It's not who starts, but how they start in Paris

ON RUGBY:There are good reasons for going with the original Ireland 15 against the French. But whoever takes the field, they better hit their stride quickly, writes GERRY THORNLEY

IT DOESN’T get easier from here. Looking down the track, all the pre-tournament evidence that meeting England first-up was eminently preferable to last-up, even on St Patrick’s Day, has been re-enforced. Buoyed by their fortunate wins over Scotland and Italy and the return of their walking wounded, Stuart Lancaster’s four changes and a return to Twickenham as underdogs (a nice place to be) upped England’s performance level against Wales.

By rights, they should keep on improving.

Likewise the Scots. Emboldened by the emergence of Greig Laidlaw outside Mike Blair in an all-Edinburgh halfback combination (something Andy Robinson should have plumped for sooner) and pacey young outside backs like Stuart Hogg and Lee Jones, the try line is no longer looking like the Bermuda Triangle for them. Come their first trek to the Aviva on Saturday week, they will have had a 13-day day turnover as against Ireland’s six.

Before all of that, of course, there is the return to the graveyard that is Paris, where Ireland have won once since 1972 and twice since 1952, and against opponents who have won 11 of the last dozen meetings.

At least this time Ireland have the extra day’s rest, and have blown off cobwebs while rediscovering that winning feeling and some good attacking rugby, whereas French coach Philippe Saint-Andre had to release his players for club duty a week ago – meaning they have played five of the last six weekends in three different competitions.

Much of the impetus for the higher tempo, more potent final 25 minutes against a visibly wilting Italy was sparked by the arrival of the impact replacements – first and foremost Eoin Reddan, who speeded up the service from the breakdown and brought his Leinster halfback partner Jonathan Sexton more into the game.

Almost at a stroke, Sexton looked more comfortable and Ireland also looked a little more instinctive and less pre-determined.

Invariably, it is going to take longer for the Conor Murray-Sexton partnership to reach anything like the same level of understanding, for last Saturday’s game marked only their third start together.

Murray did take on more ball into contact than Reddan, when once or twice moving it to Sexton was the better option. Occasionally he spent an age weighing up his options or taking a step or two before delivering the ball.

Murray also doesn’t help a slow delivery off the scrum by being one of a tiny of minority of scrumhalves who actually feed the ball straight rather than at an angle.

All that said, neither the non-existent fringe defence for quick ruck ball nor the quick tap which Reddan took in the final quarter were ever options for Murray in the first 54 minutes.

Furthermore, and this is perhaps the most important point, some of Murray’s defensive work was excellent and when he tackles an opponent, they stay tackled.

For sure, Declan Kidney and Les Kiss need to re-enforce in Murray the need to look for Sexton more often as his first instinct. But if there was an argument for starting with Murray’s physicality in Paris a fortnight ago, that still applies now, for an away team will be asked to defend more than they would at home, especially early on.

It must irk Reddan that this would be taking a leaf out of Joe Schmidt’s manual at Leinster, but similarly, when the European champions have been on the road in France and England, Schmidt has tended to start with the more physical Isaac Boss to help draw the initial lines in the sand around the fringes. By contrast, in a more attack-minded “home” mindset, the Leinster coach has been handsomely rewarded by starting with Reddan.

Munster, it is true, have made the call to start Donnacha Ryan ahead of Donncha O’Callaghan in this season’s Heineken Cup and their scrum hasn’t exactly suffered for it, while Ryan undoubtedly gives Ireland more dynamism on the ball.

Furthermore, according to the official match stats, there were only 16 completed scrums over the course of the weekend’s three games – all of them played in perfect conditions on billiard tops.

Nonetheless, the weekend’s most potent and influential scrum undoubtedly belonged to France, and in Paris they are even more likely to look to this set-piece to lay down a marker.

O’Callaghan is 7 kg heavier than Ryan, and packs down on the tighthead side, while O’Connell, as if he hadn’t done enough in making the most carries, tackles and influential plays over the 80 minutes, switched from left to right when Ryan was introduced.

Not for the first time in the last year or so, Ireland’s scrum improved as the match wore on, but they would be better served if they didn’t have to wait until half-time for Greg Feek to resolve any issues in Stade de France.

The argument for looking at a different balance in the backrow, such as Peter O’Mahony replacing Seán O’Brien as a more authentic openside, will have grown after the former’s impressive 21-minute debut last Saturday, if not quite reaching a crescendo given the location of the next game.

O’Brien was unlikely to ever scale the heights of his near year-long tour de force last season – such is the way of things for modern players save for the Brian O’Driscolls of this world. Yet it would surely help his cause no end if he was employed as a carrier a little wider out.

With his first pass on Saturday, at second receiver, he made a good carry, but of his next 10 passes, nine were at first receiver, along with one gain-line pick and go. The poor fellow is being used as a battering ram in the area of the pitch that is most heavily populated.

For his part, the increasingly influential Stephen Ferris didn’t have much better joy on the four occasions he carried as first receiver, but when passed the ball as the second or third receiver, made yards over the gain line every time, not least because he usually had only one tackler to beat.

Ultimately, the argument for starting with the same XV which Kidney had pencilled in for Paris a fortnight ago, and thereby the more physical presence from the off with the option of injecting tempo and dynamism off the bench, hasn’t gone away. It’s the quality of their performance from the off that matters more.