RUGBY:Despite all the negativity after Rome, this team have proved on many occasions that they are worthy of the public's loyalty, writes MATT WILLIAMS

LET’S GET rid of one piece of rubbish. This Ireland team are not happy with the underdog tag going into Sunday’s game. That should not be seen as a silver lining. Nor should it ever be.

These elite players would see that as hugely undervaluing what they have already achieved. Grand Slammers and the bulk of the Lions squad in 2009. Underdogs in Dublin? No thanks. Such comments are more a reflection of the people who make them than the state of Irish rugby.

Ireland and France are still the most talented sides in the Six Nations but England remain the favourites because their tactics are being transferred from training paddock to match day situations.

Tomorrow’s meeting will be decided by the individual talent on both sides and how it is harnessed into a collective performance. The systems that both coaching teams have put in place will go a long way to deciding the result. Not that either head coach can be content with the systems currently in place. Ireland beat Italy from memory. France beat Scotland off the back of an immense scrum but also a devastating counter-attack, also largely from memory.

The French, of course, have been counter -attacking since infancy. Ireland, worryingly, only really started seven days ago.

At least there is finally a discernible Irish plan for counter-attacking and turnovers. Hallelujah, praise the heavens! But before we get carried away I have to add that it didn’t work in Rome. The multiple handling errors saw to that.

As I write this column, I can only shake my head at the failure to adopt a coherent counter -attack against South Africa last November or even on tour last summer. Only then would they be sufficiently prepared to counter the brilliance that is the French counter-attack.

Ireland are like the diligent student who prepared for a major exam only to realise at the eleventh hour that they have not revised a major topic. It leaves them seriously underprepared for their French paper.

Test rugby is the most unforgiving environment.

France produced three mesmeric tries from turnovers against Scotland, with Maxime Medard and Francois Trinh-Duc both outstanding. If Ireland turn over ball at the same rate they did against Italy, France will run in five tries.

There are further concerns about the Irish defence. I remember an old coach of mine, with a cigarette permanently clinging to his lips, telling us if you come in off your wing, you better make the play or we are buggered. Oh, and you’ll be dropped.

For the Italian try, the Irish wide out defender came off the wing but didn’t halt the attack, so Ireland were buggered, yet no one was dropped. There doesn’t seem to be consequences for repetitive errors in this Ireland team. Declan Kidney has never, throughout his coaching career, relied heavily on the bench. He may feel it unduly disrupts the team. The French will almost certainly introduce re-enforcements (world class ones at that) around the hour mark.

For any chance of victory, the Irish bench must make an impact. O’Gara, as always delivered last weekend, now so must the rest of them.

Ireland’s lineout has improved immeasurably and I expect another quantum leap on Sunday. Paul O’Connell’s return has been crucial but so has Rory Best’s throwing. The return of Jamie Heaslip gives them a much needed third option at the tail, especially when we consider what they are facing. He must combat the aerial excellence of Imanol Harinordoquy and Julien Bonnaire.

Ireland’s attack off lineout ball, however, was lamentable in comparison to 12 months ago. They must rediscover their mojo off first phase.

On the Italians put-in I thought the Irish scrum was disastrous. I know a lot has been made of the referee’s interpretation and the Irish props have been defended in many quarters and the one scrum when they really needed to get good ball – leading to Brian O’Driscoll’s try – they did produce the goods. Beside that though, it looked like they were hanging on for grim death. I noticed three more incidents at scrum-time that should have led to Italian penalties.

I didn’t see anything to rejoice about; particularly considering what comes next. The Scottish scrum, anchored by Euan Murray, was put under severe pressure by Thomas Domingo and William Servat. The Scots skidded backwards at almost every scrum in Paris. The resulting penalty try was a repeat of what the French produced in the early stages of the Australia game in November. They will seek another seven points from any five metre scrum in this department tomorrow.

The bad news is Sylvain Marconnet returns to the French bench – all 80 caps of him. Before his recent injury, Marconnet was one of, if not the, most destructive scrummagers in the world so there will be no let up on the Irish front row.

Ireland, while brave in the scrum against Italy, must employ some dirty tactics to survive the next onslaught. I don’t mean foul play, rather look how the Wallabies cope against superior scrums; they edge sideways, they twist it, go backwards. Make the scrums a dock yard brawl because if they are a fair fight, the Irish front row will take a bad beating and the knock on effect prove disastrous.

This is a powerful French team. Marc Lievremont has only got his selection correct on a few occasions in four years. When he does, the performances have been magnificent.

I know he is finally bringing some consistency to his selections but I’d have Yachvili, Clerc and Jauzion in the starting backline and not on the bench. Still, the metronomic Poitrenaud at fullback and Traille finally selected in his best position of inside centre will cause Ireland problems.

The positives for Ireland can be gleaned from the ruthless manner in which they stole a victory from the jaws of defeat in Rome. Some high quality on-field leadership saved them. They needed to recover the restart. The forwards got it done. They needed to get into the ideal drop goal position. O’Driscoll dipped the shoulder and carried to the left of the uprights to ensure O’Gara, back in the general’s chair, was able to deliver as he has done so many times before.

Finally, having listened to many people’s reaction to Saturday’s performance, I cannot express my disappointment at the lack of support for the national team. It was particularly evident during the November series.

Several players I have spoken to privately expressed how disappointed they were about this. The team have proved on so many occasions that they are worthy of the public’s loyalty.

The team needs a raucous full house to back them tomorrow because the winner, and Ireland can dig deep and find a much improved performance for victory, will be on course for the championship. The loser will still have plenty of time to refocus on the World Cup.

But the performance will tell us everything we need to know.