“It could well be the making or breaking of our season”- Fitzpatrick

IRELAND women’s rugby team captain Paula Fitzpatrick feels her side face a pivotal point in their Six Nations Championship campaign when they wel-come defending champ- ions France to Donny-brook on Sunday.

The Tallaght player has led her side through two tough games against Scotland and Italy and will be hoping they can maintain that winning run against a French side that will provide their biggest test yet this year.

“France will be dangerous” insisted the talented Number Eight. “Their attack play looks very threatening. Their power in the forwards, combined with their speed and skill out wide will really test us. We will need a serious improvement in performance to beat them.

“I think their threat is their versatility. They are equally comfortable using their pack to maul them up the pitch as spreading the ball out to their backs, most of whom are regulars in their 7s squad. It will be a big test for us and could well be the making or breaking of our season.”

Les Bleus will arrive here in confident mood having bounced back from their defeat at the hands of England by racking up 55 points without response against a Scottish outfit that Ireland barely managed to beat.

Yet while, Fitzpatrick admits that performances so far have been below par, it also means that there is plenty of room for improvement – improve-ment that really needs to come this weekend.

“France will be away from home and traditionally they can experience problems on the road,” Fitzpatrick pointed out.

“We will hopefully have a huge home crowd to spur us on. We’re lucky in a sense that although France have seen us play, we haven’t played anywhere near to what we’re capable of as a squad.

“Our set piece should challenge them and if we can manage our phases we will put them under pressure,” she added.

These sentiments were echoed by Fitzpatrick’s international team mate Hannah Tyrell, who is one of three players expected to be withdrawn from the squad for Sevens duty.

The Clondalkin women, who produced a great 50m run for a last-gasp try that earned Ireland the bonus point in their last Six Nations outing against Italy, feels Tom Tierney’s side is capable of pulling off a surprise on home soil.

“France will be very difficult,” she stressed. “They have a number of their Sevens players back in the side and are really focused on the 15s.

“They will have learned a lot from being 13 points up against England and then losing it. But I think we can do a job if we can get a big crowd in Donny-brook,” she said.