Gael Fickou. Photo / Getty Images
The numbers stack heavily against France. Of the three sides who could have the Six Nations trophy in their possession this weekend, it is Les Bleus who are the outsiders.
Having scored fewer and conceded more points than Ireland, their opponents in Paris overnight, and England, it will take a
freak set of results to earn the under-fire Philippe Saint-Andre an improbable first honour as national coach.
On the Stade de France's playing field the numbers tot up even more dramatically against the home team and nowhere more so than in what may prove the pivotal area. The re-fashioned French trio in the 10, 12 and 13 shirts have started a collective 19 tests, 13 in the Six Nations. Their counterparts in green muster 246 starts between them.
As the great Brian O'Driscoll collects his 141st and final cap for Ireland, Gael Fickou will make his first start in the Six Nations. When O'Driscoll won his first cap, Fickou was five years old.
Today O'Driscoll and Gordon D'Arcy stretch their world-record centre partnership to 56 and opposite them Fickou and Mathieu Bastareaud line up together for the first time. Remi Tales, the Castres No 10, makes his first start in the Six Nations, faced by Johnny Sexton, the best No 10 in the tournament.
