By Charlie Elliott
Ireland host France this weekend in the Six Nations in the biggest match of the tournament so far.
France must win to have any hopes of lifting the Championship, and an Ireland win all but confirms their status as champions and gets them within one game of the Grand Slam.
England will be hoping that Les Blues do them a favour, with a win for the visitors almost guaranteeing that it will be a three-team shootout on the final day.
It is all to play for and there are bound to be ups and downs.
Here, Charlie Elliott selects his combined squad and head coach for the two sides, with a wealth of talent to choose from.
Outside Backs
15. Thomas Ramos
Hugo Keenan can consider himself incredibly unlucky to not even make the 23, as he is a brilliant player and if there wasn’t Ramos in front of him, would have been a nailed-on starter.
As it happens, the Toulouse man is here quite simply because he oozes quality on the ball.
One of the best kickers in the world, the Frenchman has all the attributes to succeed at fullback.
Versatile too, being able to fill in at fly-half means that he is a valuable asset to France, and was one of the first names on this teamsheet, as he likely is for Fabien Galthie too.
14. Louis Bielle-Biarrey
Another who simply couldn’t be left out, LBB is different class.
Super intelligent, super quick and with a great knack of being able to get past defenders, the Bordeaux flyer is a joy to watch.
Still only 21 years old, the France star is a generational talent and has all the tools to potentially go down as one of the greatest of all time when his career is all said and done.
Even when his side aren’t firing, he still manages to score points, evidenced by his brace in their recent defeat against England.
11. Damian Penaud
Possibly the hardest position to pick between Penaud and James Lowe, the Bordeaux man just about gets in.
Lowe has been in better form this Six Nations campaign, but overall Penaud just about edges it with his outstanding try scoring ability.
The Irishman is a better aerial threat, but that may suit this side better off the bench instead of starting.
Both are brilliant players, and it was a huge tossup.
Centres
13. Robbie Henshaw
The first Irish player in this team is centre Henshaw.
Many believe that the partnership of him and Bundee Aki is possibly the best in the world, so it seems foolish to change that for this team.
Both complement each other perfectly and although Aki has had a tough time recently, his performance off the bench against Wales proves that he has still got it.
Leinster legend Henshaw has seen it all and adds experience to the backline.
12. Bundee Aki
As mentioned, this partnership is here to stay, and the New-Zealand born Connacht player has had a resurrection recently.
Powerful, technical and overall an absolute monster, Aki is the prototype of a perfect centre.
Although he is getting on a bit at age 34, he has still got it and stays in this combined XV for now.
Halfbacks
10. Romain Ntamack
As is expected to be the case with such a strong side, this was another difficult decision.
Sam Prendergast has had a great Six Nations so far, but still has a few defensive frailties that need improving. Overall, he is a huge talent and, in a year or two could be the starter ahead of Ntamack.
Although he got a red card against Wales and has therefore not been able to feature much this year, he is still a great player and given that he has better experience and is a more well-rounded player, gets in over the Ireland star.
Another option could have been to put Ramos at ten and Hugo Keenan at fullback, which could have worked.
9. Antoine Dupont
The first name on the teamsheet, need I say anything about the maverick that is Dupont.
A strong case for being the best in the world, there isn’t a scrum-half that would be picked ahead of him at the moment.
So dynamic and just a beautiful player to watch, he gets straight in with no questions asked.
Front Row
1. Andrew Porter
Porter may have been shown a lesson at scrum time by WillGriff John recently, but is still one of the best looseheads in the world.
A Leinster and Ireland stalwart, he is good around the park for prop standards and is a key player in one of the best physical teams at the moment.
Jean-Baptiste Gros was strong competition, but Porter is overall a better player.
2. Dan Sheehan
Ronan Kelleher may start over Sheehan at the moment with the latter coming back from a long-term injury, but this seems purely tactical and not reflective of a gap in class.
Sheehan has shown in his cameos that he impacts the play more than Kelleher slightly, and although both are great players, I would rather have this Leinster hooker over the other.
