Fullback Rob Kearney tells GAVIN CUMMISKEYIreland can beat France as long as they get off to a good start

A QUESTION has been nagging the Irish rugby public since October. What is the true identity of this Ireland team?

The prevailing fear is that they are a reactive bunch who need a string of poor performances to spark isolated, yet special victories. Like what we witnessed against England and Australia in 2011.

If that is the case, something to warm the freezing cockles should follow this Saturday night in Paris.

“I hope you’re right about this weekend and that we do pull more of what we are capable out,” said Rob Kearney. “That can be a sign of a good side and good group of players that they are able to back things up when their backs are up against the wall and produce something more like what we should.”

Kearney, like all his team-mates with the exception of Ronan O’Gara, has never beaten France in Paris. There is a pattern in the Six Nations: France beat Ireland, England beat France, Ireland beat England.

That is not expected to change this weekend but you wouldn’t think that listening to the 25-year-old.

“Sometimes you might have some mental blocks against a team but I certainly don’t have one against France and I would be pretty sure none of the other boys do.”

The 2006 and 2008 defeats in St Denis were just plain weird spectacles; France bolting out the gate only to fade long before the finish, eventually stumbling over the line.

“Genuinely, we do believe we can beat them so long as we get off to a good start,” said Kearney.

Post-World Cup concerns, expressed both inside and outside the camp, focused on Ireland’s lack of attacking sophistication but, ironically, a porous defence was the main culprit for Wales reinforcing their dominant streak last Sunday.

This prompted an exchange of harsh words in the team room at Carton House last Tuesday.

“We were more critical than usual but I think that’s a good thing,” Kearney explained. “Sometimes you can come into these things and just focus on the positives . . . but there comes a point sometimes where you have to be a little bit harsher.

“Obviously our defence let us down on the day and that’s not what we expect of this team. Our defensive record over the years has bee pretty strong. At the weekend it was well below par.”

Was it a case of certain players getting isolated or just the immense power surge produced by the likes of George North (for his French replica, see Julien Malzieu)? Kearney sees it as something entirely different.

“More often than not, you’ll find defence is a mindset. There were a couple of technicalities where we came up short and some guys did things that you wouldn’t normally expect of them but I think 75 per cent of your defence is a mindset and I think that’s probably where we were lacking.”

Providing the defence resists the early French onslaughts late this Saturday night and the Irish pack wrests enough clean possession, what then? An easy suggestion doing the rounds is that Ireland should play like Leinster because Leinster are champions of Europe, but that is too simplistic for Kearney.

“Every coach has a different way of coaching a team. Granted, there are differences in game plan I’d be aware of between Leinster and Ireland. That’s not saying that one is right and one is wrong. Both have brought a lot of success and both are playing at different levels.

“One game plan might suit at provincial level whereas I think you have to take into consideration how big that step up is at international level and how your analysis changes as well.”

Despite the malaise creeping into the defensive line, there was clear evidence of newly-conjured inventiveness. “Yeah, both tries were examples of our change in attack. That was the most pleasing aspect of it, that you are trying things in training and that it’s paying off come game day.”

So, with defence and attack covered, it returns to Ireland revealing their true identity. The manic domination of Australia or the Welsh slump? Maybe we will never know.

“Paul [O’Connell] said a few words about the players having to take a bit more ownership of the whole thing but, in defence of that, I don’t get the impression that the players last week didn’t take any ownership.

“The players always have to run these things. The coaches are there to help us and give us game plans and shapes but ultimately we’re the guys who have to run them on the field and that’s the most important aspect of the whole thing.”