95 minutes prep to face tough French test

Ninety-five minutes. That is all the time Ireland have had this week to prepare to face France in Paris tomorrow as they bid to get their 2016 Six Nations campaign up and running and win back-to-back in the French capital for the first time in 88 years.

Coaches never feel they have enough time with their players but the run-in to tomorrow’s Stade de France clash has been disrupted to say the least. A six-day turnaround between games is nothing new, such are the demands of today’s broadcast schedulers. Yet the bruising, physical 16-16 opening draw with Wales in Dublin last Sunday has pushed Ireland even further out of sync.

No wonder head coach Joe Schmidt felt this week was as difficult as the lead-in to October’s injury-hit World Cup quarter-final against Argentina. Condensing a normal seven-day training week into six is tough, particularly when your opposition has an extra 24 hours recovery, having played their championship opener, a 23-21 home win over Italy, last Saturday.