On the sideline French coach Fabien Galthié strolls among his players, a pat on the back here, a hand on a shoulder there. Not all the squad are yet out under the low grey sky.
Another string of bodies arrives from under Aviva Stadium’s west stand and then Antoine Dupont emerges low key and last from the tunnel ambling past the line of cameras, his chest puffed, a blank expression.
The French captain is heavily wrapped, the blue leggings and layers giving him an inflated appearance. Several inches short of six feet tall, nine pounds shy of 14 stone, Dupont has much to do to stand tall on a rugby pitch.
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Yet here he is out among the bigger, faster and more imposing French players, herding them around the pitch, whipping them from side to side, picking and flicking and then animating for a long pass, but at the last moment cocking his wrists and popping the ball in the air for a runner to come ghosting through from nowhere.
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With the rain spitting down on his Friday captain’s run, his is the one name that hangs on the lips of Irish rugby fans. Dupont, back again after answering the call of his country, strikes fear more than any French player.
In a story that might have been scripted in the fiction department of the French Rugby Federation, he skipped last year’s Six Nations to answer the nation’s Olympic call. With two tries in the final against Fiji, he all but won France the gold medal.
But today is more normal than it has been over the past three games for France. Fullback Thomas Ramos wears a number 15 bib, Romain Ntamack, back from his three-week suspension for a dangerous tackle, is in 10 with Dupont cheekily in the outside centre’s number 13.
In recent days the squad had former French footballer Theirry Henry into their camp and in a moment of light relief Dupont is asked if they spoke about the handball against France in the 2010 World Cup qualifier.
“There is no link between his visit and the game,” he says. “Most of the time we talk about high performance and high level and how can you deal with the pressure away especially during the important games. I think he has a long experience, and I hope he has inspired us for this weekend. But we didn’t talk a lot about the handball.”
Little is being given away and French defence coach Sean Edwards is rowing in with the agreed understanding that Ireland are not easy to beat in Dublin. Feisty and playing to the home gallery Edwards is in a generous mood.
“It’s the ultimate challenge in the northern hemisphere to come to Dublin and win without a shadow of a doubt,” he says. “I’ve been listening to Thin Lizzy all week and U2, been watching Steve Collins fights from the 90s, so I feel ready.”
Dupont echoes the cautiously respectful tone, saying nothing pungent, nothing at least that could be hung in the Irish dressingroom wall.
“They have a very rigorous system that we know,” he says. “They have won against all the teams in the world. They are doing a very good job. It also pushes us to be at our best level to be able to compete with this kind of team.”
Kindly words from the world number one scrumhalf. That will change on game day.