3. Finlay Bealham
Another who is key to the physical machine that is Ireland, Bealham gets in over Uini Atonio by virtue of being a bit more consistent and reliable.
Atonio has a reputation for an occasional moment of madness and given that this team has outstanding quality in the backs, it needs forwards who are consistent.
An experienced head, the Connacht player provides great scrummaging ability and is an underrated ball carrier.
Second Row
4. Emmanuel Meafou
Second row picked itself, with Meafou and Beirne being a cut above the rest and two of the best in the business.
Toulouse lock Meafou is so solid from set pieces and links up the play brilliantly when needed, with some great ball carrying to create space for the more technical players in his team.
He knows his role and does it to perfection.
5. Tadhg Beirne
Another who had to get in, former British and Irish Lions callup Beirne has been arguably the best second row in the Home Nations for a few years now, rivalled only by Maro Itoje.
He will likely be starting in Australia and would form a formidable partnership with anyone, no less Meafou.
Back Row
6. Caelan Doris
Out of his preferred position, number eight Doris is another Lions cert and is the engine that keeps Ireland ticking.
His attributes fit flanker a bit more than the starting eight, which is why he is moved slightly, not because he isn’t as good as the man starting there.
So reliable, as captain of his country he has been great, leading by example.
7. Josh van der Flier
A ball carrying machine, van der Flier is as good on the ball as he is off it and is the perfect flanker.
Almost every game, he gets an obscene number of carries and tackles and is up there for Player of the Match.
He never stops and has a great engine on him, just what this team needs.
8. Gregory Alldritt
Another great runner is La Rochelle number eight Alldritt, who has been enjoying a great Six Nations so far for France.
Someone else who can carry the ball brilliantly, but is equally good at defending, has been one of the unsung heroes for his country for a while now.
So underrated but key in France’s success, Alldritt is different class.
Replacements
16. Peato Mauvaka
Unlucky to miss out as a starter, but fortunate to get in over Ronan Kelleher, leaving Mauvaka out would have felt wrong. Great from set pieces and would be dangerous off the bench.
17. Jean-Baptiste Gros
Another unlucky not to start, given the nature of props, would be given plenty of time to make an impact and any team seeing Gros coming off the bench would be nervous.
18. Uini Atonio
Such a beast, Atonio against tired bodies would be a cheat code, as long as he didn’t give away anything silly.
19. Thibaud Flament
Slightly below Meafou and Beirne, Flament is still a world-class player and would be good from both lineouts, but also in play.
20. Francois Cros
Similarly to Flament, a slight gap in class between him and the starters, but Cros has been a stalwart for Toulouse and deserves respect as a great back rower.
Plenty of experience that would be good to call upon late on.
Backs
21. Jamison Gibson-Park
Unlucky to be behind the best in the world, JGP is still a great player and is more than worthy of being Dupont’s replacement.
Hugely consistent but with flashes of quality, he is what you want from a player coming on.
22. Sam Prendergast
Practicalities aside from having a five-three bench split, Prendergast missing out would have felt very harsh.
Still has a lot to learn, especially defensively, but is a huge talent and would make an impact regardless of how many minutes he would get.
23. James Lowe
Could possibly have had Keenan here, but again, given his great Six Nations campaign, having Lowe outside of the 23 would have felt unfair.
A different winger to the two starters, arguments could be made that he could get in over Penaud to provide a different dynamic, but he would be deadly off the bench.
Would not complain if he was a starter though.
Head coach
Simon Easterby
A bit of a controversial one because he is only an interim, this pick really represents Andy Farrell.
Easterby deserves huge credit for being able to keep up the momentum that Farrell had built and being able to continue in the same fashion.
Ireland looks like a well-organised and solid outfit, something which can’t be said for France.
Fabien Galthie has his side attacking with seemingly no direction, which has been their downfall against good teams.
It is all well and good scoring over 70 points against Italy with fluid rugby, but it just won’t work against the big nations and will lead to them being frustrated.
France have a better squad than Ireland man for man yet look like a worse side. That has to be down to the coaching.
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