It is the World Cup play-offs: let the mind games begin and the insults fly. Richard Dunne, the Ireland defender, did not disappoint on Tuesday night when he fired the opening salvo at Raymond Domenech, the France coach.

Ireland meet France in the first leg of their play-off at Croke Park on Saturday and Dunne was not amused that, when the draw was made in Zurich last month, Domenech described the Aston Villa defender’s country as the “England B team”.

Domenech may be a figure of fun in his homeland. When he was introduced to the crowd at the BNP Paribas Masters tennis tournament in Paris on Monday night, he was greeted with hoots of derision from the crowd. He may not have even meant to appear to disparage Ireland. He was, some felt, merely pointing out that most of their players play in England. Too late. Dunne ramped up the pre-match temperature with a barbed response.

“The last World Cup and Euros [qualifying campaigns] have not run smoothly for France,” Dunne said. “They’ve always got through and maybe it’s time we put a stop to that. We know that if we can get in front, they probably have not got the man at the top to pull them back round.

“I didn’t know that [the England B comment], but it doesn’t surprise me. Every time a tournament comes round, they have all these world-class players and a man who seems intent on messing them up. Even watching television today, you can see the reaction of the people at the tennis when they put his face on the big screen and the whole place just booed him and his own players laughed at him.”

Dunne also thinks that Domenech, an eccentric character who has selected teams in the past, it is said, partly based on the signs of the Zodiac, could prove to be France’s Achilles’ heel. “It could be a weakness,” he said. “But it could be a big smokescreen. In the last few games, France have played really well. They seem to be clicking now.

“But if we can get on top of them and try to turn the game into a battle, we feel we have the stronger personalities who are up for that sort of game.”

Ooh la la, indeed. Not that Giovanni Trapattoni, Ireland’s venerable Italian manager, would indulge in anything as undiplomatic. The French media are no lovers of Domenech, either, yet Trapattoni would not swallow their bait.

“France are very strong individually and we need to be together,” he said. “Sure, they have famous players who play for the best teams, but is that enough? It is me versus you, it is only one ball on the pitch, not five. We have 90 minutes here, 90 minutes in Paris [for the second leg a week on Wednesday]. Maybe we are not famous but we are a good team. I know the qualities of France, but I am not scared.”