Ireland shouldn’t be caught napping again

For all the unpredictably that comes with a Six Nations trip to Paris, there will be certain lessons learned over the past two championships that should put Ireland in control of their destiny when they face a France side under new management.

The French game is in disarray and Les Bleus are without a victory since the final day of the 2017 Six Nations. Their last outing was a fortuitous draw at home to second-tier Japan and their world ranking has dipped to an all-time low of ninth that cost Guy Noves his job as the national team head coach.

It means the team Ireland will face at Stade de France this afternoon on the first weekend of the 2018 tournament will be more difficult than ever to read, let alone determine their gameplan under new head coach Jacques Brunel. Yet the uncertainty this time around gives the French themselves more questions than answers, as their supporters wonder how 19-year-old fly-half Matthieu Jalibert will combine with scrum-half Maxime Machenaud or how full-back Geoffrey Palis will cope with Ireland’s high balls, having failed spectacularly to do so for Castres against Munster in Thomond Park just a fortnight ago.