A certain je ne sais quoi for France in Six Nations opening

France coach Jacques Brunel laid out his vision of the future yesterday in handing a test debut to a teenage fly-half and including just one player over the age of 30.

Brunel took over from Guy Novès in December and he admits his team go into the NatWest 6 Nations clash as underdogs, but he has not been afraid to make bold decisions, with his selection counting an average age of just 26.

Much of the talk in the build-up to the championship has centred around 19-year-old fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and the Bordeaux youngster, who will get his first cap at the Stade de France after being named in the starting line-up.

Brunel knows Jalibert well, giving the youngster his professional debut for Bordeaux earlier this season.

While it might seem like a gamble to throw in such a young player in a pressure match, Brunel is confident Jalibert will be ready, starting alongside experienced scrum-half Maxime Machenaud.

“We felt he was ready to play at this level. There is no reason not to start him. We think he is capable of taking this responsibility.

“The Irish will have watched the tapes and said to themselves: ‘Who is this guy?’ He will have to adapt a bit, knowing the Irish will go after him a little.”

The other uncapped player in the starting XV is full-back Geoffrey Palis, who gets a shot at the age of 26. It’s been a long time coming for Palis, who has featured in squads under both Philippe Saint-André and Novès, only for injuries to deny him a chance.

Having just recovered from a torn ACL, Palis has made three appearances for Castres this season, but Brunel feels he has proved he is ready.

“We know he’s coming back from injury, but he has done very well in the league. He has shown a lot of energy over the last fortnight,” said the coach.

“We know his qualities, especially against the kicking game the Irish will employ. He gives us some reassurances in that area. He is strong, has a big left foot and can be interesting.”

With no Louis Picamoles in the squad, Brunel found himself with an interesting decision to make at No 8. In the end, he has gone for the experienced option of Kevin Gourdon, who shifts from the flank.

While he has not played there regularly over the last two seasons, it was at No 8 that Gourdon came through as a youngster, with Brunel counting on that experience.

He said: “We wanted to put Gourdon from the start, because he gives us some guarantees and some experience at international level. That is despite the fact he plays there less often these days at club level.”

As well as a new-look starting XV, there are a number of international newcomers on the bench, with four players set to win their first caps. The front row of Adrien Pelissié, Dany Priso and Cedate Gomes Sa are all new to this level, but there is a clear plan from Brunel to go for impact off the bench, with all three providing plenty of explosivity.

Marco Tauleigne is the other uncapped player on the bench, with the Bordeaux No 8 another who will be expected to add an impact when he comes on.

In total, the eight players on the bench have just 16 caps between them, but Brunel is hoping their youth and dynamism can make up for the lack of experience.

The players have been in camp for a fortnight now and Brunel has tried to put in place a relatively straight- forward game plan.

“In the last fortnight, we have tried to build a logical squad and some foundations to work from. They are relatively simple foundations. We are not going to invent anything new.

“We face a team that is full of confidence and coming off a great year. We aren’t favourites, we know that. We hope the last fortnight has given us a mindset which will allow us to compete.

“The result will be vital. It’s clear that a win will help things, but above all, we want there to be some quality,” said Brunel.