Andy Farrell sees France as the perfect example for his emerging Ireland players pressandjournal.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from pressandjournal.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
At No 10, Burns has a reputation for playing a running game and at Ulster he defers much of the tactical stuff to Cooney. On the bench, Ross Byrne is probably the more strategically-minded of Ireland’s remaining No 10s but it is the Bath-born man who is tasked with running the game.
The causes for concern don’t stop at half-back.
Like Sexton, James Ryan has not come through the return to play protocols after his head injury and thus the captain and vice-captain are out. Peter O’Mahony, another former skipper, is banned after his red card last week while Caelan Doris is another guaranteed starter who has been sidelined with head issues.
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LAST CHANCE SALOON
Aside from pride and resurrecting hopes of rejoining the championship title conversation, this Irish squad will also be hoping to avoid the unwelcome statistic of becoming the first to lose the opening two games of a Six Nations campaign for the first time since the tournament s expansion in 2000.
Given England s surprise loss at home to Scotland the day before, last Sunday s game in Cardiff against a Wales team at a low ebb saw opportunity knock.
RTÉ Sport Journalist
Andy Farrell rejects the suggestion that losing three of his most experienced players has been a big disruption to his plans.
Ireland host France on Sunday and will do so without the services of Johnny Sexton [head injury] and Conor Murray [hamstring], who between them have 195 international caps.
In addition, James Ryan [head injury] has been ruled out. The lock has 33 caps to his name and is a guaranteed starter when fit.
The duo, who played together in the final stages of the loss to Wales, have ten caps between them. There has been a lot going on this week but we re a squad and we ve been a squad since we met up. Everyone has been swapping in and out, added Farrell