Brian O'Driscoll is hopeful Ireland's talented backs can unleash their full potential against France on Saturday.

Ireland's misfiring three-quarters suffered strong criticism during the autumn Tests against New Zealand and Argentina, managing only one try in 160 minutes of rugby.

That came against the Pumas and was courtesy of winger Tommy Bowe via a crossfield kick from Ronan O'Gara.

And Ireland's inability to make any significant line-breaks in both Tests is of grave concern ahead of the opening weekend of games in the Six Nations.

Three of Leinster's backs - O'Driscoll, Robert Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald - have been named in the Ireland side for the Croke Park clash with France, but it's a team that has also been suffering a try drought of late, failing to score against both Wasps and Edinburgh in their last two Heineken Cup matches.

"I think we have an exciting backline," countered O'Driscoll. "You see a lot of guys with huge potential. I think we've great potential if we can click; that's the big if, we have to click.

"We've worked at it all week at training and it's gone reasonably well. We've tried to build and build and build for the rest of the week and, hopefully, come five o'clock on Saturday evening, we'll click together as a unit."

"It's getting more and more difficult to get line-breaks at international level," O'Driscoll added. "There are different personnel in for this game so we've worked hard at trying to be a unit and understanding one another.

"The more you play together the more you do understand one another's game and play off instinct. There was no great formula to it, it's a matter of trying to make it happen."

Aside from Ireland's backline issues, O'Driscoll says the poor performance of French clubs in the Heineken Cup is likely to galvanise the national side on Saturday.

"You always take the best out of your given situation," said the Ireland captain. "If they were doing extremely well, they'd take that confidence on board and feel they could all bring positives to their set-up. Whereas now, the clubs haven't done brilliantly in Europe but this is a new entity for them.

"This is very different, it's away from their clubs, it's back to France and I'm sure they'll be looking to put in big performances and try to impress Marc Lievremont [France head coach].

"He's mixed the team up in the last while and guys are looking to cement their places as regulars in the team. No better time to do that than in the first game."

One of those French players is Clement Poitrenaud, often viewed as the fall guy during the team's sticky patches over the last few years.

The Toulouse full-back was in and out of the France side in the second half of Bernard Laporte's reign as coach, while injury and loss of form has led to him being ignored by Les Bleus' new coaching team since the 2007 World Cup.

But Lievremont believes he has seen a new, dedicated version of Poitrenaud this season, and he has not been able to ignore the 26-year-old's claims any longer.

"I used to have this image of a dilettante lad and it's true that I didn't give my all in every match," he said. "In growing up, I am more consistent and now, each time I go on the pitch, I give everything. Before I could be a little too cool.

"I've put in a lot more effort in terms of commitment - it's what allowed me to be picked for the last World Cup and it's what allowed me to return after injury [he broke his leg a year ago].

"It isn't easy to be a full-back for Toulouse, it isn't easy to convince [Toulouse coach] Guy Noves to play you, so if I've been playing since the start of the season, it's because I have been competitive."

France's new regime want to practise the same attacking game as Toulouse, so Poitrenaud should feel at home with Les Bleus during this year's Six Nations.

"They want enterprising players who try things, who won't be paralysed by the pressure or by the stakes. I adhere to that completely - at Toulouse, they demand the same from us," added Poitrenaud."The most important thing is to go and enjoy myself. I am going to be able to try things with less pressure than in the past.

"But I can't expect there to be gaps everywhere - you must play the game depending on what's in front of you."

Poitrenaud's inclusion means Maxime Medard, his team-mate at Toulouse, moves to the wing at the expense of another Toulouse player, Cedric Heymans, who will be on the bench this weekend. With Florian Fritz and Yannick Jauzion also behind the scrum for France, there will be pressure on the Toulouse contingent to provide the flair in the back division.

"We have been picked for our abilities to animate the game and be dangerous in attack," Poitrenaud said. "We mustn't change our way of playing just because we put on the blue jersey."