Scott Bemand believes his team have earned the right to travel to France with confidence this week, but insists the group "hasn't got ahead of itself".
Ireland haven't beaten the French in nine years, while they have never won away in France in the Guinness Women’s Six Nations, but recent results have shown the gap between the two sides has closed considerably.
Last year’s meeting in Belfast saw Ireland within striking distance heading into the final quarter of an hour before the French showed their experience to close it out, while they came even closer to getting over the line at the World Cup, losing 18-13 in the quarter-final, having been 13-0 ahead at one point.
The soundings from the Irish squad this week have been bullish, to say the least, with Erin King, Aoife Wafer and Stacey Flood all stoking the flames for Saturday’s crucial meeting at Stade Marcel Michelin in Clermont.
And Bemand says the way his players have spoken ahead of the game just highlights the ambitions they have, both in the short and long-term.
"I think it's okay to talk about winning stuff," the head coach told RTÉ Sport.
"I think what we're seeing as a group now, we're seeing a group that's maturing. We've always spoken about it being a young group with not much experience and then that young group is becoming a more experienced group.
"It hasn't always been perfect on pitch, has it? But the general atmosphere around the place now is we go about our work, we go about our process, we understand where we're trying to get to and we train hard in achieving that."
Having started their campaign with a frustrating performance in defeat away to England, Ireland produced an emphatic response last weekend in Galway where they scored nine tries, seven of which came in the first half, to defeat Italy 57-20.
And Bemand says his side have shown a maturity in how they have reacted to both victory and defeat.
"What I've seen is a trend, an incline in maturation of understanding," he added.
"We want people to be excited and talking about it and it's up to us now to go over to a tough place to go and play in Clermont and get our best game out.
"The group hasn't got ahead of itself. In the same way, the group didn't get too down on themselves when the result at Twickenham went the way it went.
"I know different coaches talk about different stuff. Over in Bath, Johann [Van Graan] talks about 'never too high, never too low’.
"We've got to take the best bits of both games and continue to go after our own 85-minute performance and be specific around it going longer than the 80.
"I think if it goes right to the death, we've got to stay confident in what we're doing and understand that there's some challenges that we've got to come through. So yeah, I think the group is - I'm going to say – stable, and understanding they're not getting too far ahead of themselves.
"In the same way, if on pitch something doesn't happen, the wheels aren't going to fall off."
Given the resounding nature of last week’s win, Bemand has made just one change to his side from Dexcom Stadium, with Dorothy Wall (above) swapping in for Ruth Campbell in the second row.
Wall, who started the opening game against England at Twickenham, had been among the replacements in Galway last weekend, before earning her place back in the starting side.
It was a similar story this time last year when the versatile Exeter Chiefs forward had been benched for the Round 2 win in Italy, before producing an emphatic response with her performances across the remainder of the championship.
"Doro coming back in, she came on and had a great impact," added Bemand, who has also brought tighthead prop Eílis Cahill back into his replacements.
"You don't necessarily do it for the reaction, but it's a sign of a really healthy squad, isn't it? When you've got people that can come in and make a difference.
"And look, sometimes it does bring a little bit of edge, I remember what she did last year.
"Look at how she's gone in training. She's definitely taken the challenge on. That works across the board as well."
But while it may contradict the message coming from his captain last weekend, the Ireland head coach insists this weekend’s game is "not about revenge", after last year’s World Cup elimination.
"I've already highlighted going away to France. It took England eight years to get a win over in France.
"These are the occasions, these are the games that excite us as a group, as a nation. That's why we're all talking about it, isn't it? Because we went close in a World Cup, the game of ‘could have, should have, would have’.
"We want to get our best game out there. And we believe in our best game. So it's fantastic that we've got a group that walks around now maybe slightly more confidently.
"I'm delighted that people notice that about our group. They're going to keep getting better. Whatever happens this weekend, they're going to keep getting better."
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