Plumtree ready for French acid test as BOD faces last Test match

Ireland’s pack can move from good to great by subduing France in Paris and claiming RBS 6 Nations title glory, according to John Plumtree.

Assistant coach Plumtree believes Saturday’s Paris showdown will be the true acid test of captain Paul O’Connell and his forwards.

Ireland are in pole position to claim their first Six Nations title since 2009 with victory in Paris, on Brian O’Driscoll’s 141st and final Test appearance.

Joe Schmidt’s men are hunting just their third win in France in 42 years, facing a pack that Ireland forwards coach Plumtree is not prepared to underestimate.

Admitting that claiming the title would elevate the status of Ireland’s pack, Plumtree said: “Yes, definitely, and that would be fantastic.

“The whole team has grown through the Six Nations. We can take some confidence from certain areas of our game. We haven’t been perfect, and there are areas where France will target us, absolutely, but I’ve been really proud of the pack, the way they’ve played in this competition.

"Each individual has grown, and they understand the importance of the collective and not the effort. That’s something we really drive hard, and that will be tested to the max on a great stage.

“So if we can have a positive performance tomorrow then I think we can honestly say this pack has certainly proved its worth. We’d be able to talk about that after the 80 minutes.”

Munster captain Peter O’Mahony has come of age in Ireland’s back row in this campaign, the 24-year-old a revelation at blindside.

Ireland’s dismal fifth-place finish in the 2013 Six Nations cost Declan Kidney his job, and O’Mahony conceded the transformation under new boss Schmidt has been spectacular, if not hard-fought.

“It’s mad, because it’s the bones of the same team that finished fifth last year, so that’s probably why it hurt so much because we knew we were a very capable side,” he said.

“We’ve trained very well, but the guys realise to win championships you have to do that bit more than what the normal professional rugby player is doing.

“It’s not just the two or three hours a day that you’re called upon, it’s the other hours after the training pitch, the mental strength you need.

“It’s hard to put your finger on it at the moment, but it’s a good place to be, a very enjoyable place to be.

“The coaching staff, the players, we’re all in this together, and you take as much as you from each other. It’s very important how your coaching staff go, and everyone in the organisation.

“We all say it’s important to be part of a collective group, singing off the same hymn sheet.”