Win in France would mark a new beginning

When it was all over, when they finally followed a blushing Brian O’Driscoll down the tunnel, Eoin Reddan called the dressing-room to a halt and laid a marker for the week to come.

Of the 23 players who wore the Ireland jersey two days ago, only seven played a part in any of the four Triple Crowns this past decade or the 2009 Grand Slam campaign. Most of the other 17 made their debuts in the mixed days since but, though Reddan has been in the squad since the mid-noughties, he has missed the days that counted most.

His was a timely reminder in the midst of the feelgood factor that engulfed the stadium on Saturday. A win in Paris next week would be a fitting ending to their departing centre’s career but it would mark a beginning for most of them.

It’s a theme that Jonathan Sexton, another looking to break his duck in green, pinpointed last month. Likewise Chris Henry, one of the half-dozen for whom the 2009 Churchill Cup win hasn’t quite sated the appetite for silver.

“Look, it’s going to be very hard [in Paris], but look at the performances we put in: if we play the way we can we’ve the ability to beat any team,” said the Ulster flanker. “We’ve got to have that in our psyche. For us to finish off this championship ... we’ve talked about the fact the majority of us in that changing room haven’t won anything. And, for me, what a perfect way to end with Brian’s last game next week. [Saturday] was a brilliant day, it was very special, but next week it’s all there for us. Brian would be the one to say that the most important thing is going to be getting the win.”

Ireland’s record by the Seine is appalling. One win in 42 years says more than enough about the travails generations of men have suffered in that locale but this is a French team trailing blood and Ireland look honed for the hunt. Saturday will mark the first time an Irish squad will land in the French capital in the knowledge every man jack of them has experienced victory on French soil. Ulster’s wins in Castres and Montpellier have seen to that.

“You saw at Twickenham how close it was, the fine margins, and you know it’s probably going to be like that again,” said Henry.

“[Paris] is a very, very intimidating place. I’ve never played there but I was there as 25th man before and it’s some stadium. We’ll have to face a real tough team.”

Henry is symbolic of another reason for cheer this week: the depth of talent in the squad. A replacement for the injured powerhouse that is Sean O’Brien, the Ulsterman has been a solid, effective presence in the back row.

That quantity of quality is most evident on a bench which added 19 points to the final tally against the Azzurri and that sense of renewal is enhanced by the fact that nine of last week’s squad have never played at the Stade de France.

Sean Cronin and Fergus McFadden have 13 minutes banked between them. For those 11 — and Joe Schmidt, of course — this is new ground in more ways than one.

“I suppose, the lucky thing is not really knowing what it’s like,” said Jack McGrath. “One of the guys said something after the match, that a lot of guys in that dressing room haven’t won anything for Ireland, so this week is a massive week for us.

“It’s going to drive a lot of our senior guys who haven’t had a lot of success in Irish jerseys. We’re going to come up against a very good French team so we’re going to have to work hard this week.”