Irish players no longer dream of Paris wins

There was a point in the Irish rugby timeline when even the idea of beating France in Paris was outside the logic of all but the criminally optimistic.

Several generations of men who donned the green jersey with distinction and achieved much in their illustrious Test careers never experienced victory in the French capital. So by the time the millennium came around, there was little or no belief in those that travelled to Paris that they would return with anything but a carton of duty-free cigarettes and the bitter, inevitable taste of defeat.

Current Ireland forwards coach Simon Easterby was in the class of 2000 who bucked the trend, ending a 28-year run of Five Nations defeats in France with an inaugural Six Nations win at Stade de France that changed the mindset and gave all future Irish sides the confidence and belief that victory was not just possible but achievable.