Brian O’Driscoll knows the world has kicked on. Still, current events make this an ideal moment to hark back to one of the sweeter moment’s of his career, what with Simon Easterby’s Ireland drawing more tightly together for the arrival of France in nine days.
Fabien Galthié and his side have made enough of a statement against Italy, at least, to sow some threat into Ireland’s Grand Slam designs.
In March it will be 25 years since O’Driscoll scored his three tries against the French in Paris. For those who believe in destiny and fate, that can’t be anything less than promising. Galloping down the pitch, his oversized shirt rippling like a flag on a sunny March afternoon, the Irish outside centre led Ireland to their first win in Paris for 28 years.
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“Someone like Dan Sheehan will get a [Six Nations] hat-trick sometime soon,” he says. “I don’t know the stats but it’s a challenging enough thing to do, so am I surprised [no Irish player has got one against France since then]? Not massively, because defences are hugely on top.”
O’Driscoll grabbed another hat-trick against Scotland in 2002, and Craig Gilroy and CJ Stander scored Six Nations hat-tricks against Italy in 2017. The rugby world of O’Driscoll’s prime and now, the Irish team of then and now, are different. Everything now is spinning on a different axis. Asked to compare the two, O’Driscoll narrows his eyes and grins a kind of wordless answer as if replying “are you kidding me?”. Then he tackles the issue.
“[Ireland] won differently last weekend and found a way when it wasn’t perfect. I think that’s the sign of a good team that there is no panic, two scores behind,” he says. “What would be different if we went two scores behind 25 years ago in France? Panic button hit. It’s so process-focused, whereas we were very emotional back then. That’s the big difference.
“It is so next-moment focused and what you can control. It’s more thoughtful, and also well drilled. I think that felt like a bit of a one-off for us back then and there were other victories to come. But let’s be honest, it was a break from the norm of going over there and not picking up a hiding. The team from 2000 to now is unrecognisable in mindset.”
O’Driscoll still believes Ireland will beat France even as he pores over the generous spread of French menace around the field, their blend of muscle power and talent, “a wicked combination”, and with a wizardly Antoine Dupont exploiting anything and urging his team along.
“But we are a great side too,” he says lest his exuberant listing of the French qualities veil his belief in an Irish side that has proven over the years that it can thrive in big championship moments. That mindset again.
To beat France requires winning many areas in a large theatre of conflict. But before the general combat, Ireland need to contest, compete and dominate one area.
“I think it’s all about physical, isn’t it? Matching the collision zone, winning the ruck. It’s not a new phenomenon, it’s every team you play against,” he says. “But it’s so important because of their power, because of their size. [Paul] Boudehent, [Grégory] Alldritt, [François] Cros – a big backrow, two big secondrows even without [Emmanuel] Meafou.
“You’ve got [Dorian] Aldegheri, [Julien] Marchand and [Cyril] Baille to come off the bench. There’s huge size there. So, first match that and then how do you control le petit général at nine? He’s a joy to watch. It feels like he’s ahead of the game.
“I saw Eddie Jones talking about the best players, talking about Fourie de Preez seeing three rucks in advance. Dupont is that guy too. Every single ruck he is watching feet, body shapes, seeing where there’s an opportunity for him, even when he makes a bad decision.”
O’Driscoll believes Sam Prendergast has the right temperament to succeed, the insouciance when he makes a mistake. It doesn’t eat him, and he doesn’t look for a miracle pass for a cure. A spiral kick missed is forgotten. He moves on. Jamison Gibson-Park, too, will step on to the pitch as close in calibre to Dupont as any other scrumhalf can be. After a slow start to the season he’s “gone to the next level”, says O’Driscoll.
His reading of the plays and the physicality he throws at the game, his kicking and his exits will all come under scrutiny.
“In my eyes, we’re dealing with the best two No 9s in the world,” says O’Driscoll.
A one-score game maybe, but caution is always part of the deal with France. Allow them to become cavalier and free flowing at your peril. Ireland won’t want that to happen, says O’Driscoll, the “jouez, jouez thing”. And if it does, Ireland must stamp it out.
“The jouez jouez thing, there’s two different aspects in that,” he says. “Ireland will be structured in attack because of the shape, but the jouez jouez is a different component because it means you’re defending. France are on the front foot. But the way to break that up is a big shot, a big defensive set.
“You’ve got to slow that momentum down, slow the ball down, get your spacings and get organised and ideally win the collision zones. That’s not new to this team.”
It’s a long way from hat-tricks, although Sheehan scored four tries in a game for Leinster in 2022. Like O’Driscoll, he has kicked on too.
– Brian O’Driscoll was speaking in his role as a Guinness ambassador at the launch of Field of Vision, a new sensory experience for visually impaired fans at this year’s Six Nations.
