The French are traditionally the most subdued of Dublin’s annual rugby visitors. They don’t so much invade the city as infiltrate it.
Especially in bad weather, when team colours are under cover, they can mingle convincingly with the locals. Sometimes it’s only the cut of their anoraks, the flamboyance of their scarves, or the way they can can sip a half pint of Guinness for an hour, like vintage Burgundy, that gives them away.
But if their eve-of-match performance this year is a guide to the national mood, Ireland could be up against it on the pitch at Lansdowne Road today. By their own standards, the visitors were almost boisterous on Friday afternoon. In numbers alone, it was a show of strength.
Outside the Temple Bar pub, for example, an imposing group had already taken up residence, commanding a key street corner in the tourist district. They were all burly, beret-wearing, and from Bordeaux-Bègles rugby club, according to a spokesman, Jeffrey Schopper. They were also bullish about the game.
But the most impressive thing about the group was its sheer size. There were 65 here in total, said Jeffrey, staying in three city hotels.
No brass necks
Around another corner was a brass band from Chavanay, near Lyons. “Brasstring Goo,” they spelt their name, although as pronounced in the local dialect, the “goo” sounded more like “go” and “Brasstring” didn’t sound like an item of intimate ladies’ wear.
They will play “around the stadium” on Saturday, the trombone player said. But in what might have been a cheering omen for Irish hopes, their instruments had been temporarily decommissioned yesterday. Or at least they didn’t have their mouthpieces in.
So when newspaper photographers demanded an action pose, they had to mime brass-playing rather than actually play. And even when asked for a match prediction, they refused to blow their own trumpets. “It will be very hard, for us and for you,” was all the trombonist would venture.
That's probably one of the safer predictions. Ireland has had the better of this fixture for several years now – you have to go back the ancient mists of 2011, when Brian Cowen was taoiseach, for France's last Six Nations win here. And the bookies make us seven-point favourites for the latest meeting.
But there is usually only a score between the teams, either way. A recent exception was Ireland's record 24-9 margin in the 2015 World Cup: a pyrrhic victory earned at the cost of catastrophic casualties. With games against Wales and England remaining, Joe Schmidt's team probably cannot afford another success like that.
Tourist wave
Sure winners this weekend, whatever happens, are the hotels and pubs. Airlines too. Dublin Airport counted 55 flights in on Friday for the rugby alone. And although the French may not be as big a benefit to publicans as other nations, hotels and restaurants will do well.
Friday’s visitors also included, for example, the Giardino family from the island of Porquerolles, off Toulon, who had arrived on Thursday for four nights. They really could have blended in with the locals – they had red hair. They were also undergoing a full-immersion course in local culture.
Having already toured Trinity College, they were about to visit Christ Church, and had booked a tour of Kilmainham Gaol for Sunday. But they, too, were here for the match and were as confident as most of their compatriots.
"It will be a very, very hard game," said one, but predicted France would win "24-19".
