Kearney passed fit to face France

Ireland v France team news:Rob Kearney will take his place at fullback for tomorrow's Six Nations opener after coming through a fitness test at Croke Park this morning. Kearney had been carrying an ankle injury but was put through his paces by the Irish medical team and deemed fit to start.

Kearney’s injury, suffered during training on Tuesday, was the only injury concern for Declan Kidney and his management think tank and there are no late changes to the starting line-up.

As such, Geordan Murphy remains on the replacement bench while Girvan Dempsey will have to content himself with watching from the stands.

Kidney sought to dampen the high expectations surrounding his side’s chances in this year’s campaign, claiming there is a never a good time to face France.

“You have to look forward to taking on France like all these big nations. You just want to challenge yourself against the best,” said Kidney.

“On whether it’s the ideal time to play France, I don’t think there is ever an ideal time to play them. They are strong the whole way through.

“They have stated their ambition of coming to Dublin and scoring tries and that’s about as much as I need to know.

“We can either be fearful or look forward to it. I believe in the latter because you have to look forward to playing them.

“I believe the more often you play these sides then the better it allows you to become because you learn so much about yourself,” he added.

Kidney wants his players to replicate their provincial form, but doesn’t believe the poor showing by French sides in the Heineken Cup has any bearing on the national team.

“I would not read too much into the way the French teams have performed in the Heineken Cup,” he said.

“They have a big number of players to draw on while we have a smaller pool, but we have been fronting up exceptionally well in the Heineken Cup.

“Now we are asking the same pool of players to do it on a national front. And I can’t speak highly enough about how they have gone about their job.”

The French team were caught up in the chaos at Dublin Airport, after they were forced to wait on their plane for over two hours as no gate was available to disembark.

Meanwhile, tonight’s A international between Ireland and the England Saxons will go ahead at Donnybrook (7.30pm) after the pitch passed a lunchtime inspection.

There has been one change to the Ireland bench for tonight’s clash, with Leinster scrumhalf Chris Keane coming in for Ulster’s Isaac Boss, who has been ruled out through illness.

The women’s Six Nations clash between Ireland and France has been moved to Ashbourne RFC from Templeville Road, while the Ireland Colleges game against their French counterparts will now take place at Balbriggan RFC after the Suttonians pitch was deemed unplayable. The game now has an earlier kick-off time of 6pm.

Ireland:R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), P Wallace (Ulster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster); M Horan (Munster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: R Best (Ulster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Kelly (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), P Stringer (Munster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), G Murphy (Leicester).

France: C Poitrenaud (Toulouse); J Malzieu (Clermont Auvergne), F Fritz (Toulouse), Y Jauzion (Toulouse), M Medard (Toulouse); L Beauxis (Stade Francais), S Tillous-Borde (Castres); L Faure (Sale Sharks), D Szarzewski (Stade Francais), B Lecouls (Toulouse), S Chabal (Sale Sharks), L Nallet (Castres, capt), T Dusautoir (Toulouse), F Ouedraogo (Montpellier), I Harinordoquy (Biarritz). Replacements: B Kayser (Leicester), N Mas (Perpignan), R Millo-Chluski (Toulouse), L Picamoles (Montpellier), M Parra (Bourgoin), B Baby (Clermont Auvergne), C Heymans (Toulouse). `

Ireland A:G Duffy (Connacht); A Trimble (Ulster), D Cave (Ulster), K Matthews (Connacht), M McCrea (Ulster); J Sexton (Leinster), E Reddan (Wasps); C Healy (Leinster), S Cronin (Connacht), M Ross (Harlequins); B Casey (London Irish, capt), R Caldwell (Ulster); N Best (Northampton), S Jennings (Leinster), J Muldoon (Connacht). Replacements:J Fogarty (Leinster), J Andress (Exeter), D Ryan (Munster), S O'Brien (Leinster), C Keane (Leinster), I Humphreys (Ulster), B Murphy (Munster).