Skrela starts to stake strong claim

Ireland v France: John O'Sullivanon why the French halfback pairing of David Skrela and Pierre Mignoni are poised to continue a proud tradition.

David Skrela and Brian O'Driscoll share a reference point in their underage international careers. In April, 1998, they opposed each other in the Under-19 Rugby World Cup final in Toulouse, Skrela's precocity already identifying him as a future senior Test player. He appeared destined to follow in the studmarks of his father, the celebrated French backrow forward Jean-Claude Skrela.

This tournament offered a glimpse into that talent that would propel O'Driscoll to the top of the world game. Donncha O'Callaghan and Paddy Wallace played on a day when Ireland triumphed 18-0, the losing French side containing Damien Traille at fullback, François Gelez at outhalf, Jean Baptiste Poux at tighthead prop and Remy Martin at number eight. Benjamin Boyet was among the introduced replacements.

Skrela played on the right wing on that sunny Toulouse afternoon and was one of his team's better performers in their shock defeat.

Born in the aforementioned "pink city", he was then playing his rugby with Colomiers, a club with which he distinguished himself before moving to Stade Français.

His progress to the senior national side seemed assured, when the only uncertainty.

It didn't pan out that way. He made his debut for les Tricolores against New Zealand in 2001 and until last Saturday, against Italy, that remained his one and only cap. O'Driscoll should have been winning his 72nd tomorrow.

Skrela acquitted himself well against the Italians, quite apart from the place-kicking. He was among his team's top tacklers, and his distribution was assured, his appreciation of the running lines of others perceptive.

It's important to flesh out the background to this match, specifically the fact that outside of the squad he wouldn't have been seen as an unanimous choice.

In some respects he has arrived from the periphery of French coach Bernard Laporte's plans to become a central figure. The official guide to the players of each competing nation, a booklet, in the Six Nations Championship carries no mention of his name.

There are those who contend Skrela is not even the best outhalf at his club. The same shadow is being cast from the bench at club and international level; his name is Lionel Beauxis, a central figure in France's Under-21 World Cup success last year.

In the absence of the injured Freddie Michalak, the two Stade outhalves are vying for the starting role and a guaranteed World Cup place.

Laporte has already outlined his thinking on the halfback issue.

"The reason we have selected David (Skrela) at flyhalf is because he is a kicker, which allows us to select (Pierre) Mignoni, which will create competition for the scrumhalf berth between himself, (Jean-Baptiste) Elissalde and (Dimitri) Yachvili.

"At flyhalf we want to give a chance to as many players as possible. That is because everyone is asking where is Frederic Michalak, who is injured. In any case, we require three flyhalves for the World Cup, which means we need to uncover two during the tournament."

Skrela maintained his desire to play for the national team never waned, a sentiment facilitated by his presence in the team for tomorrow's game.

"Obviously my priority was to win the first-choice place at Stade and then aim for the French team. But I also never gave up hope despite being out in the cold for such a long time," he said.

It's difficult to avoid thoughts of the ugly-duckling syndrome when assessing the current French halfback partnership. The 29-year-old Clermont scrumhalf Pierre Mignoni has flitted in and out of the national side since making his debut against Romania in 1997. During that time he has amassed 18 caps, starting just nine times.

He too is philosophical: "I have found it frustrating. However, I have always been there when I was needed and I never gave up hope."

On the evidence of last weekend's action, this double act at halfback may be exposing a few swanlike qualities.

Mignoni, standing five feet six inches and a throwback to the days of les petites généraux Jacques Fouroux, Pierre Berbizier and Jerome Gallion at scrumhalf, produced a brilliant performance. His service was exemplary and his link play intelligent. He also displayed an uncanny knack for finding holes in the fringe defence.

In some respects Laporte, perhaps unconsciously, has elected to borrow from the past. In the 1970s, France had the 5ft 4in Fouroux - he was made to seem even smaller by the massive backrower Jean-Pierre Bastiat - linking up with Jean-Pierre Romeu.

The following decade the French number nine jersey had two incumbents, Jerome Gallion and Pierre Berbizier (the current Italian coach). Gallion played a season with one of Laporte's current assistant coaches, Bernard Vivies, and another half-dozen games with Alain Caussade. But the majority of his caps - it was the same with Berbizier - would be playing inside Jean-Patrick Lescarboura, the 6ft 1in drop-goal king.

In more recent times the current Stade Français coach, Fabien Galthie, and Thierry Lacroix formed a link at halfback for les Tricolores.

There is a common theme running through these relationships and it includes the current axis of Mignoni and Skrela: the scrumhalves looked for the gaps, relying on pace and footballing nous, the outhalves took on the kicking responsibility.

Laporte has tried 28 combinations at halfback during his seven years in charge and while that is an inordinate amount of change by any standards, it should be weighed against the fact that in that time France have won two Grand Slams (2002 and 2004) and the Six Nations Championship (2006).

The French coach remains remarkably unruffled despite the avalanche of criticism that descends on him from time to time, the latest deluge coming in the wake of the insipid performances in losing to New Zealand, twice, during the November Test series.

As a former scrumhalf, Laporte knows a thing or two about halfback play, and on the evidence of the Italian game he retains a shrewd instinct.

Mignoni and Skrela are likely to face a more searching examination at Croke Park tomorrow, but even though the partnership is callow in terms of games together as a pairing, they are both mature players and are unlikely to be fazed by the occasion.

They are poised to continue a proud tradition.