Ireland Vs France Review
So Ireland have lost today against France in Paris by 10 points to 9. Many people will say that this defeat is because of the injuries and also the weather had a lot to do with it but we have to face facts , having most of the 1st half possession and not making any real inroads into the French defence when in possession. All Ireland had to show for that half an hour were three Johnny Sexton penalties in reply Jules Plisson added one for the French along with missing one just before the break.
Looking at Ireland in attack , they look more adventurous on occasion but at other times they look less than sure as to what they want to do. Jonathan Sexton looks unsure of what to do at times. He is looking to the guys outside him to run smart lines and create space for the wingers and full back. Jared Payne and Robbie Henshaw looked solid in defence but I am sure that teams realise that they at this moment in time don’t look like a pairing that will cause many problems in attack.
I have seen it written many times this week that there is a perceived Leinster bias when it comes to team selection. A number of form players have not made it into the Ireland 23 and now in the wake of this defeat Joe Schmidt‘s team selection will come under closer scrutiny.
Dave Kearney on the wing along with Andrew Trimble both of these players are trusted by Joe Schmidt but it does bring into question what do players on the outside need to do to get selected. Guys like Stuart Mc Closkey , Paddy Jackson ,Craig Gilroy and Matt Healy of Connacht will see that today and wonder will they get game time before this Six Nations ends.
This defeat today is another seminal moment in the Joe Schmidt era. Yes he has masterminded two Six Nations wins in 2014 and 2015 but that is in the past and we are after yet another quarter final exit at a World Cup has put a lot of Joe Schmidt’s processes under pressure. The French haven’t really changed since the World Cup. They still depend on big forwards that carry hard and then they create openings from that.
Guy Noves of course is only two games into a four year cycle and will see some positives in the opening games of his tenure. Although both games were at home and that has to be taken into consideration. The French attack looked lost for the opening half hour but gradually through some heavy carrying and a strong scrum laid the foundations for this win.
From an Irish perspective players like CJ Stander and Tommy O Donnell stood up and were counted this week again but in the front row Nathan White was put under all sorts of pressure by both Antonio and Poirot. When Slimani and Ben Arous came on they really added to an already strong French scrum. Also the introduction of Maxime Machanaud at scrum half helped the French dictate terms when it mattered most.
The French will be extremely pleased to be two from two after a dismal World Cup, there big challenge will be in 2 weeks’ time when they are away from home. They will grow with these two wins although they still have plenty to work on in the next two weeks. What’s the betting on a France Championship win now ?? Ireland of course reach a cross roads , what does Schmidt do now , does he try and build the strength in depth up in the squad and try out new players and combinations or does he give the players another opportunity to right the wrongs of the last two weeks in London. I think he will go with the latter but I feel that no less than three wins from three will suffice to salvage this campaign…
My XV to face England in two weeks would be : 15 Rob Kearney , 14 Keith Earls , 13 Robbie Henshaw , 12 Stuart Mc Closkey , 11 Craig Gilroy , 10 Jonathan Sexton , 9 Conor Murray , 8 Jamie Heaslip , 7 Tommy O Donnell ,6 CJ Stander , 5 Donnacha Ryan , 4 Devin Toner , 3 Mike Ross , 2 Rory Best , 1 Jack Mc Grath , injury permitting of course…
By
Cian Mc Gibney
13/02/2016
