Inspirational France caption Fabien Galthie admits Ireland have the firepower to ruin his side's Grand Slam bid. But the veteran scrum-half has no intention of losing sleep over the next fortnight worrying about what could go wrong on the final day of the 2002 Six Nations Championship in Paris.
France set up the chance of their first Grand Slam since 1998 with an impressive 22-10 win over Scotland at Murrayfield. Although Ireland scuppered England's Grand Slam hopes in the last Championship, Galthie is confident his emerging team can make their mark on Six Nations history.
"Of course we respect the Irish, but in Paris we are not frightened of anyone," Galthie said. "They have some good players, a good kicker and of course Brian O'Driscoll. He is a real star, but I will not be worrying about him for 14 days."
France have recently recorded victories in Paris over Southern Hemisphere powerhouses Australia and South Africa, as well as stunning Clive Woodward's world number one-ranked England team just over three weeks ago. Add in highly competent wins in Cardiff and Edinburgh and it is easy to see why Eddie O'Sullivan's side will be clear underdogs on Saturday week.
"We had a very tough game against Scotland and, of course, England were difficult to beat. We had to do different things well in those two games and, of course, one was at home and the other was away, but we won both," Galthie added.
Filed by Sinéad Kissane
