Ireland coach Declan Kidney has told his players they will have to “think on their feet” against France at the Stade de France on Saturday.

The Irish failed to impress in a laboured opening Six Nations win over Italy at Croke Park last weekend but it does not get any easier as they look for a rare win in Paris (Ireland 10/11 +5 Handicap Betting).

Ireland have not won in the French capital since 2000 and their average margin of defeat in the last five visits has been by 19 points so Kidney is aware of the challenge facing his men.

The former Munster coach admitted: “We have a broad plan but the boys will also have to think on their feet. You can try and second guess France but that’s dangerous.

“France’s set-piece is strong, so is their continuity and off-load game. They bring the unexpected.

“That gets them playing free-flowing rugby and, when they play like that, they’ll make hay against anybody.

“They played like that against New Zealand last summer and South Africa in the autumn and came out on top both times.”

Kidney added: “We’ll just have to attack what we see in front of us. That’s the way Irish teams need to play.

“We need to be smart – if we play the same way every time, teams will cut us down. We have a style that we play but it allows players to exploit gaps.

“You can’t defend the whole pitch so we’ll have to pick out where France are vulnerable.”

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