France v Ireland Six Nations Rugby

It has been ridiculously, a ludicrously cold all week in Paris.

Apology for the loss of subtitles for 53 seconds

Ireland have never in joined the warmest welcomes in France. Stade

de France was the venue for a World Cup final and countless rugby

internationals but Ireland only won Hello, everyone. It is a bitterly

cold day in Paris. A beautiful In all the years the matches played

here, the number of Irish victories was precisely zero. They took some

A second French try. Ireland really caught unawares.

Since they moved to Stade de France in the 90s it has been barren for

the Irish. With one exception. One And it a hat-trick for the

youngster. Brian O'Driscoll, the wonderful pick-up.

12 years since an Irish triumph in Paris and longer, 14 years, since

they lost the first two matches of the championship. It was a dramatic

Leigh Halfpenny takes the penalty and Wales have won in Ireland in a

match that has been dramatic, controversial, exciting. It has

Not to labour the point, they are talking about it going to as low as

minus ten. There have been covers on the pitch. They have tried to

keep some warmth on the turf but a raw Saturday night in Paris is not

the easiest way to recover from a It was a great match last weekend.

One of the best Six Nations games. It is no consolation when you have

lost. Especially in that manner. was so close at the end. The final

moments and the fine a reflection. It annoys you a little bit.

Ireland's Grand Slam in turning this win over France is two years

ago. They need to recover that The French ran in four tries

against Italy last weekend. Pragmatism with flour at the start

of his coaching tenure. -- with flair. Good coaches need good

players. A great leader and also This Late Late Show at Stade de

France makes it a strange day for both teams. A lot of hanging around.

They are debating how many under layers to wear. They were wondering

whether the game would go ahead. Now, it is a question of getting

Welcome to base camp with Jonathan Davies, Keith Wood. We will not

labour the point about the weather. It is very cold. Ireland only

winning three times in Paris. Does it impact on the game? I was on the

bench in 94. I was on the field in 2000 when we won. It took a long

time to figure out how to win and we have forgotten how to win. They

are nervous because you know if the first 20 minutes go past and you

are in trouble, there is no chance. How confident are the French?

I think the French team are really confident. They started well

against Italy, they scored four tries. They are looking forward to

starting well today. We will get Jonathan's opinion from Rome after

some highlights. It was an two minutes from half-time meant a

try. With the final whistle imminent, a pass pursued by a

gaggle of England defenders. With the conversion, Italy lead 12-6. It

became 15-6 and calamity. Two weeks in a row, a touch down from Charlie

Hodgson after a charged down. This, the 5th successful conversion meant

England won a 19-15. Italy Mr two opportunities to win the game. An

At half-time, we spoke about composure. There was 40 minutes to

go. It was a double blow before half time. Credit to the guys who

kept their composure and did not do silly things. If we had done that,

the balls may have gone astray. We kept our heads. It was a fantastic

way to come back into the game. We thought about playing off the first

receive their rather than off nine and having the courage to play. I

thought the players did that. We didn't get everything right but it

was a big part of the second half performance. Charlie got is charged

down. We played with more width. It is difficult in the conditions but

the right way to go. This is how At the Millennium Stadium tomorrow,

Wales against Scotland at 2:30pm. If Wales win, it would be England

against Wales having played two and one to. There is a discussion

taking place at the moment about whether the pitch is playable. They

have been several pitch inspections. The last one was at 6:15pm in the

UK. I suppose safety is paramount. Yes, if you get slung into the

ground and it is frozen... It is frozen on the outside but is soft

on the pitch. The theory is it will freeze during the 80 minutes of the

game. And would say if the game starts and is abandoned at any

point if the match is called off after 60 minutes the result will

stand. Any time before that's the result is null and void and the

game will be re scheduled. There are serious faces. You wonder if

maybe the game is in some doubt. While they deliberate, Jonathan,

your verdict on England. It wasn't a great game, conditions were poor.

