SIX NATIONS/Under-21 and A Previews: Ireland U21 v France U21, Musgrave Park (7.30)

It will be a very difficult night for the home side. Not only do Ireland traditionally struggle to beat France at this level but there is the added difficulty of facing a French team that have already beaten England and Scotland.

The Irish, too, are unbeaten - they defeated Scotland and Italy - but this crop of Tricolores come with a glowing reputation. Ireland have form links with tonight's visitors as for the last few years they have played a couple of pre-Six Nations under-21 matches in France as part of their warm-ups.

The absence of captain John Lyne through injury will be a blow to the home side's scrummaging, an area in which their opponents are particularly strong. Indeed, the Irish team may lack a little physique in a couple of positions, so it will be down to coach Michael Bradley to devise ways around these shortcomings.

There is plenty of footballing ability in the Irish team, including a fine pack of forwards, very capably led by UCC's Stephen Keogh. Right wing Richard Lane has scored two tries in as many matches, while John Hearty, who comes in for the injured David Warwick, is a player of considerable potential.

If they are to be successful, the Irish will have to avoid a war of attrition up front and look to vary the pace and points of attack.

IRELAND UNDER-21: T Bowe (Belfast Harlequins); R Lane (UCC), K Matthews (UL Bohemian), B Murphy (UL Bohemian), J Hearty (Blackrock College); M Rainey (Dundee HSFP), F O'Loughlin (Shannon); E McGovern (Old Crescent), N Best (Belfast Harlequins), J Moran (UCD); N McCombe, (Glasgow Hawks), D Gannon (UCD); J Muldoon (Galwegians), S Keogh (UCC, capt), N Ronan (Lansdowne). Replacements: D Fitzpatrick (Belfast Harlequins), K Corrigan (UCD), S O'Connor (Cork Institution), C Potts (St Mary's College), C O'Loughlin (Buccaneers), D McAllister (Terenure College), P O'Brien (UCC).

FRANCE UNDER-21: Etcheverria (Biarritz); Sestaret (Section Paloise), Lison (Grenoble), Grandclaude (Béziers), Donguy (Brive); Baby (Stade Toulousain), Durand (Béziers); Lamboley (Stade Toulousain, capt), Soucaze (Biarritz), Nyanga (Béziers), Friand (Agen), Marchois (Stade Français), Bergos (Pau), Rioux (Stade Toulousain), Berhabe (Dax). Replacements: Vigouroux (Perpignan), Forestier (Albi), Millo-Chlusky (Stade Toulousain), Deniau (Montferrand), C Garcia (Montauban), PE Garcia (Narbonne), Lafforgue (Béziers).

Referee: C Saunders (Wales).