RUGBY/Six Nations Championship, Ireland v France: Johnny Wattersontalks to David Wallace who is relishing the battle against the French big guns

As always, these matches are fought on many fronts. The scrum; the lineouts; the kicking; the backrow contest; the state of minds. Of them all, the backrow throws up as big a battle as there will be around the park this Sunday with half a dozen household names fronting up against each other in Croke Park. It's an arena where reputations can be won or lost.

David Wallace, Denis Leamy and Simon Easterby face the collective ferocity of Serge Betsen, Sebastian Chabal and Imanol Harinordoquy. Of the three, perhaps Sale Sharks' Chabal has stuck his head above the rest as one of France's stand-out players against Italy. While Italy's resistance last Saturday might have seemed perfectly fragile as to suit the rampaging Chabal, few would argue that he and his menacing colleagues are central to French plans at GAA headquarters and in their quest for world domination on home ground later this year.

But so, too, have the three Irish players claimed something of a reputation and if Ireland played below a satisfactory level against Wales last weekend, there were three other players who left the Millennium with their reputations intact. All three came form the Irish backrow.

"I've played against them all (Chabal, Betsen and Harinordoquy) but not all at the same time," says the Irish open side flanker Wallace. "Chabal had an awesome game last week. He is a huge talisman for them. Obviously, people have seen him down through the years. He has an enormous work rate and is a real grafter on the ground.

"Harinordoquy has obviously been around for a few years and he's a great talent and a very skilful player. Between the three they probably have quite a good mix in terms of balance so it is going to be tough for us."

But in Wallace's summation comes a respectful vein of defiance and not without reason. As part of the Munster and Ireland pack that has for many years faced the best players of Europe and put them away with varying degrees of ease and difficulty, the Lions flanker does not wilt in the face of such Gallic pedigree.

"Going into the Welsh game I was looking at their backrow," says Wallace. "I was very, very impressed watching the footage. Popham and obviously Ryan Jones and Martyn Williams . . . everyone knows what they can do. We knew it was going to be, not exactly daunting, but tough. In terms of names, the French have been around. The three of them are household names now. So yes, on paper they do look like a force but I wouldn't say it is daunting but more of a huge challenge for us. At this level you welcome these challenges. They drive you on."

Far from just the explosive runner, tackler and ball-carrier, Wallace has in recent months become more central to the Irish lineout. While he was often at the tail end in previous years, his talents there have drawn him more specifically into Ireland's plans at those setpieces. It is an area where he had not been really utilised by Eddie O'Sullivan until the recent autumn series of international matches.

"I used to do a lot of it (lineout work) back in my AIL days so I would have had some experience," he says. "It adds value, obviously. It's another string to your bow when in the past anything shorter than a full lineout and I'd have been at the back trucking it out.

"But in terms of being a seven, it sometimes takes you 10 metres further away from the breakdown, so it is a little bit different in that sense and it is something you have to get used to. You've got to try and get out a little quicker because you might have 10 or 15 guys ahead of you. But I'm happy to be used there."

On the firm ground at Croke Park, Wallace will be comfortable and as Ireland look towards Sunday it is likely they have travelled far enough in their thinking to be more intensely interested in the performances of, not the French trio, but Leamy, Easterby and Wallace.

It is, after all, Ireland's home front.