Matt Williams: Re-establishing lineout as a rock-solid platform vital to Ireland’s prospects

The French national anthem, La Marseillaise, was named after a group of volunteer soldiers from the Marseille National Guard who first sang the now famous call to arms on the streets of Paris in 1792.

As the Prussians invaded northern France, the “Chant de guerre pour l’Armée du Rhin” (War song for the army of the Rhine), as it was first named, was an emotive cry for the French to defend La Patrie, or fatherland.

While Advance Australia Fair, the Australian anthem, is full of vague references to beaches and cute marsupials – a sort of forgettable Eurovision trash in the national anthem stakes – La Marseillaise is Jon Bon Jovi crossed with AC/DC, fronted by the Rolling Stones with Springsteen as an onstage guest.

As far as anthems go, it is the gold standard.

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The writer and composer, Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle, literally demands that the French defend their friends and family from having their throats slit by the invading barbarians, with such fervour that the blood of the ferocious foreign soldiers will flow in the furrows of their fields.

And people are complaining about the violent language in the Netflix rugby documentary? Try to avoid reading the lyrics to La Marseillaise. It’s a horror story.

Just as La Marseillaise was written to motivate soldiers for war in France, a few decades later rugby grew in popularity inside the English public school system, sometimes used as a training game to prepare the officer class for survival in the life and death pressures of battle. Those ancient and wise educators also made it such great fun that, 200 years later, it still gives those who play great joy.

To this day rugby teaches players to develop high levels of mental control and to be tactically powerful inside the confusion of a battle that can use physical confrontation to teach the development of a warrior’s mindset.

Gerry Thornley in Marseille ahead of France vs Ireland

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If Ireland are to defeat the French they must act with that warriors’ mindset created by those ancient educators and not with the immature and often cringeworthy statements of machismo that we saw in the Netflix series.

There is an old rugby saying that you don’t want to be playing the French in Paris with spring sunshine on their backs. Yet although Ireland face Les Bleus on a winter’s night, under the lights in a cold Marseille, it won’t make things any easier.

The city of Marseille sits at the crossroads of the French rugby heartland. Toulon, Toulouse, Montpellier, Perpignan and the towns along the eastern Pyrenees, places where rugby is a way of life and the game of the people, are all within three hours’ drive. At the Velodrome, the French heartland will personify the spirit of La Marseillaise.

Joyously for all of us, both France and Ireland play gorgeous attacking rugby. For the winners, the opportunity of a Grand Slam will open up.

Two crucial factors will determine the winner of this potentially epic match. Across last year’s Six Nations Grand Slam run, Ireland’s lineout was imperious. Running at close to 100 per cent efficiency, Andy Farrell’s side launched their much-vaunted strike plays from this rock solid platform.

Then, only months later at the World Cup, Ireland’s lineout began to malfunction. Bad calls, poor lifts, miscommunication and crooked throws all combined to drag one of their greatest strengths into the liability column. Without a return to last season’s excellence, the old adage that it is impossible to win without a strong set piece will hold for Ireland.

The other major factor will be absent friends.

Sexton is gone, never to grace our fields again. We must all keep in mind that it is simply impossible to immediately replace an all-time great. How Jack Crowley adapts to the hostile and unforgiving environment at the Velodrome may well determine the result. If he can catch, pass and kick to a high standard, that will be a highly positive outcome for this talented young player who is still learning his craft.

However the French will place huge pressure on Crowley. He can look forward to the French strike runners seeking out his channel and forcing him to make multiple tackles. On the other side of the ball, I also expect the excellent French defensive coach, Shaun Edwards, to unleash one of his old tactics and send French scrumhalf Maxime Lucu sprinting out of the defensive line to pressure Crowley.

Les Bleus also have several absent friends. Their talented outhalf Romain Ntamack remains sidelined with knee problems. Mathieu Jalibert, his replacement in the number 10 jersey, had an absolute nightmare in the World Cup quarter-finals, at one stage managing to punt the ball backwards while trying to find touch. He then allowed Steph du Toit to trample over him and score the match-defining try.

Needless to say, his standards must drastically rise for France to win.

However, it is the absence of the great Antoine Dupont that is the biggest loss to the French team. He is unavailable due to his involvement with the French Sevens programme for the Paris Olympics.

Last Sunday his performance for Toulouse against Racing 92 was simply astonishing. The absence of both Sexton and Dupont means this game will swing on the finest of margins.

Last year’s match in Dublin produced one of the best games of rugby in years. Back then, France made an error when they tried to beat Ireland at their own game. That won’t happen again. Expect a lot more French kicking to touch as they attack Ireland’s lineout and scrum.

The visitors have a rare opportunity to win in the heartland of French rugby. France will be playing for their people, their greatest motivation. The opening game of the championship is far too close to call, but one to enjoy. Sit back and savour its brilliance.