(In an interview with Gerry Thornley, The Irish Times)It feels a little odd being in France on the weekend of an Ireland-France match in the Six Nations. To give players games over here during the championship they play a League Cup, a regionalised competition which is known amongst the players as the Coupe de Merde. And so, unfortunately, not having got a call from Ireland it's the Coupe de Merde for me this Friday at home to Castres.
Last weekend though, was a big weekend in the French championship, with the last round of first phase matches. The big surprise in the other group was that Montferrand were edged out by Bourgoin after losing at home to Grenoble, and so miss out on the Heineken Cup next season.
They have plenty of money, loads of internationals, and had been expected to qualify again. Several of the players who'll be playing for France this Saturday in Lansdowne Road are with Montferrand, fellas like Olivier Brouzet, Olivier Magne, Aurelien Rougerie and Gerald Merceron, while Tony Marsh made his comeback at the weekend and David Bory was also playing.
In nearly all the other games though, it was agreed that the international players should be rested, which shows how seriously they're taking next Saturday's game. We were playing Agen, and there was a bit of needle from the first game, so it was a 19,000 sell-out from two weeks ago. I got my one-match ban following that game and Yannick Bru lost his place in the French squad for the autumn games after getting a three-week ban.
When I went home over Christmas I was fairly conscious of the amount people were drinking around me, and I never thought I'd say that either. We do live in more of a pub culture, whereas here there's more to do.
I started with David Gerard in the second-row because Fabien Pelous was on the bench. The French outhalf Francois Gelez didn't come on until 20 minutes to go for them, and Jean-Jacques Crenca didn't come on for them until the last 30. Fabien eventually came on for me as I had to go off and get five stitches in my head. There'd been a lot of excitement in the build-up to the game and I had to get 20 tickets for the match _ four for the pizza man, two for the owner of the Killarney pub, four for my father, my brother Ronnie, Paula's sister Jess and her boyfriend Lofty, and another ten for neighbours and friends.
It's been the story of the season and having read his book I'm beginning to feel like Roy Keane. He complained that he spent his time running around getting tickets and I seem to finding hotels and organising tickets since I got here.
We won 27-6 and beat them well, so we finished second behind Agen and now we go on to the next group of play-offs, when we play Biarritz, Bourgoin and Pau, home and away, with the top two qualifying for the semi-finals.
Tickets seem to be as scarce over here for the Ireland-France game. It's created a huge amount of interest. I asked a few of the guys not in the French squad, like William Servat and Yannick Bru, what they thought about Saturday's game and they all said a win for Ireland. Patrick Lazalou, the prop signed from Gloucester instead of the Claw, and myself had a long chat about the game after training yesterday. He thought that the Irish team was getting stronger and had made fantastic progress over the last year, and that it had no real weakness.
All the lads feel that the first 20 minutes in Lansdowne Road is as tough a place as anywhere to go, that Irish teams always come at visiting teams, and that the first 20 minutes is always very physical. The support in Lansdowne Road is a massive factor, they feel. Unlike Twickenham, Cardiff or Murrayfield, the crowd is really on top of you, and the French find that very intimidating.
The young scrumhalf, Yachvili, is facing his first real test, after playing against Canada in the autumn and coming on for the last few minutes against Scotland. He is a good player but there's a fear over here that the occasion could get to him. Gelez, too, hasn't really been tested yet and they think they're the guys who could really be targeted, with maybe Victor running at the number ten channel and Keith Gleeson hounding him all day.
They might try and target the Irish front-row with Reggie out, but the line-out is an area Ireland can target. About 60% of the French line-out seems to be thrown to their number 8 Harinordoquy so as to give the French backs fast ball to attack with. Watching the Irish line-out in the games against Scotland and Italy, they seem to be cutting off a lot of ball, and they might be tempted to put a block at the tail.
But Ireland will do well to get anything out of Fabien Pelous at the front. He is the best man to throw the ball to at the front of the line that I've ever seen. Against the All Blacks in the autumn he took six balls off their throw and he does that kind of thing on a regular basis for us. He's very fast into the air on his own even without being lifted. So I'd say they'll throw everything within 30 yards of their own line at Pelous and everything outside of that to Harinordoquy.
French threats? Vincent Clerc hasn't got any ball in the last two games and has been playing more like a back-row forward because he's had to hit so many rucks. But if he gets ball he's a huge threat. He runs like Brian O'Driscoll and is as quick as Denis Hickie. The fullback, Poitrenaud, likes to run it from everywhere. He'll mark it and then tap and go. Ireland will need to be awake and ready for that.
France seem to be using the Irish game as a test to see where they are, coming up to the World Cup. They definitely believe Ireland are a major force, that they have the best draw with the other two big guns at home. The Irish games have been getting a full page in Midi Olympique and Thierry Lacroix, who is working for French tv reckoned that not only had Ireland the best backline in the Six Nations, but that they had the best backline in the world.
The talk amongst the players is that Ireland are contenders for glory. The experienced players like Fabien, who've been around the block, won't admit it to you, but the fellas outside the French squad will.
Myself, I've had a fair bit of banter with them, ever since Ireland beat Italy. I went in on the Monday morning after that game and the betting has hardly stopped since. I've about â'¬500 in tens, 20s and â'¬50 bets. Ireland, to me, look like a team on a mission. Some of the lads were asking me if I'd got a call up for the A squad and when I said no they said 'Thank God'. In the France A game in Ravenhill two years ago Yannick Bru says "you put me to sleep for five minutes with a tackle." They're all delighted I'm not playing.
I would love to be involved, especially knowing so many of the lads now. But at least I'll be able to watch the match from the Killarney, with a big creamy pint in front of me. That's some compensation.
