Paul O'Connell says the current French team are "potentially" the toughest he will ever face. They are also, potentially, the worst.
SportsJOE was confidently predicting a home Ireland win, against France, earlier in the week but confidence always seems to fade to closer we get to kick-off. To soothe our nerves, we got the team-sheets out, doled out entirely subjective marks and totted up the numbers.
Let's start with the lads at the back...
Rob Kearney vs Scott Spedding
Handy as France-qualified Spedding looks, the Leinster fullback is the clear winner here. Kearney's counter-attacking has been second to none in the past 18 months and, on form, he delivers a real cutting edge to the Irish attack.
Kearney 8, Spedding 7
Tommy Bowe vs Yoann Huget
Two high class players here. Both are sizeable for wingers but Bowe [102kg] is the bigger of the two. Proven Test try-scorers and game-breakers.
Bowe 8, Huget 8
Jared Payne vs. Mathieu Bastareaud
Payne has undoubted talent but is still feeling his way into Test rugby. Bastareaud has two Test tries to his name but, as evidenced last March, he is unstoppable when he motors up.
Payne 6, Bastareaud 7
Robbie Henshaw vs Wesley Fofana
We're rating on Test form here so Henshaw loses out to the Clermont centre, but not by much. Henshaw's defence is up to scratch but he only shows his attacking threat in patches. Fofana's weakness is his lack of subtlety in midfield.
Henshaw 6, Fofana 7
Simon Zebo vs Teddy Thomas
The exciting, unpredictable left wingers. Both score in bursts and are a handful for opposing defenders. Zeo and Thomas have been working hard on their defence in recent months but one hopes it is not at the cost of their sheer, attacking instincts.
Zebo 7, Thomas 6
Johnny Sexton vs Camille Lopez
Lopez proved his mettle for Clermont in Europe this season and proved steady from the kicking tee against Scotland. Sexton is unquestionably world-class and improves the Irish backline by his presence, confidence and vision.
Sexton 9, Lopez 6
Conor Murray vs Rory Kockott
If Murray is not world-class [an often overused tag], he is not far away. Very few weaknesses in his game. A growing voice of leadership within the Irish camp. Kockott is, French coach Philippe Saint-André hopes, the scrum-half answer the nation has long sought. Intelligent kicker and has an eye for defensive holes.
Murray 8, Kockott 7
Jack McGrath vs Rabah Slimani
If Cian Healy where here, this would be a no-contest. Slimani is fresh on the scene, having pressed his claims with a successful Stade Francais side. McGrath has seamlessly stepped up at Test level but needs to work on his penalty-conceding discipline.
McGrath 7, Slimani 6
Rory Best vs Guilhem Guirado
[caption id="attachment_12758" align="alignnone" width="630"]
RORY BEST: The hooker was concussed against Italy but management are hopeful that he will be cleared to play France.[/caption]
Anyone that is keeping Sean Cronin out of a team must be doing well. Best has been Ireland's go-to hooker for the past five seasons and is often employed as an extra loose forward. Guirado moved from, Perpignan to Toulon last summer and has beaten off Dimitri Szarzewski for the French No.2 jersey. Sturdy yet unspectacular.
Best 8, Guiradio 7
Mike Ross vs Eddy Ben Arous
One swallow does not make a summer but Ross, after a shaky winter, looked back to his best against Italy. Ben Arous is undistinguished at international level but has done well for an in-form Racing Métro team this season.
Ross 7, Ben Arous 6
Devin Toner vs Pascal Papé
Ireland's line-out totem has revelled in Test life under Joe Schmidt. Ruck clearing and tackle percentages have improved in the past two years. Pape is a menace and loves getting right up opponents' nostrils.
Toner 7, Papé 7
Paul O'Connell vs Yoann Maestri
Two of the best forward sluggers in the Northern Hemisphere. Maestri will cause problems in the line-out, loose and is a hefty pack presence. O'Connell is another of Ireland's world-class men and he has been for well over a decade now.
O'Connell 9, Maestri 8
Peter O'Mahony vs. Bernard Le Roux
France play their No.7's at blindside so we are matching Racing Métro's Le Roux with the Munster captain. O'Mahony is a beast for the Irish cause and is crucial to their breakdown and phase play success. Le Roux has a smidge more flair but is used to rolling up his sleeves.
O'Mahony 7, Le Roux 7
Sean O'Brien vs Thierry Dusautoir
If the hamstring, ankle and shoulder hold out, O'Brien will deliver the ball-carrying, line-breaking, offloading presence they have missed for the past 18 months. Majestic at full, bullish tilt. Dusautoir is a serious operator and a talisman for the French pack. Often leads tackle counts and turnovers.
O'Brien 8, Dusautoir 8
Jamie Heaslip vs Damien Chouly
Saint-André has come around to the Chouly way of thinking in the past year and his club form, with Clermont, has been impressive. Heaslip is a one-man machine for Schmidt's Ireland - close-in carries, ruck clearing, ball-carrying. Constantly delivers 80-minute performances.
Heaslip 8, Chouly 7
Result
IRELAND: 113
FRANCE: 104
