Declan Kidney faces his first Six Nations match as Ireland coach

Coach Declan Kidney believes Ireland will face a step-up in class when they tackle France in their opening RBS Six Nations match on 7 February.

After a mixed autumn Test series, the Irish players will gather on Monday to prepare for the championship campaign.

"The win against Argentina, although not the prettiest, was important from a ranking point of view," said Kidney.

"The France match is a step above that because they can bring so much to their game and are incredibly dangerous."

Kidney added: "The players' focus for the first week of training will be to set the foundations for the tournament.

"After that, the only focus we will have will be on the opening game."

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