France may be ‘too tough’ for injury-hit Ireland

Five-time Six Nations winner Conor Murray admits he is “worried” about some of Ireland’s issues heading into next week’s mouthwatering tournament opener against France in Paris.

Ireland, who relinquished their title to Les Bleus in 2025, will travel to Stade de France without several key players through injury and the suspended Bundee Aki.

France, who hammered the Irish 42-27 in Dublin last year, are also without a host of established internationals, but Murray feels Fabien Galthie’s side will have the edge in the French capital next week.

“I think France will be a little bit too tough for the first game,” Murray, who won 125 Ireland caps, said on the Ireland Rugby Social podcast.

“I hate saying that because I’m recently out of the dressing room, but I do think it’ll be a little bit too far to go.

“I do, however, think they’ll put in a performance and we’ll see some sort of shape to what Ireland are trying to do and hopefully a few of the new guys come in and hold their head high after a game like that.”

Murray added: “I’m worried now with the front-row issues and the loose-head situation and the way it ties into the story of the South Africa game [in which the Irish scrum was decimated during November’s Test in Dublin].

Ireland head coach Andy Farrell must pick from a depleted squad after a spate of injuries which has robbed him of seasoned Test players like Andrew Porter, Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and Robbie Henshaw.

But Farrell’s Ireland defied the odds when they secured an impressive opening win over France in Marseille in the 2024 Six Nations with a performance that emphatically eased fears of a post-World Cup hangover.

“The Farrell factor is the bit that balances it up,” said Andrew Trimble, who won 70 Ireland caps between 2005 and 2017.

“On paper, it feels like the scrum is more important than ever. [There are] one or two other injuries, a handful of lads you’d want to be in better form, and then no stability or consistency at 10.

“There’s so many guys all playing OK at best. If there were so many young lads banging on the door, then you’d go ‘OK, a spark of youth and enthusiasm to ignite this team’ but there’s only a couple of those guys.

“All of that on paper says we can’t go to Paris and be excited, but Farrell always finds a way to get something out of these guys. He’s done it less recently but he has enough credit in the bank.”

Murray, who played in the 38-17 win in Marseille two years ago, echoed Trimble’s comments and insisted Farrell will use his motivational skills to ensure Ireland improve on the standards that saw them fall to New Zealand and South Africa in November.

“Talking about the Marseille game in ’24, we were questioned about form and not clicking.

“The last game we had played was the quarter-final against New Zealand and we had the most detailed review of a game I had in my career.

“We looked at that game and Andy pointed out in black and white so many situations where we could have been better, that last 20 minutes against New Zealand when we struggled and tried to find a try.

For Ireland centurion Rory Best, fly-half and the back three are Farrell’s most pressing selection headaches.

Back-three players Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen, Calvin Nash, Jimmy O’Brien, Shayne Bolton and Jordan Larmour are all missing, while Sam Prendergast, Jack Crowley and Harry Byrne are all vying for the out-half spot.

Leinster are once again most heavily represented in Farrell’s squad and Best feels finding cohesion quickly will be crucial given the differences in how the province and the national team have been playing lately.

“Leinster in the last number of years up until this year have played very similarly to how Ireland have played, hence why [former Leinster assistant] Andrew Goodman came in to be the Ireland attack coach because they were so similar,” said Best, who captained Ireland to the 2018 Grand Slam.

“You’re lifting these players from one team into the other with the same system. Leinster this season more than last are playing differently, they’re kicking the ball a lot more. Even against Ulster at the Aviva, you never would have seen Leinster get into the opposition 22 and put the ball up. Andy is definitely not going to do that.

“They will kick the ball a lot because away from home you need to. When you get in the pressure of the Stade de France, you will go into the automatic response which is what you’ve been trained every day at your club.