France v Ireland/Last win in Paris: John O'Sullivanrecalls one of the great Irish days and hears from some of those responsible
Sunday, March 19th, 2000. The dateline not alone demands a special place in Irish rugby lore but arguably offers the genesis of three Triple Crown triumphs. On a beautiful, sunny, spring afternoon, Ireland beat France 27-25 to record a first victory in the French capital for 28 years.
Brian O'Driscoll, Ireland's captain today but then a 22-year-old tyro, commandeered the headlines, front and back pages, with a hat-trick of tries celebrated in esoteric gestures.
At the time it was considered a ground-breaking achievement, a win that would demystify the process of beating France on French soil. But instead of being a catalyst from an Irish perspective it proved a once-off that has not been replicated.
Irish rugby has been reminded rather painfully that it is better to travel in hope than to arrive in Paris. The latest manifestation of green-shirted misery at the Stade de France was the World Cup pool match in which the French prevailed 25-3.
Ireland return to Paris for today's match desperate to emulate the 2000 vintage, the starting line-up containing six - O'Driscoll, Girvan Dempsey, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, John Hayes and Malcolm O'Kelly - who at least know what it is like to win at the venue.
Mick Galwey, who played an integral part in Ireland's success seven years ago, recalls the events leading up to the game.
"It was a huge year for Irish rugby and one that was marked by an influx of talented young players," recalls the Kerryman. "They were promoted after we were thumped 50-18 by England at Twickenham in the opening game of that year's championship.
"I think there were five new caps, Ronan O'Gara, Peter Stringer, Shane Horgan, John Hayes and Simon Easterby for the next match against Scotland at Lansdowne Road."
Ireland supporters may recall the wonderfully iconic picture of Galwey standing with arms draped around the young Irish halfbacks on either side of him during the anthems prior to the Scottish game.
He continues: "We beat Scotland (44-22) for the first time in about 12 years and then went on to hammer Italy (60-13) before facing France. Those young players didn't know what Paris was about, had no baggage travelling there. Some of the older players like myself, the Claw (Peter Clohessy), Wood (Keith Wood) and a few others would have experienced a hammering or two in our time but the young players didn't have any reason to be intimidated.
"There was also the fact that we should have beaten them at the Stade de France in 1998, losing 18-16, and had a couple of kicks to win against the French the following year at Lansdowne Road. Munster had won at this point in France so there was an attitude that we could beat the French, and the young guys then, who are now the backbone of the current side, had no inhibitions about the venue.
"It's funny, but waking up to beautiful sunshine that Sunday morning would have inspired feelings of trepidation in the past because those were the conditions French teams generally craved and previous Irish sides dreaded. That wasn't the case with our team. We wanted to play rugby, wanted to move the ball because we had the players to play that style.
"I think one of the keys to our success that day was that Irish rugby had finally acclimatised to professionalism. We were fitter than in the past and as a result we were better able to stand the pace and intensity and play right to the finish. If you look back at that match, we actually set the pace: the speed of the game was phenomenal."
Ireland's openside flanker that day, Kieron Dawson, agrees.
"The heat of that sunshine coupled with the size of the Irish jerseys that resembled tents meant everyone was soaked in sweat after 20 minutes. By the end of the match most of the players had dropped six or seven kilos in weight.
"I remember that after the first 20 minutes the ground was eerily quiet on three sides apart from a substantial pocket of Irish supporters. It killed the atmosphere and the traditional noisy French support never materialised."
The French outhalf Gerald Merceron kicked a couple of penalties; his halfback partner Christophe Lassucq snaffled a try from a quickly taken tap penalty. Ireland's response came through the first of O'Driscoll's tries, converted by O'Gara.
Galwey smiles when he considers a scene from the Irish dressingroom at the interval.
"Woody was making his speech when he started to get sick and so I just continued what he was going to say. I'd heard enough to know what he wanted to emphasise and when I finished he (Wood) said: 'that's just what I was going to say.' We wanted to keep the pace of the game up because we thought we could run the legs out of their pack."
When Merceron tagged on two penalties to nudge France 19-7 ahead there followed the game's defining moment when Denis Hickie brilliantly ran down the hooker Mark dal Maso, preventing a certain try.
Ireland held out with seven forwards, including at one pivotal scrum when Paddy Johns was sent to the sinbin.
Rob Henderson thundered into the French 22, linking inside with O'Driscoll, who scampered over close to the posts. O'Gara converted and was subsequently replaced by David Humphreys.
The previous season the Ulsterman had missed by millimetres with a penalty that would have given Ireland victory over France at Lansdowne Road - the French escaping with a 10-9 victory.
Fate decreed he was handed another opportunity to decide the outcome of a match between France and Ireland.
In the 77th minute Ireland were awarded a penalty 45 metres from the French posts - O'Driscoll had by now scored his third try - with the home side leading 25-24. Humphreys takes up the story.
"I have a shocking memory for the specifics of matches. I remember it being a beautiful day, that my contribution paled into insignificance compared to Brian's and that the kicks (Humphreys scored two penalties and a conversion) were relatively straightforward."
But what about the winning penalty? Wasn't it on the French 10-metre line?
