Head to Head: Ireland v France
by Bernard Jackman
With both teams selected, Leinster and Ireland hooker Bernard Jackman takes a took at the player v player battles - and the clash of the coaches - ahead of Ireland's key Pool D clash against France on Friday night.
The Coaches: Bernard Laporte v Eddie O'Sullivan
Bernard Laporte has been French coach for eight years now and leaves the job after the World cup for a job with the French Ministry of Sport. He has tried to instil discipline onto his players over the years but seems to be unsure of his best fifteen and got the tactics badly wrong against Argentina. He isn't afraid to make changes and will make substitutions at any stage of the game.
O'Sullivan signed up for four more years at the helm prior to this World Cup but he is now unquestionably under more pressure than at any time in his career.
It will be seen as a huge failure if Ireland don't manage to qualify from the group with what many consider to be the most talented group of players that we have ever had. O'Sullivan has been criticised for his loyalty to some players, as well as a reluctance to us the bench. The onus is now on the players he has stuck with to repay that loyalty.
Clement Poitrenaud v Girvan Dempsey (full-back)
This is a battle between mister dependable in Dempsey and mister erratic in Poitrenaud. Girvan has been his usual consistent self in our first two games and took his try very well against Georgia.
Poitrenaud is prone to serious lapses of concentration in defence but is a brilliant attacking player. The experiment of playing Heymans at full back failed against Argentina and in a problem position for them, Laporte needs Poitrenaud to have one of his good days.
Vincent Clerc v Shane Horgan (wing)
Clerc scored the late winning try for France in Croke Park earlier this year and is surprisingly powerful with ball in hand for a man of his size. Shane Horgan has missed a few games after getting injured in the warm up against Scotland and looks to be lacking match sharpness. He is however one of the leaders in the team and a confirmed big game performer.
David Marty v Brian O'Driscoll (outside centre)
Perpignan centre David Marty's selection ahead of Yannick Jauzion is a great plus for Ireland. Jauzion is one of the best centres in the world and has a wide enough range of skills to have played out-half for Toulouse.
Marty reads the game reasonably well and is dangerous for intercept tries. He is, however, easy to tackle and O'Driscoll should be able to make good yardage down his channel.
Damien Traille v Gordon D'Arcy (inside centre)
Traille is a big man for a centre and makes it count. He has the best kicking game in this French backline. D'Arcy has been quiet so far but is a class act and if we can get him some quick ball is capable of winning this battle.
Cedric Heymans v Andrew Trimble (wing)
Heymans is one of the best finishers in the game. Trimble is very strong but probably more suited to centre. Heymans will have more speed so it's imperative that Trimble gets his angles right on defence.
Frederic Michalak v Ronan O'Gara (out-half)
The key battle I feel. Michalak is one of the best attacking players in the world; he has all the handling tricks along with a serious turn of pace. He is, however, very light for a modern day player and also mentally fragile if put under pressure.
Ronan O 'Gara has developed into one of the most influential outside halves in the world. Like Horgan, he is a big game player and you can count on him to perform on Friday night.
Jean-Baptiste Elissalde v Eoin Reddan (scrum-half)
Jean-Baptiste Ellisade's father and grandfather were both French internationals and the Toulouse player has a great temperament for the game. He is an outstanding place kicker and he doesn't break often but when he does its usually effective.
Reddan is for me the player that can spark this Irish team into form. On a day when he scored two tries himself, he was the difference when Leinster lost to Wasps in the Heineken Cup in April. While he hasn't had many opportunities in the Irish shirt he has incredible pace and has the confidence to take the game to the French from the start.
Olivier Milloud (1) v John Hayes (3) (prop)
Milloud is a very good scrummager and a very aggressive player generally. John Hayes needs to pin the scrum on our ball like he did in Croke park in the Six Nations. Outside the scrum, Hayes' work rate is higher around the pitch and he is also a bigger influence at lineouts.
Raphael Ibanez v Jerry Flannery (hooker)
France has the strongest set of hookers in the World Cup and the charismatic Ibanez gets the nod in selection mainly due to his leadership. I played against him last April and for a small man he is tough and uncompromising. His throwing can be dodgy under pressure and we need to get our jumpers in the air to try and expose this.
The change at hooker makes it an all Munster front five which will help our lineout by adding an extra bit of understanding and cohesion. Aside from that, Flannery is very explosive around the park and because he has been sitting on the bench for the last while I see him having a stormer on Friday night.
Pieter De Villiers (3) v Marcus Horan (1) (prop)
De Villiers is a renowned scrummager but isn't the most mobile. Horan needs to match de Villiers in the scrum but show the form around the field which has made him such an influential player in the past.
Sebastien Chabal v Donncha O'Callaghan (lock)
Bernard Laporte has been very slow to select Chabal in his first fifteen but following their defeat to Argentina the French public demanded that their favourite start. Injury to Fabien Pelous means that he goes into in the second row rather than his club position of back row.
He is a brilliant ball carrier and can make huge hits. However, he isn't the best in the lineout. The lineout battle will be central to the outcome and hopefully Donncha O'Callaghan can steal a ball or two on the French throw. Elsewhere, his work rate is very high but probably needs to get his hands on the ball more often.
Jerome Thion v Paul O'Connell (lock)
Thion is one of the most under-rated lineout operators in the game and the Biaritz lock's play around the park is also top quality. If Ireland are to win, O'Connell needs to lead the pack into battle and dominate his opposite number in all areas of the game.
Serge Betsen v Simon Easterby (blindside)
Two players who don't say much but are actually the heartbeat of their respective teams. Betsen will be hell bent on getting to O'Gara and his tackle counts are always massive. Easterby is a great lineout target and as he showed on the Lions tour to New Zealand, he can mix it with the best of them.
Thierry Dusautoir v David Wallace (openside)
Toulouse flanker Dusautoir has only a handful of caps and lacks size but is very fast. Wallace is Ireland's most powerful ball carrier and, now that he has two games under his belt after an injury lay-off, we should see an improved performance Friday evening.
Julien Bonnaire v Denis Leamy (number 8)
Bonnaire gives the French a target at the back of the lineout but he lacks Leamy's power and dynamism. Leamy will be relieved to have escaped citing for a stamp against Georgia and needs to be his usual confrontational self by getting in the French packs faces and disrupting their possession.
