Ireland must keep it clean or pay the penalty, warns Joe Schmidt

The sight of Jules Plisson blasting over a game-winning penalty from long-range for France against Italy at Stade de France last Saturday left an impression on Joe Schmidt that he will be sure to pass on to his players as Ireland prepare for their own trip to Paris this weekend.

Plisson’s 54-metre piledriver got his country out of a big hole, as the Guy Noves reign got off to a winning if less-than-spectacular start, with a narrow 23-21 win on the first game of the 2016 RBS 6 Nations.

And they might still have lost, if Italy’s No 8 and captain fantastic Sergio Parisse had managed to pull off an audacious last-gasp drop goal to steal victory.