Six Nations Preview: Ireland vs France

Ireland vs France at the Aviva Stadium
(Sunday, February 26, 12.50am HKT)

James Harrington previews must-win match for two teams with plenty to prove.

What we can expect
High-tempo, high-intensity, hard-hitting rugby on a typically ‘soft’ February day in Dublin.

Ireland
Irish eyes will be looking for just one name on the teamsheet. And, yes, he’s back. Johnny Sexton is set to make his first start in the 2017 Six Nations on the day Ireland make their first appearance at home in the tournament. Meanwhile, Jack McGrath slots back in to start at prop with Cian Healy dropping back to the bench, and captain Rory Best is also back after missing the Italy win with a stomach bug.

Matchday 23: Kearney, Earls, Ringrose, Henshaw, Zebo, Sexton, Murray, McGrath, Best, Furlong, D Ryan, Toner, CJ Stander, O’Brien, Heaslip. Bench: Scannell, Healy, J Ryan, Henderson, O’Mahony, Marmion, Jackson, Trimble

France
Guy Novès has made three changes from the starting XV that beat Scotland in Paris a fortnight ago. Two are injury-enforced: Yoann Huget comes in for Virimi Vakatawa, while Bernard Le Roux will pack down alongside Kevin Gourdon and Louis Picamoles, with Loann Goujon and Damien Chouly both in the infirmary. But he’s also called up Rabah Slimani – with Uini Atonio dropping to the bench, where he’ll sit alongside a new-look set of replacements including Eddy Ben Arous, Charles Ollivon, Henry Chavancy and Djibril Camara. Les Bleus look short of cover at 10, with starting scrum-half Serin likely to step in if Lopez is injured, and they still don’t have a consistent kicker, which could be a problem.

Matchday 23: Spedding, Huget, Lamerat, Fickou, Nakaitaci, Lopez, Serin; Baille, Guirado, Slimani, Vahaamahina, Maestri, Le Roux, Gourdon, Picamoles Bench: Tolofua, Atonio, Ben Arous, Le Devedec, Ollivon, Machenaud, Chavancy, Camara

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All eyes on: Johnny Sexton
Sexton has not played for Ireland since the November internationals and has managed barely two hours of club rugby in the three months since then. But he is so important to Ireland that it is no surprise he has been called up now he has proved his fitness. It will also come as no surprise to see a conveyor-belt of hairy-arsed French forwards launching themselves at him from the very first whistle.

Key battle: The forwards
The French pack, while it still has plenty of oomph, is more mobile than many give credit – and with the likes of Ollivon, Ben Arous and Le Devedec in wait on the bench, the Irish can expect little let-up for 80 minutes.

Prediction
The difference will be in the accuracy of the kicking – and there the hosts have the edge. Ireland by 6.