A 30-3 triumph at Scotland last time out saw Coghlan’s charges secure a Triple Crown and a second win at Ashbourne against France would move them a step closer to a 2013 clean sweep.

The second-placed French have already slipped to defeat to Italy, but despite riding on a high following the comprehensive result over Celtic neighbours Scotland Coghlan is taking nothing for granted next weekend.

“We never underestimate the French,” Coghlan told RTE'S Morning Ireland. “They’re top three in the world, they’re a phenomenal team.

“But we’ve put ourselves in a really good position with the results we’ve been having, particularly at home. It’s sort of been a ‘Fortress Ashbourne’.  So we’ll be really focused on that now.”

Ireland blitzed Scotland with two tries from Alison Miller, one from Siobhan Fleming and a 15-point contribution from full-back Niamh Briggs.

And Coghlan is confident Ireland can repeat that sort of performance at Ashbourne, adding: “The pitch is absolutely fantastic. It’s really intimate, because the crowd are almost on the pitch with you. “Sometimes I think if we were on a bigger stadium the crowd would be lost and wouldn’t be as much value to us when we’re on the pitch.”