Andrew Trimble admits that missing out on Ireland’s World Cup squad was “tough” but also the right call from coach Joe Schmidt.
The Ulster winger picked up a toe injury ahead of the 2015 tournament but worked his way back to fitness and even featured in a warm-up game against Wales.
The 31-year-old, a try-scorer when Ireland beat France in Paris two years ago, is back on the wing for today’s game and accepts that his World Cup absence was justified.
“It was tough,” Trimble told RTÉ Sport ahead of the 2.25pm kick-off at Stade de France.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t disagree with the selection. I didn’t really have any complaints. I thought I might have a chance.
“I thought I played well in the 40 minutes I played against Wales but then I just picked up another knock on the toe and it just set me back; it broke through a little bit of scar tissue. It just upset my rhythm a little bit.
“It just put me back a couple of weeks, they cost me and whenever I got back on the pitch I had to start again. I was a few weeks behind schedule.
“I was able to get on the pitch fine, playing rugby was grand but performing to the level that I wanted to perform at wasn’t quite there and that was going to take a few more weeks and I wasn’t there in time.
“And whenever you’ve got an abundance of talent on the wing, as Ireland has at the minute, you have to be playing out of your skin and I wasn’t.”
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