A familiar face stands between Andy Farrell and Six Nations glory

Crossing the French line has become more difficult than ever - thanks to Farrell's old friend and mentor Shaun Edwards

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell at the IRFU High Performance Centre, Sport Ireland Campus, Blanchardstown yesterday. Picture: INPHO/Billy Stickland

For all the gung-ho talk of try-bonus points in Paris this Saturday evening, Andy Farrell has known better than anyone else the reason why crossing the French line has become more difficult than ever, his old friend and mentor Shaun Edwards.

It was captain Edwards who put a protective arm around the teenage Farrell’s shoulder at the outset of a glittering rugby league career at Wigan. This weekend, though, it will be the Ireland boss’s job to keep France’s defence coach from strangling his team’s attack.