Last Sunday at Castle Avenue two Ireland Under-21 selections took on their French counterparts in what has become an annual entente cordiale between the countries. It serves as preparation for the Under-21 Six Nations Championship in the New Year.
Ireland won match one, 29-14,
and coach Ciaran Fitzgerald included many of the leading candidates for places on the Irish side in the championship. The French exacted revenge in the second game, a late flurry of 21 points giving them a somewhat flattering 56-21 victory.
Unlike their Irish counterparts, the French tend to base their selections on regions and therefore do not offer a composite side: a team drawn from the south of France played in one match and a Parisian selection in the other.
The format was quite unusual in that the teams from match two acted as replacements up until half-time in the first game, but for the second half the replacements named below took over on the Irish bench and remained there for the second game.
Ireland team manager Davy Haslett admitted to being very pleased with the Irish selection's performance in match one.
"They were very good after starting slowly. I think we were a few points down at half-time but came back strongly to win 29-14."
The Irish camp was without several injured players, including Blackrock number eight Michael Carroll, Saracens prop Sean Phillips (a member of last year's team), St Mary's flanker Shane Jennings and Garryowen openside Conor Hartigan. Jennings played in the SANZAR tournament during the summer.
The team was captained by the hugely promising Ballymena second row Matt McCullough and included Ireland A and Connacht full back Gavin Duffy. The Galwegians player featured at outside centre, a position he is likely to occupy this season: he played outhalf at Six Nations level last season.
The back row of Munster's Denis Leamy and Ulster duo Neil McMillen and Roger Wilson was arguably the outstanding unit on the team, although there were good individual performances from McCullough and centres Duffy and Conrad O'Sullivan.
In the second game, St Mary's outhalf Barry Lynn, playing in the centre, his midfield partner Paul Devlin (Sale Sharks), scrumhalf Frank Murphy and captain and second row Stephen Keogh stood out, along with replacements Brendan Burke (Barnhall) and Nick McClelland (London Irish).
Haslett is adamant that Ireland will be very competitive at Under-21 level this season.
"There is a positive potential about this group. There is good strength in depth, although we are looking to fill one or two positions."
The change in the eligibility laws - they moved the age qualification date back from July 1st to January 1st - means, for example, that this squad is denied half a dozen or so players from the Ireland Schools team of three years ago.
Ireland Schools eligibility is still July 1st out of necessity, because to move the date back to January would rule out so many players in sixth year in schools.
The carrot for the Under-21s this season is not just the Six Nations Championship but the International Board (IRB) ratified Under-21 World Championship in South Africa next summer.
The top four teams in the Six Nations will qualify for the 12-team tournament, and Ireland, with three home games - Wales, Scotland and Italy - should have the wherewithal to manage that.
Their three home games will be played at the Sportsground, Thomond Park and Donnybrook.
Every country is guaranteed a minimum of four matches in South Africa.
Of more immediate import is a game against the Ireland Students on December 22nd: the Students category is to be upgraded this season as the IRFU takes advantage of the rules that allow a player one year out of college or university to play. The union is going to offer a greater dependency on filling the Students team with contracted players.
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