Andy Farrell says it’s unrealistic to expect his side to put in a perfect performance in tomorrow night’s Guinness Six Nations opener, but he wants his team to be ruthless about their chances against Les Bleus. He said he is looking for
The Grand Slam champion faces a tough start to his title defense as he seeks his first away win against France in six years in the unfamiliar surroundings of Marseille’s Orange Velodrome.
The sides of Farrell and Fabien Galthie have been almost mirror-like in recent years. In the 2022 Grand Slam, France and Ireland, who achieved similar results last year, entered the World Cup ranked first and second, respectively, but both suffered disappointing defeats in the quarterfinals.
The last two meetings between the two sides have been very entertaining, with Ireland’s return to action coming up short in Paris two years ago, but 12 months ago they performed one of the greatest songs of all time at the Aviva Stadium.
Add in the novelty of kicking off on a Friday night in an unfamiliar stadium, and all the ingredients are in place for another blockbuster 80 minutes.
“I think it’s great. We all want to see a fully open game,” Farrell (below) said on Wednesday ahead of his departure for Marseille.
“We know that pressure and territory will always be part of it, but what type of games France likes to play at the break, they know the type of games we want to play. Combining it with the right conditions will hopefully give you a good result in the matches you want.”
With warmer days in Marseille and perfect dry nights expected, there’s no excuse for being sloppy. This is a welcome change from the conditions Irish players struggled through in December and January.
“I’m trying to judge some games on Christmas Day, but the weather was so bad that it’s hard to really judge. It’s no one’s fault, but it was a night game when there were a lot of games at Worlds. What happens when you go back?’ The cup was much hotter than this.
“The temperature will drop at night, and the temperatures we’ve been practicing at are pretty good. We want to be prepared for that.”
There have been quite a few changes on both sides since the World Cup. From an Ireland perspective, Johnny Sexton retires, Jack Crowley becomes the new starting out-half, and Joe McCarthy and Calvin Nash are introduced for the first time in the Six Nations.
Similarly, major changes are occurring in France. Antoine Dupont’s sevens sabbatical means Maxime Luk (below) is one of five players to join the team following their quarter-final exit.
And while there are unknowns about how France will bounce back from their World Cup exit, Farrell says the physical threat they pose is as strong as ever.
“Their set-pieces were good, especially the lineout, as they tested everyone. As far as breakdowns go, they were ferocious on the ball because they have good personnel on the floor.”
“The talent they have, not only as a collective backline but also in their individual breaking field play, once they get over the gain line and start playing the game they want, it’s hard to stop them.
“Defense is great offense, right? It’s about winning the ball back.
“That’s the problem. We don’t want to play defense for 30 phases and sneak teams over the touchline or the gainline. Again, that’s what every team is trying to do. We’re always striving to get better. ”
“It’s in the nature of all of us to be more ruthless.” [after], that’s the gold standard. The reality is that when you play against a team as good as France, it’s not going to be perfect.
“This is how we deal with disappointment, because our expectations are high and we just work on what’s in front of us and don’t make it worse.” [errors].
“So the way we train and the pressure we put on each other.
“There are a lot of imperfections, but the way we work mentally for the next moment is always improving.
“It’s an emotional game, isn’t it? To play this game physically, you have to get to a certain point and be able to control your thoughts when things don’t go your way. This is a skill that needs to be constantly honed.”
“We are on that path and have been on that path for quite some time, but we are still not close to where we need to be,” he added.
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