Attack, early and often, the only defence in Paris

France v Ireland: Ireland must attack France or risk taking a hiding at Stade de France today. They have to be proactive about winning the match. There are three ways of attacking a team: running, kicking and mauling - and the Irish will have to employ all three. They key to the strategy is knowing when to employ each of those three gambits.

If the ball is just thrown around willy-nilly under the pretext of playing "attacking rugby" the French will prosper. The home side will be allowed to get a rhythm on defence, and you're also facing the best counterattacking team in the world on their home patch.

Ireland must turn the French around and keep them moving backward, and to do this they must employ the aforementioned methods and do so from the first whistle. It's a complete cop-out if they only start when they're 20-nil behind.

There are two prerequisites for a victory over France or a French team: put doubt in their minds and then silence the crowd.

The French players feed off the noise when they are at home. It infuses belief and gets the adrenaline going. But the crowd at the Stade de France will turn on their team if things don't go to plan, and that's what the Irish must aim for.

Wales proved last year - and Scotland did so too to a certain extent last weekend - you have to take on the French with a clearly defined game plan to attack them at every opportunity. You can't let up, sit back or simply invite them on; if you do you're wasting your time.

It's interesting to view the attitude of the two coaches. Bernard Laporte has set the French team a goal of being unbeatable at home ahead of the 2007 World Cup. He charged them with not losing a game. They managed this brilliantly in the November Test series and will be smarting after last weekend in Edinburgh. This is the backdrop to the challenge facing Ireland.

Eddie O'Sullivan will be emphasising the need to focus on the performance rather than the result. In some respects it is like taking a leaf out of the Italian book last weekend. Hardly anyone expects Ireland to win, so the coach is reasonable in demanding the players concentrate on the performance.

It's important Ireland don't think about the outcome but rather focus on the process. If they concentrate on the process then the outcome will follow.

They didn't perform against Australia in November and did so only fitfully in the All Blacks match, so it was during last season's Six Nations Championship victory over England at Twickenham that they last produced a really high-quality display.

One of the key traits the Scots showed last weekend was enthusiasm.

Ireland need to rediscover that quality ahead of this afternoon. I'm not going to use the word passion because I know these Irish players would die for the green jersey. It does mean a great deal, and for anyone to suggest otherwise is wrong. They must, however, rediscover that unity of purpose.

Eddie, to his credit in some quarters, has stuck by the players following the Italian match. That tells us one of two things: these are the best 22 players in the country or he was picking a match squad for the first two games. He was viewing them as a package. The latter scenario would mean some players might not survive through to the next match.

Laporte said there was too much inexperience in his team and has reverted to several of the old-stagers. He has spoken about one captain but 22 leaders.

If you contrast the two coaches you have one, Laporte, who is sending the message that they will not bend the knee on French soil and that Stade de France is a fortress and another, O'Sullivan, who is intimating Ireland are still experimenting.

I believe the Irish backline to be slightly out of kilter and so too the backrow. I also think there is a little leadership problem - though that's not an issue with the captaincy as Brian O'Driscoll is excellent in that respect.

I would, however, have Anthony Foley in the team. He is a unifier, the cement that solidifies and holds in place all those around him. He's a leader, a tough man and a player who is tactically sharp. He is just one example.

There are enough quality players in Ireland to win in Paris, it's just that a handful aren't in the team today. It's not balanced, it's too individualised, too fragmented.

There is something in this Ireland team that is not clicking, be it the tactics, the unity between staff and players, leadership around the captain or belief in the preparations. Something is not right.

The French will be smarting. That loss in Scotland is totally unacceptable to their supporters and there will be a backlash.

In essence though it's not so much what France do as what Ireland do that will to a large extent determine the outcome.

Ireland must have a deep-seated belief that they can win and employ that game plan with precision and ruthlessness. They can't be afraid to fail or make mistakes. It's about getting the performance right in a proactive way and the rest will follow.