Inside Track: Ireland will face stiff French resistance in coming year

Looking to the coming year, France is firmly in this country’s line of vision. There are two definite football fixtures between the countries, and there could be more.

And it could happen ours and their best racehorses will compete with each other in the Epsom or Irish Derby, at Royal Ascot, or maybe the Breeders’ Cup in America.

Coming up early in the year is rugby’s Six-Nations, and what the pundits are forecasting is, the match that could decide the competition goes ahead in early February, when Les Bleus come to The Aviva.

What they’re also saying is that Ireland and France are currently the world’s two best teams. Most are putting Ireland on top, basing their judgement on this year’s two away wins in New Zealand and an excellent winter series, which included defeats of Australia and South Africa.

However, France have had an unbeaten 2022 – Ireland lost twice, once to France, who played ten, and were Six-Nations champions. Immediately prior to that they beat New Zealand.

Ireland begin with an away match to Wales. Then there’s the February 11th meeting with France, after which there are two more trips – to Murrayfield and Rome’s Olympic Stadium.

If both sides are still in the running, there couldn’t be a more intriguing wind-up to the competition – a clash with the auld enemy in Dublin.

That won’t end the competitive fare for the year. Come September teams from all over the globe will be heading to – where else? – but France for the World Cup. This will be the test to beat all others, putting the Six-Nations in the shade.

France have still to win the title, but worse than that, Ireland don’t know what it’s like to play at the knock-out stages past the quarter finals, having in the past come up with some watery performances in the preliminaries.

In their attempt to better this record, the Andy Farrell-coached side will have South Africa, Scotland, Tonga and Romania to contend with.

It could happen that when Stephen Kenny takes his Republic of Ireland outfit to The Aviva next March to open their Euro 2024 bid, the world champions will be in the other corner.

France made it all the way to the final, only bested by an Argentina side aided by one of the best players ever seen in Lionel Messi.

They were the title-holders in 2018, their 4-2 win in the final coming at the expense of surprise-packets, Croatia.

Holland, a side that also exited at the hands of the new champions, will feature in Ireland's too, along with Greece and Gibraltar.

A tough assignment, surely, for Ireland, one for which they were quoted at 25/1 to win, and about half those odds to qualify from. The last two matches in an eight-match programme are against Holland and France, both away from home.

The boy's in Green's end-of-season friendly had absolutely nothing to get enthusiastic about, a 1-0 win over Malta.

The timing of a nondescript set-to couldn’t have been worse – just as the world’s best were limbering up in Qatar. The difference couldn’t have been starker.

The Irish ladies and France will have to come through their groups if they are to meet in their World Cup. The tournament, taking place in New Zealand kicks off in July and in Ireland’s way as they attempt to make the knock-outs in a first ever visit to the ‘Worlds’ are Australia, Nigeria and Canada.

Regardless of how the wearers of green fare in disciplines, there’s a great year of international competition ahead.