the players to a long and boring day of sleep, lengthy meal sittings, meandering strolls and more sleep.

It shouldn’t be an issue as long as vigilance is at it’s height by the time the lotto drum begins to spin back home in Ireland but a minute or two of a delay in tuning in could prove fatal, as we have seen all too often in years past.

Six years ago was among the worst.

Barely three minutes had passed when Tommy Bowe’s slip led to Aurelien Rougerie crossing the Irish line and the score stood at 43-3 before Eddie O’Sullivan’s side said ‘what the hell’ and saved some face with 28 straight points.

Rob Kearney has already spoken this week about the need to avoid the silly mistakes, play the percentages and be clinical when the openings come but that doesn’t necessarily equate to containment tactics according to O’Brien.

“I don’t think there is a containment tactic. If you try and contain France, they are going to destroy you. Simple as that.

“We really have to go after them from the word go, put them under pressure and play in the right areas of the field. You have to be smart.

“Defence is going to be a massive part of it. Last weekend we sat back on our heels a bit much and gave up too many easy yards. You have to take space away from these lads and they are a big, physical team as well. We have to get up in their faces and shut them down at source.”

Declan Kidney spoke yesterday of how he had detected a more structured approach from the French in their first outing under new coach Phillipe Saint-André last weekend but O’Brien still expects the unexpected.

He may not have played at the Stade de France before but he sat on the bench for 80 minutes two years ago when the home side piled 33 points onto their half of the scoreline and O’Brien’s backrow union will be central to avoiding a repeat.

European player of the year last season, he faces an evening in the company of Thierry Dusatoir, the man who earned the global equivalent after a peerless display in the World Cup and the Irishman’s enthusiasm for the challenge is apparent.

“He is one of the best out there,” says Cronin.

“He really showed what he can do in the World Cup final. He’s such a consistent performer. He’s a hard fella, a tough man to get down when he carries. He goes around, just smashing lads.

“That’s what he’s done year in year out. Around the ruck he is so strong when he gets in over the ball. I’ll have to keep an eye on him and target him when I get an opportunity.”

A win in Paris would surely merit a bullet point all of its own on his CV when he hangs up his boots but O’Brien has many more boxes to tick before that happens and he hopes the last of them is a Towns Cup appearance with his beloved Tullow.

“Ah, it can’t happen until I’m finished or if I’m able to play when I’m finished,” he said.

“It’s always something I said I’d like to do. I never played a cup match with them. It’s a big thing down there.”

First things first, though.