Ireland will travel to France this week for the opening Guinness Six Nations fixture on Friday night.
While Les Bleus are coping without their superstar Antoine Dupont, French rugby has been on an upward curve in the last couple of seasons and last year was supposed to be their most successful yet.
However, they fell short against Ireland in the second round of the Six Nations in Dublin and against South Africa in a home World Cup quarter-final.
It was a case of near success all year, hanging around at number two in the world rankings for most of the season.
This year could be different, although with a lot less on the line.
Had last year's Six Nations tournament been scheduled differently, a home venue may have given the French enough of an advantage to beat Ireland and win the tournament, like they did the year before.
Fabien Galthie’s side have enough exciting young backs, paired with some monsters up front, and others that provide the French blend of flair and power.
Ireland will need to come into the Six Nations rejuvenated.
For now, they’ll have the same coaching team and a similar squad, but without former captain and talisman Jonathan Sexton (below).
That is old news now, but for all the talk about France going without Dupont, it’s pretty even when you consider the gulf that Sexton has left.
Jack Crowley will lead this team in terms of strategy, helped by captain Peter O'Mahony.
The Munster duo will be used to each other by now and there should be some chemistry and lined-up thinking with their decision-making.
The back five in the pack will be particularly interesting when it comes to Andy Farrell’s selection.
With the form of Ryan Baird and Joe McCarthy in the blue of Leinster, it has never been so hard to pick between numbers 4 and 7.
McCarthy (above) has fulfilled the potential that was spoken about two seasons ago.
He looks like the long-term holder of the number 4 jersey, but Tadhg Beirne’s flexibility often scuppers McCarthy’s plans.
The pivotal piece of the jigsaw seems to be O’Mahony’s selection as captain.
It means he’ll be nailed on to start in the back-row. Interestingly, whether he wears number 6 or 7 could tell a lot when it comes to filling the other positions.
If the 34-year-old wears number 6, then Ireland will probably stick with the hard-working energy that Josh van der Flier brings to the game.
If Farrell decides to move O’Mahony to the number 7 jersey, then it opens up a lot of options.
The number on the player’s back is less important than the players that take to the field.
Van der Flier plays like more of a traditional openside flanker than O’Mahony, but Peter has worn the jersey for Ireland before, with a different balance in the team.
With the disruption that Caelan Doris brings to the breakdown, there’s scope for change in that back-row selection.
If the number 6 jersey is free, you then have a conundrum between Baird and McCarthy’s athleticism in two different positions.
It will boil down to Farrell’s plans for Beirne, because he’s almost certainly a starter, but whether it is wearing number 4 or 6 is still up for debate.
The starters, as far as I can tell, will be James Ryan in the second row, with Beirne and O'Mahony taking up two other jerseys, and Doris at number 8.
So Iain Henderson, McCarthy, Baird and Van der Flier have to fit into two, which clearly won’t work.
The only way all eight of these players will take to the pitch is if Ireland uncharacteristically go with a 6:2 split on the bench, another possibility.
Ciarán Frawley, and to a lesser extent, Crowley (above, L), are important pieces to this 6:2 jigsaw as well.
Their versatility allows that split to become an option.
So too does Garry Ringrose’s ability to shift very competently to the wing.
Between Crowley at 10, Ringrose at 13 and Frawley on the bench, you can safely cover all positions from 10-15 with just one sub.
The only risk is if you get multiple back-line injuries and your sub scrum-half has to play as a winger, but with every strategy there will be risk.
Jamison Gibson-Park will get the nod ahead of Craig Casey because this is a season-opener away from home against the tournament favourites.
Despite Gibson-Park not finding his most effective form, he’s still full value for retaining his starting position to help Crowley and the rest of his team.
You could argue for discussions around the centre partnership but I’d expect the standard Bundee Aki (above)-Ringrose combination, which is what I would choose if I was given the torturous responsibility of having to pick this team.
The spot that’s really up for grabs, aside from discussion points through the team, is the right-wing spot.
Whatever way it goes, it will be a change, considering Keith Earls has retired and Mack Hansen is injured.
Jimmy O’Brien predominantly covers the left wing with his left-footed option, but could have been shifted across had he been available.
It leaves a shootout between Calvin Nash and Jordan Larmour, a deserved second chance for Larmour in this international side versus a well-earned shot for the Munster wing.
With the French kicking game and Nash’s ability in the air, I would suspect that Farrell will hand the 26-year-old URC winner (above) his first start and appearance in the Six Nations on Friday night.
The beauty of picking a team is that you could make a logical argument for choosing many different combinations, but there’s only one person, or one team of coaches, that have the pressure and privilege of doing so.
Farrell has been brave in the past when it comes to selections, before finding rhythm and repetition in his World Cup selections.
An interesting aspect of this Six Nations is that it should give us some insight into the strategy for Ireland going forward.
From the squad announcement, it doesn’t look like they’ve ripped up the team sheet to start fresh.
However, there could still be some bold moves with the inclusion of Baird or McCarthy and a few positions could be argued either way.
The team’s biggest challenge is up first and so begins the next chapter in Irish rugby.
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