Duel of the scrummies

SIX NATIONS: INTRIGUING SHOWDOWN BETWEEN GIBSON-PARK & DUPONT

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Ireland’s titanic Six Nations match on Saturday with France in Dublin has many engrossing duels but perhaps the most eye-catching will be between scrum-halves Jamison Gibson-Park and Antoine Dupont.

Gibson-Park, born in New Zealand but now an Irish citizen, has been Ireland’s outstanding performer in a campaign in which the Irish have been more clinical and resilient than flamboyant in securing the Triple Crown.

Emblematic of the effort put in by Gibson-Park was his scampering back three-quarters of the length of the pitch to put in a try-saving tackle against Scotland last month.

“It’s just being part of this squad - you scramble to even lost causes,” he explained afterwards.