Farewell and Adieu to you…….
1 March 1975 - This man played his last game for Ireland at Lansdowne Road.
On that great day Ireland, the defending champions, thrashed France 25-6, with Willie-John McBride, on his last Test appearance at Lansdowne scoring his 1st try for Ireland.
The omens are promising. There is an undeniable power in the symmetry…..
IRELAND: Keenan; Osborne, Henshaw, Aki, Lowe; Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Porter, Sheehan, Bealham; J McCarthy, Beirne; O’Mahony, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).
Replacements: Herring, Healy, Clarkson, Ryan, Baird, Conan, Murray, Crowley.
https://www.irishrugby.ie/2025/03/06/easterby-names-ireland-team-to-face-france-at-aviva-stadium/
FRANCE: Ramos; Penaud, Barassi, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Ntamack, Dupont (capt); Gros, Mauvaka, Atonio; Flament, Guillard; Cros, Boudehent, Alldritt.
Replacements: Marchand, Baille, Aldegheri, Meafou, Auradou, Jegou, Jelonch, Lucu.
https://www.ffr.fr/actualites/xv-de-france/tournoi-des-six-nations-la-composition-pour-lirlande
Officials: Ref: Angus Gardner (RA), Assistants: Christophe Ridley (RFU) Matthew Carley (RFU)
TMO: Ian Tempest (RFU) . FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)
TV: RTÉ2, ITV
1975 was also the year of one of the greatest thrillers in history.
"Sometimes that shark, he looks right into ya. Right into your eyes. Y'know the thing about a shark, he's got... lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be livin'... until he bites ya. And those black eyes roll over white, and then...oh, then you hear that terrible high-pitch screamin', the field turns red, and spite of all the poundin' and the hollerin', they all come in and they... rip you to pieces." - Quint, JAWS; 1975
"You're going to need a bigger bench." - Peter O'Mahony; 2025
KILLER POM STAT:
Ireland have never lost to France when he started.
8 Starts, 7 Wins, 1 Draw.
Incredible.
Here’s three old adages that I believe will ring true tomorrow.
- Which France will turn up?
- Forwards win matches; backs decide by how much.
- Experience matters.
WHICH FRANCE WILL TURN UP?
The French have some supremely talented players and are marshalled around the field by one of the greatest to ever play the game.
However, this group have only won the one Championship (2022 Grand Slam). There is/was pressure on this team to deliver more. Much more and There is probably even more pressure on the French coaches.
If France lose this I wouldn’t be surprised if Galthié will be asked to resign his position at the end of the 6 Nations.
From an outsider looking in I think the French players are getting a bit fed up with Galthié/Edwards and their ‘eccentrics’.
So the question remains - Will the French implode or will they explode? If Ireland start well I think it will be the former.
FORWARDS WIN MATCHES; BACKS DECIDE BY HOW MUCH.
The headline is the amount of forwards on the benches. 7-1 Is an unnecessary gamble from France. It's a selection that has all the hallmarks of a head coach who has run out of ideas and has more than a touch of desperation about it.
However, I believe the winning and losing of the game will come down to the starting packs.
Ireland have the better Back row and Locks. Of that I have little doubt. Ireland also have the better Front row forwards, but only in the loose.
Scrum is where France will hold the ascendancy. Rightly or wrongly Irelands scrum has a reputation. Unfortunately It’s now a bad reputation. Particularly Porter and particularly in the eyes (mind’s eye?) of the English officials.
More than likely Ireland will concede some penalties at the scrum. Ramos will kick any pen in the Irish half and Ntamack is excellent at long-range touch finders. The Irish defensive lineout has been very strong this championship and will need to stop/disrupt the ball at source to prevent Dupont running wild.
The attacking lineout has also been a set-piece of concern for Ireland for years. In the last two games v France it went well with Sheehan, POM, Beirne (Ryan) and even Joe McCarthy securing good ball for mauls and launch plays. Critical that that continues tomorrow.
Forwards will lay the platform for the two best half backs on the planet to perform. Gibson-Park is integral to this Irish team it just so happens that the opposition scrum-half is the greatest to ever play the game.
https://www.sixnationsrugby.com/en/m6n/news/the-defining-head-to-head-of-2025
EXPERIENCE MATTERS.
Ireland have 12 players over the age of 30 in the matchday squad. France have only 4 over the age of 30.
Ut est rerum omnium magister usus/ Experience is the teacher of all things – Julius Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Civili, 46 BC
There is a healthy competitive rivalry that has built up between these teams over the years. France have won 3 of the last 5 meetings between the two. With Ireland now hoping for their third consecutive win over France.
But there is another layer to this. The La Rochelle and Toulouse rivalry with Leinster.
There are 20 Leinster players in the Irish squad who have lost to 18 of the Toulouse/La Rochelle players in the last 3 European Cup Finals.
The French and Irish players are now deep-seated rivals.
You could argue that Ireland have 2 or 3 players with too much experience. That the fine balance between experience and ‘old’ has just tipped the wrong way.
Too few of the great Irish players got the fairytale ending. O’Driscoll, who set the wheels in motion 25 years ago in Paris, signed off by lifting the trophy with a win in the Stade De France in 2014.
I believe that Healy, Murray and O’Mahony will bid farewell to us all with a memorable victory tomorrow in Lansdowne road. It would be fitting if those three great gladiators of Irish rugby go out on their shields and raise the trophy in Rome.
Veni,
Cian Healy - 136 caps
Vidi,
Connor Murray – 124 caps
Vici
Peter O’Mahony – 112 caps
