It's four years since Ireland hosted France in Dublin in front of a paying and baying crowd and Andy Farrell wants to use the supporters as a "weapon".
Covid-19 restrictions meant that the 2021 renewal, which Ireland lost 15-13, was played behind closed doors.
And there was just one score between the teams last season in front of a packed out Stade de France, when the two titans went toe-to-toe for 80 minutes.
The sense of occasion and an electric atmosphere played its own part in the 30-24 home victory.
In a week where England’s World Cup-winning coach Clive Woodward called for a change in regulations around the sale of alcohol in stadia, which some feel detracts from the atmosphere, Farrell said he was confident that wouldn’t be an issue for Saturday's 2.15pm kick-off (live on RTÉ2, RTÉ Player and RTÉ Radio 1).
"Well, they’re definitely going to be up for it, aren’t they," he told RTÉ Sport.
"Everyone is looking forward to this. I mean, we’ve had half a day off today, I’ve been walking around Sandymount there and everyone is pumped.
"You know, I wish I was going to the game, and walking down to the game with my mates or my family or kids, because this is the type of game that everyone wants to be part of.
"Home advantage has to be a weapon for us. We’ve all got a responsibility for that."
Farrell was speaking after naming a panel that shows just one change to the squad that beat Wales last weekend, 34-10.
Hooker Dan Sheehan was ruled out with a hamstring injury and his place is taken by Rob Herring with Ronán Kelleher on the bench.
"It's not nice for Dan," said the Englishman, who is yet to taste victory over France as a head coach.
"Obviously he’s a fantastic player at the top of his form so anyone would miss a player in that type of form.
"But at the same time, I sound like a broken record, but it’s great in the sense that this is exactly what’s going to happen down the track in the World Cup.
"Internationally rugby is only going to get bigger and better, so therefore it’s always going to be about the squad.
"When you get to the World Cup, you’ve a smaller squad.
"There’s a 12-day turnaround there as far as concussion is concerned, HIAs etc, so you’re always going to be numbers down and you’ve got to be able to roll with the punches as far as that’s concerned.
"We’re happy with how our squad is developing, pushing each other and competing against each other.
"Rob [Herring] has always added to our performance, let’s put it that way and I also think he can do a good job in this type of game for us.
"[The team is] pretty similar, which is a good thing, it means we’re healthy enough.
"So a bit of continuity in being together for 12 days before the first game and then a few sore bodies after the game, like always with the first game up in the Six Nations, but that bit of continuity gives us a nice balance to it to go forward this week."
"We can't say it's just another game. It's one we've waited a long time for" - Ireland captain Johnny Sexton isn't playing down this weekend's #SixNations clash of the world's two highest-ranked teams. Full story: https://t.co/b12kkprXI7 pic.twitter.com/Aa8ciZjF6u
— RTÉ Rugby (@RTErugby) February 8, 2023
There had been some questions of the availability of scrum-half Conor Murray but Farrell confirmed that the Munster man was "in good spirits" and "good to go".
Fabien Galthie decided to stick with the same starting XV that returned from Rome last week with a bonus-point victory, albeit with a performance that left a lot to be desired from the Grand Slam champions.
"I still see the same dangers all over the park, I still see them being hard, aggressive at the breakdown," he said of Les Bleus’ performance against the Italians.
"I still see them being very good as far as broken-field play is concerned, being aggressive as far as the up and in line-speed is concerned.
"Their set-piece is still pretty strong and, again, they found a way to win, didn't they?
"They found a way to win, so we know that after the first game we expect ourselves to be better. We expect the same of ourselves, so I expect France to be at their best."
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