France got their Six Nations campaign off to a winning start on Saturday by beating Scotland in a 15-8 victory.
Les Bleus were reliant on Camille Lopez's kicking (he scored five penalties) as the Vern Cotter's Scots notched the only try in Paris.
But what type of team are Ireland going to face this weekend when Philippe Saint-Andre's side visit Dublin on Saturday evening in the second round of matches?
"There wasn't much flair about [the win over Scotland]. Scotland played the more attacking rugby and the French are a little bit fed up really with their conservative, risk-averse nature of Philippe Saint-Andre's side," said France-based rugby writer Gavin Mortimer on Off The Ball tonight.
The Rugby World and Eurosport contributor says that the biggest disappointment for the French public is the sense of regression.
France's head coach Philippe Saint-Andre ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
"The talent is there but I don't think the coaching is there," explained Mortimer, adding that Serge Blanco's addition to the backroom team is a bid to improve communication between players and staff.
But there is optimism around Lopez according to Mortimer and that there is talk that his Clermont colleague Morgan Parra could be paired with the fly-half.
Against Ireland though, Mortimer believes the match could hinge on whether the slow Mathieu Bastareuad starts at centre for France, and that Joe Schmidt's side could break their spirit if they make a strong start in the first 20 minutes.
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