Cunningham wary of French threat

Republic of Ireland captain Kenny Cunningham is bracing himself for a tough clash with France next month as Les Bleus welcome back three high-profile veterans from retirement.

Italy are the next opponents for the Irish in a Lansdowne Road friendly on Wednesday but the visit of France on September 7, with Zinedine Zidane, Claude Makelele and Lilian Thuram back in tow, was high on the agenda.