How France and Ireland compare

Selection

France head coach Guy Noves has made six changes to the team that pipped Italy 23-21 in Paris last Saturday. No.8 Louis Picamoles has been ruled out of the championship with a hamstring injury and outside-centre Gaël Fickou is absent due to personal reasons. They are replaced by Yacouba Camara, for his first Test start, and Maxime Mermoz respectively with Damien Chouly moving from openside flanker to No.8 to accommodate the rookie flanker.

Both props have been switched with Jefferson Poirot and Uini Atonio preferred to Eddy Ben Arous and Rabah Slimani. It will be the 23-year-old Poirot’s first start, and a second for tighthead Atonio.

In the second row Alexandre Flanquart starts ahead of Paul Jedrasiak. Hugo Bonneval drops to the bench to make way for Teddy Thomas on the right wing.

An inexperienced back-line includes three players who made their debuts last week, centre Jonathan Danty, wing Virimi Vakatawa and scrum-half Sébastien Bézy.

Hooker and captain Guilhem Guirado, lock Yoann Maestri and Chouly are the only players who started against Ireland in Cardiff last October.

Danger Man

If he is allowed to get up a head of steam, Stade Francais centre Jonathan Danty could cause the sort of havoc he wreaked on Munster in the Champions Cup last month, his strong ball-carrying and deft offloading a constant threat.

IRELAND

Selection

Three changes for Joe Schmidt from the side which started so well against Wales last Sunday. Rob Kearney has recovered from a hamstring problem and replaces the injured Simon Zebo at full-back, younger brother Dave Kearney comes in on the left wing forKeith Earls and Sean O’Brien returns to openside flanker as Tommy O’Donnell moves to the replacements.

There are further changes on the replacements bench.

Richardt Strauss replaces Sean Cronin at hooker cover, while scrum-half Eoin Reddan replaces last week’s unused 9 Kieran Marmion.

Fergus McFadden is included as the outside back replacement in the spot that is vacated by Dave Kearney.

Of the walking wounded from last week, fly-half Johnny Sexton has overcome the neck compression he suffered last Sunday while Andrew Trimble resumes on the right wing having recovered from his knock.

There was no place in the squad for either of the established props Cian Healy and Mike Ross, who were due to play for Leinster against Zebre last night in the Pro12.

One to Watch

After a torrid first half of scrummaging against Wales, Nathan White’s performance on the tighthead side of the front row will be the focus of some attention, particularly as Noves has switched his props around.

Instead of facing off against Eddy Ben Arous, White will come up against loosehead Jefferson Poirot in what will be his first start for France.

KEY BATTLEGROUND

Time and again this week Ireland have been reminded of the threat France pose when they offload the ball in contact.

In unskilled hands it can lead to costly mistakes and turnover ball but the French are masters of the art, their big ball-carriers possessing the power to bust defensive lines and the grace to get the ball away to a team-mate under pressure from tacklers.

France offloaded 22 times against Italy last week and posed plenty of defensive questions of their opponents.

“You have to be a bit more alert around the tackle,” Ireland centre Jared Payne said of the offload.

“You can’t just hit the tackle, make the tackle and then switch off,” he warned.

“If you’re in and around that area you have to watch the threats that are coming, flooding that channel and if they do have some runners you’ve got to be ready to put them down.”