A strong-looking Ireland, aiming for an unprecedented back-to-back Grand Slam title, expect it to be a “war of attrition” in their opening game of this season’s Six Nations Championship against France in Marseille on Friday.
In recent years, there has been a tendency for full-scale arm wrestling to take place in Europe’s high-profile tournaments, and the showdown at the Stade Velodrome between the two teams who were disappointed to be eliminated in the quarter-finals of last year’s Rugby World Cup was exactly that. is promised.
Both teams will claim that their wounds have healed well after their respective last-eight defeats to South Africa (France, 29-28) and New Zealand (Ireland, 29-24), and neither team has seen much personnel change. I would argue that there aren’t many. World Cup.
However, there are two notable absentees.
Ireland captain Johnny Sexton has retired and France captain Antoine Dupont will be absent from the Six Nations as he prepares to potentially star in rugby sevens at this summer’s Paris Olympics.
Jack Crowley and Maxim Luk are players who will fill their respective positions on two packed teams.
The workload was sufficient that Andy Farrell and France manager Fabien Galthie both opted to use six forwards and two backs on their substitute benches.
“We all know it’s going to be a war of attrition,” Farrell said.
“Set-pieces are valuable in every game we play against France. They are big men, they have the size of the pack and they are very accurate when it comes to set-pieces.”
Farrell added that this will also be a fast match.
“If you look at our bench, the power and pace that we have in that group is what we have to finish the game strong and I think that will work in our favor this time. .”
Veteran flanker Peter O’Mahony will captain the side and Farrell will be itching to get involved on Friday.
“The exciting thing for me is whether we have enough courage and whether we have enough courage to do what we said we were going to do,” Farrell said.
“If you want to be successful, if you want to be the best, you have to beat the best players in a place like this, and the opportunities are not that great.”
Dupont’s absence from the Sevens aside, Galthie made four other changes from the French team, which was trailing behind the Springboks, who confidently defended their Webb Ellis Cup title at the World Cup hosted by France. Chopped.
The defeat was a stain on Galthie’s otherwise largely spotless example, but the former France captain was bullish ahead of the game against Ireland.
“In the last four years, there hasn’t been a game where we didn’t have a winning condition,” Galthie said. The team’s next two home Six Nations games will be in Lille and Lyon as the Stade de France prepares for the Olympics.
“We have always heard music in the background of wanting to win.
“The obstacle is the opponents. Before the World Cup, Ireland were number one in the world, now they are number two in the world.”
“We are aware of the flow of the games. We lost to South Africa, now Ireland, again in the quarter-finals. Defeats are part of the journey, as are obstacles. We like it, there are pressures and demands. But it doesn’t matter.” It does matter to us, and that’s what we’re here for. ”
France won the Grand Slam in 2022 before being surpassed by Ireland last season, and Friday’s match once again had the feel of a title decider, without disrespecting the other four participating nations. .
“It’s going to be a great game to watch. Also, the stadium, the atmosphere, there’s no doubt that it’s the first Six Nations game after the World Cup, but the fact that I’m at a World Cup. “If you can’t get excited about it, you’re in the wrong place,” Farrell said.
LP/IWD