O'Sullivan wary of early French flurry
Eddie O’Sullivan anticipates a furious early onslaught from France in Saturday’s RBS 6 Nations clash.
Bernard Laporte’s men must win at Lansdowne Road if they are to stay in the title hunt but doubt lingers over which French team will turn up.
The defending grand slam champions were dismal against Scotland and England but won, while they dazzled for long spells against Wales only to taste defeat.
Ireland coach O’Sullivan insists, however, that no matter what Les Bleus side materialises, Ireland can expect to come under tremendous early pressure.
He said: “France will go for us in the first half and it would be stupid to expect anything else. They will come out and give it a real go. How we cope with that will be a big test.”
Wales were on the back foot for most of the first half of their dramatic clash in Paris but fought back after the interval to claim a heroic 24-18 victory.
O’Sullivan was full of praise for the Welsh performance but felt France contributed to their own downfall – a mistake he does not expect to see repeated on Saturday.
“Wales were outstanding in the first half when they had their backs to the wall for the whole 40 minutes. They could have been 29 points behind at half-time, not nine,” he said.
“It shows what can happen if you are resilient and manage to hold out. They fought back at the right time and it paid off.
“But France are an intelligent side and they will not make the same mistakes again. They are expected to do better this time. We have to expect the French side which turned up for the first half against Wales and forget about the second half.”
France are respected scrummagers but O’Sullivan has rubbished suggestions they hold a clear advantage at the set-piece and expects an even match in the possession stakes.
“The general opinion is that the French scrum is the best in the world and the Irish scrum the worst,” he said.
“If I was to listen to everything that is being said we should not have any scrums on Saturday – we should just give the ball straight to France instead.
“We both have good lineouts, so the outcome should be down to who makes the best use of their time and space.”
Laporte has come under heavy fire for France’s poor displays this season and some strange decisions in selection have done little to enhance his reputation.
But O’Sullivan has been impressed with the direction Laporte has taken Les Bleus and hailed his coaching record in the Test arena.
“Three or four years ago France would play what is in front of them. But Bernard Laporte, to the benefit of the side, has put more structure into their game. They are now more structured than any French team in history,” he said.
“They have a very organised defence. They know what to do and how to do it. Laporte has not won two grand slams by accident.”
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