The young side have to results under their belt. It will give them

confidence. I think they have to look at the way they play, Stuart

Lancaster said they want to play wider, they have the conviction in

the second half. They have to They have to look wider, it will be

interesting to see how the sight of birds. Two from two, not great

games but the results important. They could have lost last week and

they could have lost today. What does it say about the resilience of

the young players? There is a good team spirit, they work hard for

each other. The three hardest games are yet to come. So, we will see

how well off they develop. I gather they are putting Blowers on certain

parts of the pitch. The majority of the pitch is playable but there are

chunks near the touch line that clearly, especially lineouts, near

the touch line could cause injury. The pick of may be delayed. The

frozen bits of ground need to be thought out. Right, or to the game

we have, they would have to go some so much be fantastic spectacle at

the Aviva Stadium last weekend. -- to match the fantastic spectacle.

Rhys Priestland starts us in Tommy Bowe! Rory Best! Rory Best

Beautiful offloads! Jonathan Davies will school for Wales. -- Will

Jamie Roberts. Jonathan Davies! George North. The power of the

Stephen Ferris is going to the sin- bin. Wales will have the kick for

and the clock is still running. Into touch and Wales have won in

Ireland in a match that has been Dave Pearson was the man running it

touched last week with a debate about Bradley Davies is sin-binning.

Going off with Declan Kidney and Philippe Saint-Andre behind him. We

will find out as soon as we can what the verdict is. They are still

inspecting the pitch. We have our reporter Jill Douglas with us and

will talk to her surely. Back to Dublin and Lee half Perrett --

Halfpenny it may have won the game but the man Rob Kearney looked to

What a catch by Rob Kearney. We know well enough Iffley hands

given a penalty away be would have won by a point also. They might be

a little bit of criticism but not to the scale it is now. We

understand we are not in a position to lose any more games. That does

add more pressure on us. If we win this weekend everyone will be back

on cloud nine. Were many changes made last week, the defence?

knew about the back line but you can't give them room, two or three

metres. That was a disappointing thing about the defence, we let

them run at us. It is about good line speed. If we had done that, I

think they would not have gotten over the gain-line every time like

is or cost us on the day. 2009 and you're in the world stage and then

injury hit. How was that? It is difficult. You never know, every

player has to cope with injuries. It is part of being a professional

sportsman. You never know when it will come. And I suppose because it

was such a long lay off of nine months, Leinster were winning the

Heineken Cup, the timing of it was not ideal. But saying that, I think

I was lucky to be able to come back before a World Cup, I need to take

positives and be thankful. If I missed out on World Cup I would

have been gutted. It was the highlight of my career.

Leinster team has your brother involved in the Ireland squad.

was special. There is something cool about having him there.

Singing the anthem with him was a proud moment. I would never get

emotional but I looked up in the stand and saw my mum and dad as

well during the anthem. You do Going to Paris, we have only won

once and for two years. It is nice to have a real big challenge there,

as well. The past record is not going to fill you with confidence.

But, what annoys me about Paris is that we always end up saying that

we could have snatched that at the end. The first 20 minutes, it is

about sustaining the pressure and throwing it right back at them. We

cannot go there killing that we need to do something special

because we are in Paris. We can beat this team and we have done,

many times. We have to play our game and sustain the pressure and

be clinical and take chances when they can. The key thing is whether

the game is going to take place at all, let's get down to the touch

line and join Joe Douglas and Philip Matthews. It is bitterly

cold cool -- they are still having a look at the surface. You have

been to the pitch to take a closer look. What is your gut feeling?

have done a full lap. The area around the touchline is not

playable. The touch judges are probably in more danger. The pitch

itself is softer. If the playing area heartens as much as the touch

line, it is not playable. They are debating about whether by half-time,

is it going to harden up as much as the outfield areas? It is very

uncertain, and that is what they are debating now. Akin see -- I can

see the blower there. Declan Kidney pudding his poem to the surface.

think that is the better spot they are looking at. I expect that

Declan Kidney did not think he would come here and be discussing

whether the game could go ahead. As soon as we you, you don't know,

John. They is no undersoil heating year, which would have come in

handy on occasions like this. If there is any area of the pitch that

could have any aspect of play, a tackle, where the health of the

players is at risk, as the game have to be called off? Yes, it is

imperative. That is first and foremost, the players' safety. It

can be replayed. If someone gets an injury, because we're or life-

threatening injury, it is not worth it. -- a career or life-threatening

injury. The temperature has gone down, and it has been consistently

law this week. And it is a 9 o'clock kick-off over here. -- low.

