Kidney calls on Irish to display spirit of provinces

Ireland coach Declan Kidney has charged his players with repeating their Heineken Cup heroics on French soil when they bid to land an all too rare Six Nations victory in Paris on Sunday.

Despite the claims of a number of players whose contributions off the bench helped Ireland eventually overcome a sloppy opening half and deliver a five-try to one victory last weekend, Kidney resisted the pundits’ clamour for change and yesterday unveiled an unchanged team from Saturday’s 42-10 victory over Italy at the Aviva Stadium for this weekend’s rearranged fixture against France.

Ireland revisit the French capital for the second time in four weeks with the aim of beating France there for the first time since 2000. Why victory in Paris has eluded the Irish for so long — the last victory prior to that famous day at Stade de France came back in 1972 at Stade Colombes — has been a source of confusion, particularly in the last decade when Ireland have been so competitive in the Six Nations.