Hooker Shane Byrne insists he will not be intimidated by the atmosphere at the Stade de France on Saturday - instead his focus will be on neutralising the vaunted French front row.
Byrne packs down between props Reggie Corrigan and John Hayes for the RBS 6 Nations opener in Paris and admits the Irish trio face a mighty challenge against Sylvain Marconnet, William Servat and Pieter de Villiers.
The scars of France's crushing front-row display during the World Cup quarter-finals last November have yet to heal for Byrne, who witnessed their domination from the safety of the bench.
But the 30-year-old Leinster forward has resumed his place in the starting line-up following the retirement of Keith Wood and has marked his return by warning France that Ireland's front row will meet them head- on. "It's not really the venue that makes the difference in the match, it's more the front row you're playing against that is important. The French front row are rated very highly and I know why," he said.
"They really stamped their mark on the match during the first scrum in Melbourne when we last played them. We are well aware how good they are so we've been doing a lot of work on our scrummaging. Their quality is beyond question but it's good that we are aware of what we have to deal with - they certainly won't be springing any shocks because we're up for this one."
Wood monopolised the number two shirt during his glittering career but Byrne has managed to pick up 24 caps by filling in for the former captain when he was sidelined through injury. His opposite number on Saturday will be debutant Servat, who has the unenviable task of stepping into the shoes of the old campaigner Raphael Ibanez, and Byrne will relish introducing the 23-year-old to international rugby.
But he is aware that he must perform against the youngster or risk losing his place to Frank Sheahan. "Hooker is a very competitive position but that's the way it should be because it draws the best from you. Frank is breathing down my neck - he isn't just a substitute. He's just as good as me and can fill the position just as well," he said.
"You have to stay on top of your game. The selection this time saw six or seven positions which were up for grabs. No one knew who was going to get the nod, so there were a lot of inner sighs of relief when the team was announced."
Filed by Barry J Whyte