It is colder this week, and that has had an impact on the pitch.

What is your thoughts on this, Serge? One of the great things

about the International's is that most of the French fans come up

from the South West, and there are lots of Irish fans over here. But

you cannot factor that in. Yet, it is frustrating for the supporters

to come over here, to Paris, to support the French team. If they

need to reschedule the game, it is about the safety of the players.

Does that look like the face of a man who has had the game called

off? I don't know! If the game does take place, one of the key elements

is that Jonathan Sexton will start for Ireland. How important is he to

be a team? He is crucial. Against Ireland last week I was amazed that

the ball that he kicked. When Ireland have possession they did

not go through the phases. If they do that against France, they and

big danger, because the French have another couple of years from their

performers last week. The MacColl is called when they had to last

week. -- they only scored when they had to. And they say, why didn't

the Irish back row have a better game? Wales dominated possession

and they did not have the confidence to give the ball to the

Irish back row. The balance of the back row is all over the place. I

am not happy with Sean O'Brien at number seven. He is a big strong

ball carrier, but you do not see him, he is buried at the end of the

role. Still waiting for a verdict from the pitch inspection team.

Meanwhile, less focus on someone who scored his 6th international

try for Ireland last week, Rory I get home from training and to

practise in my own time. I spend an hour or so throwing 70 or 80 balls,

trying to get everything right for Friday night or Saturday night. The

key thing for me is that I know when I have thrown well. I know

when the line-out going wrong is my fault and when it is one of the

other ingredients. He got two very good throws. He has a 100% record

on the line-outs. What was impressive last week was his

patience. He stayed out in this particular play for over six days

is to win his 6th try for Ireland. It was bang after bang after a bang,

this particular defensive piece of play. He slows the ball down two or

three times. Just trying to make certain he was hitting a ruck, he

was making the tackle, he was trying to slow it down, and then he

brought this chop tackle into the game to slow players don't, at the

knee. -- slow players down. Watching Wales going at the Irish

line. Just a quick thought for the game tomorrow, how are Wales want

to do against Scotland at Cardiff? Always difficult games against

Scotland. Because of that, they are going to struggle. But Wales, in

type games, their line-out, scrum and defence is good, so we also got

to play well to win and keep expectations than. I am just

hearing that the match is off. It has been postponed because of the

state of the pitch, not all of the pitch, but around the touchline,

there are certain areas that make the game unplayable, unsafe. Let's

join Joe Douglas. They have made the decision, the pitch is freezing,

the match is off. We don't know what this will mean in terms of the

ramifications for when it is replayed, but the pitch is hard in

places, and Philippe Saint-Andre is not keen to play. I expect the

Irish were more keen for this to go-ahead. But the match is

definitely off. It is no surprise when you look around the touchline,

it is not playable. Of the match had gone ahead and the pitch got

any harder, there would have been injuries. It does not take a stud

at all. The playing surface would have hardened up. That was the work

that I had from Philippe Saint- Andre. Both teams had been

continuing to warm up as if the game was going to go ahead. That is

all they could do. But I saw Ronan O'Gara running off. But this game

is not going to be played. I don't know how they're going to tell this

stadium full of people who have braved the cold to come here.

but players' safety must be paramount. The outside areas are

not playable. There is no way that that which would have been playable,

there could have been serious injuries. It definitely has the

right decision. A lot of debate went into this, but that is it, it

is up. 80,000 people here in the Stade de France, they have not been

told yet. There is going to be a huge disappointment for them. There

are one or two things apart from rugby that you can do in Paris on

Saturday night! In terms of rescheduling the game, the Six

Nations is played over seven weeks. There is a blank weekend next week.

