It was little consolation for Connacht that Antoine Dupont wasn't the Bordeaux-Begles scrum-half.
Time and again, hapless would-be tacklers were left looking at the heels of Maxime Lucu.
The 31-year-old had a hand in their first three tries in December's 41-5 thrashing of the Westerners in the Champions Cup Round 1 tie.
He had a major role in helping the French side top Pool 1 and – in the absence of Dupont through Sevens commitments – will win his 19th cap against Ireland on Friday night as Fabien Galthie's charges bid to put their World Cup heartache behind them.
Lucu (above), who made his Les Bleus debut in 2021, admits that playing in the shadow of the best player in the world has been tough.
"It is a strange feeling because like everyone else I read the social media networks and the papers," said Lucu, who played against New Zealand, Uruguay and Italy at the World Cup.
"I read all the commentaries. I recall saying to myself: 'Bloody hell, nobody respects me'.
"It is very belittling. My close circle were affected by this.
"However, once I am with the French team the feeling is very different. I sense a lot of confidence in me within the group.
"Not just now but from the start, and the staff were clear about my role.
"Having Antoine Dupont in his position, it is like the All Blacks fly-halves in the Dan Carter era: you know you will only have cameo roles in matches.
"For me instead of posing to myself thousands of questions I preferred to dig deep and set out a plan of what I would bring to these few moments I spent on the pitch at Test matches."
He doesn’t have Dupont’s sheer explosive power but that’s okay because nobody does. Lucu’s strength, similar to what Jamison Gibson-Park brings to the Irish party, is high tempo, smart delivery and an eye for a gap.
"There is always pressure on you in the French team," says Lucu, who spent five seasons with Biarritz before joining Bordeaux in 2019.
"But when you replace Antoine, there is a little more. That was the case the past three years when he was absent or when I replaced him during a match. It is even truer now today.
"But I try to bring with me something else, that will take the team forwards. I am not here to be an Antoine Dupont mark two.
"I have prepared myself mentally for this Six Nations because I will have more responsibilities than usual.
"He knows I am and the rest of the squad are grown-ups. When he was injured during the World Cup he did not come up every five minutes to tell me 'do not worry, everything will be fine for you'.
"Antoine knows to stay in his corner, he knows his place. He is not seeking to shadow me all the time. I really appreciate his attitude in those moments."
With Romain Ntamack out injured, Lucu will pair up with Bordeaux team-mate Matthieu Jalibert (above, left).
He says the duo have a love-hate relationship.
"People do not know the half of it," he says.
"On the pitch I can assure you it gets heated sometimes between Matthieu and myself. I moan at him, I pester him and even sometimes I insult him in the middle of a match, just as he can also do to me.
"I am perhaps calmer than him but our partnership is a powerful one.
"His character forces me to ditch my habitual shyness. On the other hand sometimes he needs my calm temperament to temper his boundless enthusiasm and occasional hot headedness.
"That mix allows us to progress, and as a result makes the team stronger.
"We even laugh together. We are like an old couple, but without the monotony that comes with that."
On playing Ireland, also hurting from a World Cup quarter-final exit, he said: "It is just the match we needed to get our frustration out of our system.
"The context is ideal; to host Ireland in Marseille in front of our baying supporters, one could not hope for better."
Watch Wales v Scotland in the Under-20 Six Nations on Friday from 7.05pm on RTÉ Player
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