Ireland v France - Teams and Predictions
SIX NATIONS, ROUND TWO: Billy Burns can erase the disappointment of his final kick in Ireland’s 16-21 loss to Wales and show he is the natural successor to Johnny Sexton against Six Nations favourites France on Sunday.
The 26-year-old flyhalf dropped to his knees, head bowed, after he missed with his kick to touch close to the Welsh line in the dying seconds of the game.
But the Ulster playmaker has been given a vote of confidence by head coach Andy Farrell and chosen to fill the vacuum left by Sexton.
The 35-year-old Irish captain failed to pass return-to-play protocols after taking a knock to the head against Wales despite optimism earlier in the week that he would make it.
Burns will not have the reassuring experience of Conor Murray at scrumhalf, out with a hamstring injury. Instead, New Zealand-born Jamison Gibson-Park has been given the nod.
It will be the first time since 2011 that neither Sexton nor Murray feature in a Six Nations match for Ireland – coincidentally the same year France last won in Dublin.
The figures are stark. Burns and Gibson-Park have 10 Ireland caps between them compared with a combined 184 for the veteran pair.
They will face a French partnership of scrumhalf Antoine Dupont – so talented he was labelled a “Martian” by teammate Cyril Baille this week – and the exciting Matthieu Jalibert.
Despite the daunting prospect, Farrell said the pair had a chance to make a statement.
“One man’s loss is another man’s opportunity,” said the Ireland coach.
England-born Burns took his opportunity when Sexton was injured for part of the Nations Cup last year and looked more at ease than his rival for the succession, Ross Byrne.
Farrell admires the “dynamism” Burns brings, saying he had moved on from his disappointment in Cardiff and had been leading training this week “as a flyhalf should do”.
Both Burns and Gibson-Park have been backed by their teammates.
“Jamison is cool as a breeze,” said veteran wing Keith Earls, who wins his 90th cap on Sunday. “He has played massive games for Leinster before.”
“There will be no fear for him, no fear for both of them,” he added. “We’re all quite confident they will be just as good as Conor and Johnny.”
‘Limit his damage’
France coach Fabien Galthie also sees a threat from the pair, believing Gibson-Park is a less orthodox player than Murray but predicts Ireland will stick to their traditional approach.
Galthie has preferred Damian Penaud to Teddy Thomas on the wing, expecting Ireland’s tactics to continue to focus on “kicking down the tramlines and the aerial battle”.
Burns and Gibson-Park will be keen to have as much ball as possible and get it out to their powerhouse wing James Lowe.
Gibson-Park has so far shown himself better with the ball in hand than in defence – he was exposed last week by the Welsh for Louis Rees-Zammit’s try.
The exuberant New Zealander can expect to be targeted by the French and he acknowledges he needs to work on his weaknesses.
“Obviously, mistakes are amplified aren’t they? That’s the big thing,” he said of Test rugby. “The small margins, that’s huge. Something I’ll definitely work on.”
Ireland need to stop Dupont if they are to get their Six Nations campaign back on track.
The 24-year-old ran the show, scoring France’s first try in their last meeting with Ireland, a 35-27 victory in the final 2020 Six Nations match in Paris last October.
“He’s an amazing player,” said Lowe. “To me, the world’s best player at the moment.
“He’s the key man and someone that we have to try to limit his damage. He’s the one we’re going for.”
Players to watch:
For Ireland: The spotlight will definitely be on the halfbacks. Flyhalf Billy Burns will look to right the wrongs after last weekend’s loss to Wales. New Zealand-born Jamison Gibson-Park will also be out to prove that he can be the complete package at Test level. Wing James Lowe is lethal out wide, while CJ Stander is a menace at the breakdowns and with ball in hand.
For France: Antoine Dupont is regarded by many as the world’s best rugby player at the moment. The stocky Toulouse scrumhalf is a player who catches the eye and makes things happen around the field. Matthieu Jalibert is an exciting flyhalf, who can unlock any defence. Up front, South African-born locks Paul Willemse and Bernard Le Roux are the muscle in the pack and they will provide the power in the physical exchanges.
Head to head:
The battle between the halfbacks will be an interesting one. Matthieu Jalibert and Antoine Dupont have been impressive for France, while Billy Burns and Jamison Gibson Park still have a lot to do to win over some Irish fans.
Last 10 encounters
Predictions
@rugby365com: France by five points
Teams:
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 James Lowe, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Jamison Gibson Park, 8 CJ Stander, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Rhys Ruddock, 5 Iain Henderson (captain), 4 Tadhg Beirne, 3 Andrew Porter, 2 Rob Herring, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Ed Byrne, 18 Tadhg Furlong, 19 Ultan Dillane, 20 Will Connors, 21 Craig Casey, 22 Ross Byrne, 23 Jordan Larmour.
France: 15 Brice Dulin, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Arthur Vincent, 12 Gael Fickou, 11 Gabin Villiere, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont, 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Charles Ollivon (captain), 6 Anthony Jelonch, 5 Paul Willemse, 4 Bernard Le Roux, 3 Mohamed Haouas, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Cyril Baille.
Replacements: 16 Pierre Bourgarit, 17 Hassane Kolingar, 18 Uini Atonio, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Dylan Cretin, 21 Baptiste Serin, 22 Anthony Bouthier, 23 Teddy Thomas.
Date: Sunday, February 14
Venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin
Kick-off: 15.00 (15.00 GMT; 16.00 France time)
Expected weather: It will be windy and there will be rain with a high of 12°C.
Referee: Luke Pearce (England)
Assistant Referees: Wayne Barnes (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Tom Foley (England)
