IAN Madigan reckons Ireland vs France being slotted into the early Saturday slot by Six Nations organisers is ‘bonkers’.
The former fly-half was previewing the latest tournament decider between the two and noted that it really wasn’t difficult to predict months ago that this would again be the game of the competition.
On the Indo Sport podcast, journalist Cian Tracey initially made the point that it being a home farewell for Cian Healy, Peter O’Mahony and Conor Murray may help boost the Aviva Stadium from its usual sleepy afternoon slumber.
He then complained that tournament organisers should have given it the 4:45pm start time which has instead been chosen for Scotland against Wales.
At that juncture, the ex-Leinster man agreed: “It’s bonkers. They’ve got that completely wrong.
“It’s the game of the Six Nations. It needed to be the later kick-off.
“This deserves the atmosphere of an evening kick-off. I don’t get it.”
Another old 10 to have also previewed the titanic tussle is Ronan O’Gara on Off the Ball Breakfast.
Regarding a prediction, the Munster icon found it tough to call as he feels Ireland are a better team – but Les Bleus boast superior individual talent.
He also emphasized how much of a difference Antoine Dupont being involved this time around compared to the corresponding fixture in last year’s Six Nations will likely make.
He also laughed off France drafting in Thierry Henry this week while joking about a similar ‘mind game’ he was accused of.
It raised eyebrows when a man who famously raised a hand to break Irish hearts was invited in by Fabien Galthie as a guest into the French camp ahead of Saturday’s battle.
O’Gara was asked what he made of it just so happening to be the villain behind one of Irish sport’s most notorious moments that just so happened to be wheeled out this week of all weeks.
With a smile, he quipped: “The first thing I thought of when I saw that and could make a comparison was ‘Oh that’s ROG bringing his La Rochelle team to Cork the week they play Leinster!’”
“But y’know for us that was a travel issue. There was nothing in that.
“I’m sure Fabien Galthie has a good range of sporting stars available that he can bring in.
“And see, for us as Irish people that (Henry handball) was huge but for the French I think it was more the way we reacted (that they remember).
“I’d say if you ask a lot of French people as well as their players and coaching staff about Thierry Henry versus Ireland, they wouldn’t be too aware of it.”
On Thursday it emerged that Jamie Osborne is a surprise inclusion on the wing for Ireland to face France in the potential tournament decider.
The Leinster utility back has been selected on the right wing in place of Connacht star Mack Hansen who has a quad injury.
Munster’s Calvin Nash got the nod when Hansen missed the Scotland game four weeks ago.
But Osborne, who lined up at fullback for Ireland a fortnight ago against Wales and has started on the wing – always the left – just four times in his career has been chosen on this occasion.