Doris expecting emotional afternoon but focused on French test

The Six Nations showdown with Les Bleus will be the home farewell to a trio of stalwarts. 

SHOULDER TO SHOULDER: Caelan Doris with IRFU President Declan Madden during the squad photo on Friday. Pic: INPHO/Henry Simpson

Ireland will try to harness the emotion surrounding Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray’s final games in Dublin on Saturday but it is the challenge posed by France at Aviva Stadium that is most occupying captain Caelan Doris’s mind.

Doris was front and centre inside the Ireland camp on Thursday evening as one of three players alongside Finlay Bealham and Jack Conan celebrated at a lengthy jersey presentation on the occasion of their 50th caps. The final bows on home soil of back-row partner O’Mahony and his fellow Test centurions Healy and Murray will bring further sentimentality to proceedings in this penultimate Guinness Six Nations encounter yet the nature of the opposition, title rivals for the last four seasons France, represents a significant potential roadblock for an Irish side chasing a Grand Slam and looking to become the first side since the championship added Italy to the competition to win in three titles in a row.

For Doris, the emotion of the occasion is something to provide an additional edge to Ireland’s effort and not an obstacle to the business of winning a fourth game of the year in 2025 and beating France for the third championship in a row.

“It's been touched on during the week and it's definitely an added element of motivation for us,” the Ireland captain said of the last home hurrahs for Healy, Murray and O’Mahony.

“I suppose you don't want to get overly emotional and make it too big a thing and get sidetracked from the main objective. But it's been thrown in as an extra motivational factor and it's definitely something that we'll think of and hopefully it will give us an extra edge as well.” 

Of the French challenge to be spearheaded by their captain and talisman, the scrum-half Antoine Dupont, Doris added: “We're very much aware of the threat they pose and the quality they've got individually but what they can do collectively as well.

“We've seen that with some of the scorelines they've put down against some other quality teams, and we've experienced it firsthand as well a number of times too. So we're definitely aware that we're going to need to be at our best. But there's excitement to go there and to have our best performance yet.

“Some of the fixtures against France in the past are up there with my favourite games that I've been involved in. Marseille last year was a special venue to play in, very cool. Thinking back to the Aviva in '23, unbelievable atmosphere, very good game, one of the highest ball in play times that we've had. It's two teams with an attacking mindset and attacking desire so hopefully it will make for a good watch.” 

Doris has recovered from the knee injury he sustained in the round-two victory over Scotland on February 9, which brought to an end his run of 42 consecutive Ireland appearances after ruling him out of the February 22 games against Wales. He returns to captain the side from No.8, as Conan returns to the bench as one of two back-rowers alongside Ryan Baird in a 7:2 split between forwards and backline replacements.

Doris said he was raring to go and that with so much at stake there was a sense this was the biggest encounter of the championship so far.

“It's been a good number of weeks. I'm very grateful to the medical staff, a very hands-on approach from them over the last number of weeks. I've gotten quite a few runs in and good progression in each run and then trained fully this week so happy with where it's at. I don't think it will hold me back tomorrow, hopefully.

“There's been a good buzz for us in camp. For me, having missed the last game and then come back in, I was sitting over in Cardiff watching the game and just really wanting him to be out there, which was quite a nice feeling, even though it was only one game, and I've had a pretty lucky run of really wanting to be in on the action.

“So when I've been back in fully this week it's been great to be a part of and there definitely has been a buzz with the fact that it's France. We're back at home, only two home games this year, so there's an extra buzz around that, plus the other factors that we mentioned between the three 50s and the three lads playing their last game here.

“There's plenty at stake, but it's important that we don't get sidetracked too much by that and they’re added motivations, channel it in the right way as opposed to distractions.”