France ‘as good as there is’ but Kiss sees enough to give Ireland real hope

This is the part in the movies where one actor surveys the scene and remarks that things are quiet, too quiet. So be it. Right now, quiet is good.

The bit of ciúnas is to be welcomed after a month in which Keith Earls had to pull out of the opener, Gert Smal pulled out of the tournament and Dave Pearson was left with no option but to pull the plug on the original Paris game.

If there is any potential glitch between now and kick-off in Paris — when the temperature is expected to touch a balmy 13C — it probably resides within the heads of those players tasked with thumbing their noses at history and expectation.