"There wasn't a breath of wind and the surface was perfect, so it wasn't that difficult. I'm going to have to look at some old tapes to get a better idea of these matches but what I can say is that it (winning) was one of the highlights of my career."
Ireland's captain that day, Wood, memorably screamed into an interviewer's microphone on the pitch, using a touch of Franglais: "Je suis fatigue, but Wooooohooooo."
His old frontrow comrade Peter Clohessy was even more eloquent in giving the victory a personal context.
"It was special for me anyway, because my memories of Paris aren't great. The first time I played there I got the s*** kicked out of me, and also the second time. And the third time I played there I got cited afterwards and got six months' suspension.
"So I always had a bit of a sour note about it. But my memories of Paris now will be of beating them, and forget about the rest of it."
The dressingrooms scenes were defined by a sing-song, champagne and, for Dawson, who had been chosen for a random drugs test, "the excruciating wait to be able to go to the toilet that eventually made me late for the dinner".
As Irish fans celebrated, the team made their way to Kitty O'Shea's pub. Galwey recalls: "The scenes were phenomenal. We were given a standing ovation and I remember French television trying to interview Warren Gatland, Donal Lenihan, myself and Woody. The noise was deafening.
"We would go on to lose our final match, against Wales, and that was a massive disappointment, but looking back we'll always cherish that day as a group of players and being able to say that we won in Paris."
Sitting in hotel room in Paris on Thursday O'Driscoll reflects on his three-try salvo of 2000.
"I didn't have much to do for the first couple. From memory I think the third one was partially attributable to me having a breather, probably out of position or at least somewhere I possibly shouldn't have been.
"The ball just fell kindly and nowadays I might have just grabbed it and set up a ruck but I just scooped it up and no one seemed to be at home defensively (the current French backs coach, Emile Ntamack, was fullback that day and didn't lay a hand on the Irish centre as he raced in for his hat-trick).
"I suppose if you're looking for a parallel, we have a few players in the current team, who have never experienced losing in Paris. Maybe that could be a lucky omen."
FRANCE: Emile Ntamack; P Bernat-Salles, C Desbrosse, S Glas, D Bory; G Merceron, C Lassucq; C Califano, M Dal Maso, F Tournaire; O Brouzet, F Pelous; A Costes, T Lièvremont, A Benazzi. Replacements: R Ibañez, P de Villiers, F Belot, L Mallier, A Hueber, A Penaud, D Venditti.
IRELAND: G Dempsey; K Maggs, B O'Driscoll, R Henderson, D Hickie; R O'Gara, P Stringer; P Clohessy, K Wood, J Hayes; M Galwey, M O'Kelly; S Easterby, K Dawson, A Foley. Replacements: F Sheahan, J Fitzpatrick, P Johns, A Ward, G Easterby, D Humphreys, M Mullins.
Referee: P Honiss(New Zealand).
O'Driscoll's hat-trick
"Look at the video again and you'll see that two of the three tries were from three or four yards, and the other one I was just lucky to pick the ball up and there seemed to be a big gap ahead. I don't think there was much in it. It could have been anyone."
- Brian O'Driscoll speaking about his hat-trick of tries in aftermath of Ireland's 27-25 victory over France at the Stade de France on March 19th, 2000
TRY ONE
O'Driscoll makes the initial break off a skip pass from Ronan O'Gara.
Three phases later, he crosses for his first try under the posts following Malcolm O'Kelly's perfect pass.
TRY TWO
Denis Hickie twice bamboozles the French defence, with a crossfield run and reverse pass to the supporting Rob Henderson, whose inside pass allows O'Driscoll to scamper over the tryline.
TRY THREE
From a ruck Peter Stringer's feed is disrupted and the ball goes to ground, but O'Driscoll pounces, speeding through a gap and around Emile Ntamack, who remarkably fails to even raise a hand.
Ireland's record in Paris
(1972-2007)
Sept 2007, Stade de France (WC): France 25 Ireland 3
Feb 2006, Stade de France (SN): France 43 Ireland 31
Feb 2004, Stade de France (SN): France 35 Ireland 17
Apr 2002, Stade de France (SN): France 44 Ireland 5
Mar 2000, Stade de France (SN): France 25 Ireland 27
Mar 1998, Stade de France (FN): France 18 Ireland 16
Feb 1996, Parc des Princes (FN): France 45 Ireland 10
Jan 1994, Parc des Princes (FN): France 35 Ireland 15
Mar 1992, Parc des Princes (FN): France 44 Ireland 12
Mar 1990, Parc des Princes (FN): France 31 Ireland 12
Feb 1988, Parc des Princes (FN): France 25 Ireland 6
Feb 1986, Parc des Princes (FN): France 29 Ireland 9
Jan 1984, Parc des Princes (FN): France 25 Ireland 12
Mar 1982, Parc des Princes (FN): France 22 Ireland 9
Mar 1980, Parc des Princes (FN): France 19 Ireland 18
Feb 1978, Parc des Princes (FN): France 10 Ireland 9
Feb 1976, Parc des Princes (FN): France 26 Ireland 3
Jan 1974, Parc des Princes (FN): France 10- Ireland 9
Jan 1972, Parc des Princes (FN): France 9 Ireland 14
SN: Six Nations. FN: Five Nations. WC: World Cup
