The 15 men lining out against France
15 Rob Kearney
Age: 26
Height: 1.85m (6ft 1in)
Weight: 95 kg (15st)
Kearney craves responsibility. This inevitably means when Ireland are struggling he will attack from deep and risk a costly turnover.
14 Fergus McFadden
Age: 26
Height: 1.80m (5ft 11in)
Weight: 93kg (14st 9lbs)
Thirteen long months since his last Six Nations start, woe betide the first Frenchman who runs at him. The place-kicking theory has been overblown and is irrelevant.
13 Brian O’Driscoll
Age: 34
Height: 1.75m (5ft 9in)
Weight: 95kg (14st 13lbs)
Final Test in front of his beloved Dublin gallery? Bastareaud won’t be missed although he would probably pinch a few balls off the big French bus on the floor.
12 Luke Marshall
Age: 21
Height: 1.80m (5ft 11in)
Weight: 96kg (15st 1lbs)
A growing boy, in body and mind, when the sparks of his undoubted distribution skills catch fire he will become a fixture at 12. Today could be the day.
11 Keith Earls
Age: 25
Height: 1.78m (5ft 10in)
Weight: 90kg (14st 1lbs)
Unquestionably a left winger now, he must improve his peripheral vision if those searing half breaks are to result in tries and not frustrated support runners.
10 Paddy Jackson
Age: 21
Height: 1.80 (5ft 11in)
Weight: 87kg (13st 9lbs)
An excellent distributor, his fast-tracking felt more like the madcap offering of a French coach than the calculated Kidney, who has bravely bet his future on the kid delivering.
9 Conor Murray
Age: 23
Height: 1.88 (6ft 2in)
Weight: 94kg (14st 10lbs)
Like O’Driscoll, his all-action Welsh performance must rear its head again. That means plenty of direct running off quick, clean lineout ball.
1 Cian Healy
Age: 25
Height: 1.85m (6ft 1in)
Weight: 112kg (17st 8lbs)
Came in for some ignorant criticism from the faceless trolls, his return from suspension is equal to Sexton or Of’Connell running out. A national treasure deserves more respect.
2 Rory Best
Age: 30
Height: 1.80m (5ft 11in)
Weight: 110kg (17st 4lbs)
Will have quietly colluded with Ryan to ensure the lineout becomes a weapon again, while the rest of the veteran’s game has him on course to tour Australia this summer.
3 Mike Ross
Age: 33
Height: 1.88m (6ft 2in)
Weight: 127kgs (19st 13lbs)
The Clermont pair of Domingo and Kayser have creaked his neck before but the beauty of Ross is his studious nature and ability to adapt.
4 Mike McCarthy
Age: 31
Height: 1.93m (6ft 4in)
Weight: 115 kg (18 st 2lbs)
The high profile errors against England happened, so did the smashing of a dozen Springboks in November. The latter performance must reappear today.
5 Donnacha Ryan
Age: 29
Height: 1.98m (6ft 6in)
Weight: 108kgs (17st)
Undulating but unrelenting in only his second full Six Nations campaign, Ryan must deny French Goliaths, Samson and Maestri, a moment’s peace.
6 Peter O’Mahony
Age: 23
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3ft)
Weight: 108kgs (17st)
News flash: Peter O’Mahony has a temper. But sometimes in rugby someone has to go pick a fight. He has also displayed the agility of an international flanker.
7 Seán O’Brien
Age: 25
Height: 1.88m (6ft 2in)
Weight: 108kgs (17st)
As with the English, beasts like Picamoles and Dusautoir will be launching counter-torpedo shoulders to halt his carries. A concussion would deflate the entire stadium, a line break would get everyone out of their seats.
8 Jamie Heaslip (capt)
Age: 29
Height: 1.91m (6ft 3in)
Weight: 109kgs (17st 2lbs)
Good player, could be a great player, may yet become one. Decent leader, could be a good one, may yet become one.
