France, Ireland ready for big bash

Dilanka MANNAKKARA

Its another clash of the titans on this weekend when World cup runners up France take on a valiant Irish side this weekend. Ireland travel to Paris on Sunday for a second crack at France, who emerged from the big freeze a little rusty despite another Six Nations win in Scotland last weekend.

Head to head

Ireland and France will contest the 90th Test between the two sides when the pair meet at the Stade de France on Sunday. France lead the overall series by 55 wins to 29 thanks to their 26-22 victory in Dublin prior to the 2011 World Cup last year, with the last of the five drawn matches taking place in 1985. France have won 11 of their 12 most recent encounters, including the Rugby World Cup matches of 2003 (in Melbourne) and 2007 (Paris) and their triumph at the Aviva Stadium in last year's Six Nations.

France hold the record for the highest score of the series. They won 45-10 in Paris in 1996. The record winning margin, also held by France, was set in their 44-5 Paris victory in 2002. Ireland's highest score came in their 31-43 defeat at the Stade de France in 2006 - an extraordinary game in which the Irish trailed 43-3 early in the second half before scoring 28 late points without reply. Ireland's best win was in the early years of the fixture - 24-0 in Cork in 1913.

Thierry Lacroix, with 26 points for France at Durban in the 1995 Rugby World Cup quarter-final involving the countries, holds the record for most points scored in a match.

There have been five try hat-tricks in the series, two by Ireland and three by France. Joe Quinn scored three tries for Ireland in 1913 and Brian O'Driscoll did so in 2000.

France's first hat-trick was scored by their left-wing Christian Darrouy in Dublin in 1963, David Venditti repeated the feat in Dublin in 1997 and Vincent Clerc did so in Paris in 2008. France's Darrouy and Vincent Clerc along with Ireland's O'Driscoll lead the try scoring record in Tests between the two teams with eight each. Irishmen hold the other major records for the matches: Ronan O'Gara has scored 127 overall points (compared with 50 for France by Didier Camberabero), and Willie-John McBride and Fergus Slattery each played 15 times in this fixture. Philippe Sella appeared 13 times for France.

France-Ireland results in the Six Nations:

2000 France

25-27 Ireland (Paris)

2001 Ireland

22-15 France (Dublin)

2002 France

44-5 Ireland (Paris)

2003 Ireland

15-12 France (Dublin)

2004 France 35-17

Ireland (Paris)

2005 Ireland

19-26 France (Dublin)

2006 France

43-31 Ireland (Paris)

2007 Ireland

17-20 France (Dublin)

2008 France

26-21 Ireland (Paris)

2009 Ireland 30-21 France (Dublin)

2010 France 33-10 Ireland (Paris)

2011 Ireland 22-25 France (Dublin)

France - Key player to watch

Aurelien Rougerie has been overshadowed by his centre partner - Wesley Fofana - in recent weeks but his one-on-one match up with Keith Earls could be a big one. The Munster man is in big shoes, Brian O'Driscoll's, and his defence has been questionable in the past when asked to deal with a quick, powerful opponent. France - Team News: The home side have made two changes, with one enforced by injury. Maxime Medard sits out, meaning that his Toulouse team-mate, Clement Poitrenaud, starts at fullback. In the pack, Julien Bonnaire returns at openside, shifting Imanol Harinordoquy to No.8 and Louis Picamoles to the bench.

France

C Poitrenaud (Toulouse), V Clerc (Toulouse), A Rougerie (Clermont Auvergne), W Fofana (Clermont Auvergne), J Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne), F Trinh-Duc (Montpellier), M Parra (Clermont Auvergne), JB Poux (Toulouse), D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), N Mas (Perpignan), P Pape (Stade Francais), Y Maestri (Toulouse), T Dusautoir (Toulouse), J Bonnaire (Clermont Auvergne), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz)

Replacements: W Servat (Toulouse), V Debaty (Clermont Auvergne), L Nallet (Racing Metro), L Picamoles (Toulouse), J Dupuy (Stade Francais), L Beauxis (Toulouse), M Mermoz (Perpignan)

Ireland - Key player to watch

Scotland found out the hard way that you must hold your own in the scrum against this - or any other - French side. Mike Ross - Ireland's tight-head and resident scrum geek - needs to have a big game at the set-piece. Ireland - Team News: Same again for the visitors, with Declan Kidney resisting the urge to bow to public pressure in the case of Conor Murray. The Munster youngster starts at scrum-half alongside Jonny Sexton, with Eoin Reddan again riding the pine.

Ireland

R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), K Earls (Munster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), A Trimble (Ulster); J Sexton (Leinster), C Murray (Munster); C Healy (Leinster), R Best (Ulster), M Ross (Leinster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), S O'Brien (Leinster), J Heaslip (Leinster)

Replacements: S Cronin (Leinster), T Court (Ulster), D Ryan (Munster), P O'Mahony (Munster), E Reddan (Leinster), R O'Gara (Munster), F McFadden

(Leinster)