France against Ireland promises to be a blockbuster and without wishing to be overly anglocentric about a match between the two leading sides in Europe, there is an irresistible narrative as Shaun Edwards and Andy Farrell lock horns again. They are two legends of rugby – winning dozens of major titles during their careers – and I have had the privilege of playing under both.
Shaun was the only coach who created a personal relationship between me and defence. If I missed a tackle he almost had a look about him that said: “Why would you do that to me?” Sometimes it is just a case of a bigger man running over a slightly smaller man, but I feared the feedback and the repercussions of not doing my job. Shaun, now France’s defence coach, was able to instil that feeling in me. To this day I cannot comprehend how the Rugby Football Union has not written him a blank cheque. His mantra is ‘defence wins you championships’ and throughout his coaching career he has proven it to be the case.
Similarly, Andy is an unbelievably good motivator. He would have me ready to play Saturday’s game on a Tuesday just by knowing what buttons to press in the team meeting room before going out to train. He got off to a slightly rocky start as Ireland’s head coach, which in many ways was inevitable. He was still learning on the job and it was always going to take time for Ireland to transition after having someone like Joe Schmidt at the helm, but to me Ireland look the most settled team in the tournament. I’m a huge fan of Andy’s. He’s someone who understands his people extremely well which is such an important quality as a head coach who oversees so many players and staff. I get fed up when I hear that good people can’t make good coaches so I’m delighted to see Andy proving them wrong.
Shaun and Andy know how to manipulate the emotions of their players and get them ready. That’s all you can do as a coach. Good coaches get you believing and doing things that might not be second nature to you. Take France as an example. Their DNA is the manner in which they attack, which is great when they have their tails up, but can they be as desperate in defence as they are electric in attack? That is where Shaun comes in because Ireland have that under Andy. I believe that this Ireland team, in terms of cohesion and clarity of gameplan, are ahead of France at the moment.
The potential in the French team is astronomical but I’m not sure they are at the same level of togetherness yet. In a condensed tournament such as the Six Nations where you have five matches back-to-back, or a World Cup where it is seven, I would always look to teams who can bank on their set-piece and their defence. There are so many moving parts in attack and there are times when it just does not function. I look at Ireland and see a team built on defence and set-piece. France, on the other hand, are trying to twin defence and attack but with a greater emphasis on the latter which is why I’m leaning towards Ireland on Saturday. If anyone can prove me wrong though, it is Shaun Edwards.
Had you asked me on Monday I’d have been even more confident backing Ireland but then came the news that Johnny Sexton would be absent. When we talk about Sexton we often focus on things like leadership, experience and temperament but we can often forget just how talented he is. The best way to illustrate how important Sexton is to Ireland is that famous drop-goal in Paris four years ago. It all started with his pinpoint 22 drop-out. Of course going through 41 phases, when one mistake means it’s all over, requires remarkable effort and execution from everyone in the team but Sexton was the conductor. The composure and accuracy he showed to win the match sums him up.
Joey Carbery is a fine player in his own right. He has been badly hampered by injuries but this weekend gets his shot. He is helped by the fact that Ireland have a very robust and considered game plan and he will be slotting into a side that feels familiar. The challenge is that he is not coming on to the pitch with Ireland already having established dominance as was the case against Wales. He has to hit the ground running from the word go.
Ultimately small margins are going to decide this match. We often talk about “No Talent Required” – things like how quickly you get up off the floor, how hard you work in the back of the field or making good decisions at the ruck. I have more confidence in Ireland doing that for 80 minutes than I do France but Gabin Villière’s second try against Italy was a great example. Can they show that sort of effort on both sides of the ball for 80 minutes? If they can then they could find themselves in the box seat for the championship and as much as they are a delight to watch, they desperately need a Six Nations title this year or next, before they host the World Cup. They can take a major step closer to that on Saturday.