I don't know whether it is too quick to reassemble it for next

week, and there is a club match between Stade Francais and Toulon

here this week. That will be sold out. Then it is the week after that,

there is a Scheduled three matches. So it looks like March 3rd, that

will be they are blank weekend when the scheme is rescheduled for. What

do you think Jill Douglas was in Ferring, when she said Ireland were

more keen to get the game called off than the French? They are more

used to wet and windy weather. Looking at the faces of the people

there, the players are ready to play. They are doing their job and

know exactly what they have to do. But it is a safety concern. My

query is, why is it at the last minute? It has been at this

temperature last -- or all of the last week. It is the first Six

Nations game to be postponed for 25 years, and before that, 1952. It is

once every quarter of a century! From the point of view of

disrupting the flow of things for the Six Nations, does this have any

bearing on how the championship might pan out? From Cooper and

mouth in matter 1001, for Ireland, we were in good form, winning

matches at the three postponed matches, until September, then you

try to start again. And you have not played a lot of rugby, it can

have an effect. It puts them under pressure. You kind of expect them

to get back on their feet for this, this was a big game for them.

France are playing Scotland at Murrayfield in a couple of weeks'

time and a couple of weeks relaxation after that would

probably have done them good but they will not have that, if the

scheme is rescheduled. I'm sure that there are meetings taking

place to decide how this game can be rescheduled. This is a source of

bemusement to the crowd, who have not been told yet at the match has

been postponed. They are announcing it now to the crowd, so we can

expect a bad job boos. -- barrage of boos. That gentleman is

particularly unhappy. Yesterday, surely, the pitch at this time last

night cannot have been playable. In a similar situation to what he is

now. It is a big Query of this stadium why there is not undersoil

heating. Are cannot believe it has been called of so late. All of the

French supporters coming from different parts of France, it is a

modern stadium as well. It is not like it is a stadium built in the

60s and 70s, it was built for the football World Cup in 1998, so it

is just over one decade old. There was a game in Italy that was called

off last week and the Magnier that it all week. How disappointed are

you by this, Serge? I am disappointed, the supporters are

disappointed. It is a new stadium. And, for the players, for the fans,

it is important that they have got the picture says Alsop it is

terribly disappointing. It is up to all the supporters to Goa in Paris.

If they cannot rearrange it, just give them a point each! Who would

benefit from that, John? The game went ahead in Italy in far from

ideal conditions today. But it meant that England won, 19-15

Nations table as we look at it, one 70,000 people at the home of

Italian football. It took the Six Nations on to another level. We

hope to hear from Declan Kidney in a short moment. The game at the

bottom, Wales against Scotland, 2:30pm tomorrow, barring a plague

of locusts will go ahead! The Millennium Stadium has a roof. That

is a modern stadium. Up I will be there! I could have stayed there

last night! I think we can go to Jill Douglas.

Disappointed the game is not going ahead. What was the final decision?

The pitch was unsafe. The referee has to make the

decision which is tough on one person. In fairness, it was the

right one. It was the corner you were taking a close look at. What

was your personal view? When you get ready for a game, you leave the

hotel and the players are pumped up. You want to play your heart but

your head has to rule it. We cannot do anything other than prepare for

the game. The lads are pumped up inside ready for the game. It will

be a new experience for some of them to calm down with the energy.

You better not let them loose in Paris! What will happen now, we

Libby re arranged? I believe the game will be re- arranged. Next

week would be a tight ask. I am not sure. The Six Nations will decide.

When will the decision been made? They were on the phone already

outside, they will be working on it as it is. I would not like to put a

guess on it. I imagine some time under. What is the reaction of the

guys in the dressing room? You're joking! How to get that pumped up

from game? International rugby is not something you just a right and

go for a friendly jog around. They are grey lads. They will settle

down and there is some banter in the dressing room. I appreciate

that. Thank you. There was a huge amount of bullying

during the Declan Kidney interview. It is a situation where there is

nothing that can be done. Some of the greats of French rugby who have

never experienced a delay let this. The game is not taking place. It

will take place, the inference is it will be in three weeks' time. It

takes 10 seconds to look ahead to tomorrow's game. Serge Betsen, who

will win? I think Wales will win. Why? Bike 5-1. It will be a win for

Wales. They looked well. The power in attack, they can do serious

damage. Perhaps more than five. think Wales will score tries and

Scotland and for surely cannot at the moment. They will score tries

soon I hope it is not tomorrow! The players are well and confident.

2:30pm tomorrow. There is ice on the side of the pitch. We were not