SIX NATIONS CHAMPIONSHIP:ONCE MORE into the breach, but Ireland have to deliver now. They know and believe they can improve significantly from their Rome excursion, and Declan Kidney has made a statement of faith by selecting virtually an unchanged side.
While there was a clear, definable pattern of play and good attacking shape against Italy, they need to carry more arrows in their quiver and be more accurate.
This translates to more kicking to pin down the French - though with a premium on accuracy given the French counter-attack - greater use of the blindside, more pick-and-go and more use of the tail in the lineout.
When asked about the need for more variety yesterday, Kidney maintained: "That will happen once we hang on to the ball. That evolves after playing for one or two games together, and that's why I've left the team as it was, let them get used to one or two nuances, the way guys carry ball, intuitive stuff that you get from playing together over a period of time.
"I know there are variations there, we have them in our play and I believe they will come out as confidence grows."
In this, there's also a sense that they have even kept some of their powder dry for the French.
"There is a certain amount of analysis done on anyone, but you like to keep something in the bank that they haven't seen before," said Brian O'Driscoll, who also spoke about the need to rectify individual mistakes from last week with extra work on the training ground.
"If we start slowly this weekend we will get torn apart. Sometimes you need to play with that fear factor that will get you out of the blocks nice and early."
Even in the immediate aftermath of the Italian win and the lack of lineout variety, Kidney hinted they were mindful of the greater threat posed by Julien Bonnaire and Imanol Harindoroquy. For that reason, and much else besides, Jamie Heaslip has been restored.
Few sides on the planet wouldn't welcome Heaslip back with open arms. He adds a more top-notch close-in work-rate as well as footwork, offloading and a lineout option, provided the troublesome ankle which has limited him to just one game since the pre-Christmas matches against Clermont has fully healed.
"I wasn't satisfied with the way we played and I think we can play better as a team, but I think, the way they played, they deserved another go," said Kidney.
"Obviously we have made one change, Jamie is a good player who brings his own skill set to it and that will give us a bit of variation in that line of our team. Others went about their business and sometimes you just need to back them, and that's what I'm doing."
Seán O'Brien moves across to blindside, with Denis Leamy reverting to the bench to the exclusion of Shane Jennings - the only member of the match-day 22 who saw no action in the Stadio Flaminio, though Kidney explained this was because of Leamy's yellow card.
"There have been a number of factors in that selection," said Kidney, "and one of them, not the over-riding one, is that Seán O'Brien has played six with Jamie at eight before and there would be a bit of combination work there that can help."
A little surprisingly, Kidney resisted the temptation to recall the fit-again Andrew Trimble. Fergus McFadden's form and confidence has improved immeasurably this season, not least because he started 11 games in succession up until Leinster's win in Racing (more than in each of his previous three seasons).
He's played only five-and-a-half games on the wing, and only the last one-and-a-half on the right wing, whereas the more experienced Trimble has played mostly on the wing for Ulster and Ireland, and has been in excellent form since the summer.
Coming up against the brilliant Maxime Medard, it's a big ask for McFadden, but then again Joe Schmidt had no qualms about pitting him against Napolini Nalaga in both Clermont games, primarily because of McFadden's excellent tackling technique.
But it's odd Trimble hasn't at least been accommodated on the bench, given he can cover midfield and wing along with McFadden. For example, if either wing were injured Trimble would be a straight swap, whereas if any of the back three are forced off this would probably mean Paddy Wallace playing fullback or wing, or D'Arcy on the wing.
While it's hard to believe D'Arcy will let his head race ahead of his hands again they way he did in Rome, Tomás O'Leary's struggle for form and the speed of service off the base is more of an issue, especially given the way this team is trying to play.
Whatever about the curious treatment of Peter Stringer, overlooked again in favour of Eoin Reddan, Kidney and co clearly see O'Leary as their number one choice, for his physicality, superb defence and break, though there wasn't enough of that last Saturday.
This was the case, after all, when Munster won their second Heineken Cup and Ireland won the Grand Slam, when O'Leary started four of the five matches. A reprise of his form in, say, the win away to England last season would be timely, both for player and team.
If not, Kidney's critics will have a readymade rod for his back, so it's a brave selection. It may also have something to do with an ugly weather forecast for the weekend.
IRELAND XV
(v France, Aviva Stadium, Sunday, 3pm)
15 Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster)
14 Fergus McFadden (Leinster)
13 Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt)
12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster)
11 Keith Earls (Munster)
10 Jonathan Sexton (Leinster)
9 Tomás O'Leary (Munster)
1 Cian Healy (Leinster)
2 Rory Best (Ulster)
3 Mike Ross (Leinster)
4 Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster)
5 Paul O'Connell (Munster)
6 Seán O'Brien (Leinster)
7 David Wallace (Munster)
8 Jamie Heaslip (Leinster)
Replacements: 16 Seán Cronin (Connacht), 17 Tom Court (Ulster), 18 Leo Cullen (Leinster), 19 Denis Leamy (Munster), 20 Eoin Reddan (Leinster), 21 Ronan O'Gara (Munster), 22 Paddy Wallace (Ulster)
