Serge Betsen will have more on his mind than the Six Nations when he runs out at Lansdowne Road with the French side on Saturday.
For the Biarritz Olympique flanker will be hoping to lay down a marker with the Leinster Lions contingent in the Grand Slam chasing Irish side ahead of his club's Heineken Cup quarter-final clash in Dublin on Saturday, 12 April.
And having never won before in Ireland on five previous visits, Betsen is hoping to make it three wins in a row at Lansdowne Road before the season ends.
Saturday's Six Nations sell-out will be the starting point. After that he hopes to steer Biarritz to victory over Leinster and return to Dublin for the Heineken Cup final on 24 May.
'I have never won in Ireland,' admitted Betsen. 'I lost there two years ago with France and I have lost to Munster, Leinster and Ulster on their own grounds in the Heineken Cup.
'I have also lost there with France A, so it's about time to stop the rot!
'Lansdowne Road remains a hugely mythical stadium, one of the few international grounds that still has a grip on the past,' said Betsen, a loser in Dublin two years ago.
'With the train rattling past behind the ground, for example, it is one of the rare grounds in modern rugby at which you respect the history it exudes. What it also presents is a strong psychological barrier which can be difficult for a player to overcome.
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'I would put a lot of that down to the power of the Irish people when they get behind their team. There is a huge harmony between the public and the Irish players.
'That produces an extra pressure. The support the home side receives from the fans in the stands so often lifts the Irish to another level.
'Psychologically, with both France and Biarritz, we will be trying not to think about those outside influences. Individually, all the French players will have it in their minds that any game at Lansdowne Road is going to be a huge physical challenge.'
Betsen's head-to-head battle with Keith Gleeson will be one of the deciding factors in Saturday's match - and when the two opensides meet again in the Heineken Cup quarter-final.
Gleeson has been in sparkling form for both Leinster and Ireland this season and will be looking to win the psychological battle with Betsen ahead of their return bout in the Heineken Cup.