Joe Schmidt explains his big decisions for Ireland’s crucial opener in France

A few big calls in his Ireland squad but Joe Schmidt is confident these men can get the job done.

Ireland will bring a squad to France, for the Six Nations opener, that are vastly more experienced that their hosts. While Les Bleus head coach Jacques Brunel has named a relatively green starting team, in terms of combinations and total caps, Ireland go into the game with a number of proven operators and combos. Moments after announcing his starting XV, and bench, for the Six Nations opener in Paris, Schmidt offered some insight to the selection process. Three of the big calls include Leinster forwards - Cian Healy, James Ryan and Josh van der Flier all handed starting roles for Saturday's clash at Stade de France [4:45pm kick-off, Irish time]. On selecting Ryan ahead of Devin Toner, Schmidt commented:

"It's a position that we don't have huge depth in but a few young guys have been pushing through... We feel that he went well against Montpellier [for Leinster] and we're looking forward to seeing what he can do."

As for the exclusion of young Leinster winger/fullback Jordan Larmour, Schmidt said: "I had a good chat with Jordan; he was very close to making the bench. It's a very competitive area for us." As for coming up against a new-look France, Schmidt admitted it was "difficult" to plan for but that has allowed him to focus on his own team's strengths.