Ireland 32 France 19
Sometimes top billing doesn’t disappoint. True, the second half wasn’t quite as thrilling as a throbbing, end-to-end first half but this meeting of the world’s two highest ranked sides was still compelling to the last.
At the end, Ireland had contrived to end France’s designs on back-to-back Grand Slams for the first time since 1998 and ended their French record of 14 successive Test wins. In the process, Ireland made it 19 wins out of 21, ticking the one missing box of a win over Les Bleus in the last four years, and in so doing strengthened their hold on both the number one world ranking and favouritism for a first title since 2018, and maybe something grander!
They also set a new Irish record of 13 successive home wins, even though for large tracts of an electric afternoon the huge and noisy French hordes almost made it feel like we were all in Paris.
[ How the Irish players rated after big win at the AvivaOpens in new window ]
But if beaten off the pitch, not so on it. Considering this Ireland side was missing Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong, Jamison Gibson-Park and Robbie Henshaw, stalwarts all in New Zealand, and Johnny Sexton shortly after half-time, that made this bonus-point win all the better.
Increasingly others are stepping up to the plate, like Hugo Keenan, Andrew Porter and Caelan Doris, who was ridiculously good yet again, with 17 carries for a whopping 115 metres, eight tackles, two breaks, a turnover or two and a try-assist among many other big moments.
It also has to be said that the likes of Rónan Kelleher, who ended a one-year absence from Test rugby with a big, earlier than expected shift off the bench, Finlay Bealham and Stuart McCloskey also made light of some big-name absentees.
France always carried individual threats, mostly through Damian Penaud, Antoine Dupont and Ethan Dumortier, and especially in broken play. But, as suspected, Ireland had more cohesion in their attack and were fresher.
Ultimately, they outscored France by four tries to one and were held up over the line on at least another four occasions.
The pity is that a marvellous game of rugby was blighted by the decision of Wayne Barnes and his officials to brandish merely a yellow rather than red card to the French tighthead prop Uini Atonio in the 26th minute after he caught Rob Herring with a shoulder to the chin with a thunderous ball-and-man upright hit.
There was no bending of the knee, there were no mitigating factors but Barnes sounded keen to avoid a red from the outset of his discussions with his officials, somehow adjudicating that it was simultaneously “chest to chest and shoulder to head, and then there was a whiplash affect. I’m starting out with a slight degree of danger, not a high degree of danger”.
No one wants to see red cards, and 15-14 for 10 minutes rather than 54 minutes made for a better game, but that’s not the point. It was an astonishing verdict by the English referee, for it was exactly the kind of dangerous high hit which World Rugby is endeavouring to outlaw. As if to further dispel Barnes informing Sexton that there “not a high degree of danger”, Herring was promptly removed for an HIA and never returned.
[ Six Nations: Ireland 32 France 19 - As it happenedOpens in new window ]
In keeping with the modern game, a high octane start set the tone for an electric game. France kicked off and James Lowe’s first clearance hit a spider cam, meaning a scrum. France had most of the early possession and Thomas Ramos landed a 40-metre penalty when Beirne didn’t roll after tackling Atonio.
As in Cardiff, Ireland worked Lowe into apace on the left from Garry Ringrose’s long pass and in first deflecting and then gathering his wicked grubber Ramos put his foot in touch. The Irish catch-and-drive was firmly rebuffed before they regrouped and Porter was held up over the line by Cyril Baille.
It looked like a chance missed, but Doris countered ferociously off the goal-line restart and from the recycle a clever pre-planned move reminiscent of an old Joe Schmidt Leinster/Ireland strike play, Conor Murray shaped to loop around Bealham, who instead popped the ball back inside for Keenan to break clear. And despite having three support players either side of him, he rightly opted to accelerate between Ramos and Romain Ntamack for a fine finish to a lovely try.
But after another Ramos penalty, in another spell of wild and footloose rugby, French underlined their danger in broken field. Ntamack was forced into a hurried pass and Ramos batted on the loose ball inside his own 22 to Penaud, who set off on a typically marauding weaving run. He found Anthony Jelonch in support, who then returned the ball with a stunning reverse, twisting offload for Penaud to skate away from Mack Hansen inside halfway and complete an 85-minute try out of nothing.
That had the blue, white and red army in raptures and singing La Marsellaise again.
But Ireland responded with a stunning finish by Lowe from Ringrose’'s long pass, keeping his body in the air while grounding one-handed. Then, after the Atonio yellow card, Ireland opted for a scrum, which forced France to sacrifice Dumortier. The hard-running McCloskey was launched off the ensuing scrum and from a sequence of pick and goes Porter, with a little help from Peter O’Mahony, pumped his legs to score.
Ireland came out thrillingly from deep themselves when the lively Hansen latched on to a loose French pass and McCloskey released Lowe on the switch for him to hit, of all people, Sexton on the edge for a 50-metre run and link infield with Doris. But the extended attack came to nought when Barnes decreed an Irish player went off their feet.
So France could feel content enough with their 10-minute disadvantage as Ramos landed another penalty, before Hansen intercepted and was brilliantly held up in the corner by Dupont, who seems as strong as an ox.
Murray was twice held up over the line in a frantic final assault on the French line before half-time. So Sexton settled for a penalty and a 22-16 lead at the end of a wild, rollercoaster of a first-half which, if anything, perhaps left Ireland a little short-changed.
On the resumption, France continued to give Ireland issues at the breakdown. A counter-ruck led to Penaud beating three men again before McCloskey’s strength over the ball paid off – another huge moment in a game of many of them.
Ireland lost a distressed Sexton, seemingly to a leg injury, who was replaced by Ross Byrne, fairly seamlessly it has to be said. Gaël Fickou released Dumortier and was blocked by Keenan, whom Barnes said maintained his line. It prompted howls from the French supporters, and again when Dumortier took out Murray in the air. That was as clear as day, but this now felt like an away match again.
Ireland turned screw increasingly through the superior quality of their kicking game, notably when a Hugo Keenan 50/22 led to more pounding of the French line, albeit Kelleher was held up over the line – the fourth time in the match for this to happen to an Irish player.
Compensation came by way of a Byrne penalty, and although that was cancelled out by a Ramos drop goal, the impact of Kelleher, Iain Henderson, Jack Conan, Tom O’Tolole (eight carries for 52 metres) and then Bundee Aki upped Ireland’s carrying game as Craig Casey and Byrne pinned France back with clever kicks.
Finally, eschewing the drop goal that would have given them a two-score lead, Ireland wee rewarded when the magnificent Doris didn’t so much offload out of the tackle by Fickou, but rather passed brilliantly to Ringrose on the left touchline.
There seemed nothing on but, maintaining his brilliant form, Ringrose fended Matthieu Jalibert and broke the tackle of Sekou Macalou to secure the bonus-point try.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 5 mins: Ramos pen 0-3; 9: Keenan try, Sexton con 7-3; 15: Ramos pen 7-6; 18: Penaud try, Ramos con 7-13; 21: Lowe try 12-13; 27: Porter try, Sexton con 19-13; 33: Ramos pen 19-16; 40+1: Sexton pen 22-16; (half-time 22-16); 60: Byrne pen 25-16; 62: Ramos drop goal 25-19; 72: Ringrose try, Byrne con 32-19.
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan (Leinster); Mack Hansen (Connacht), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), James Lowe (Leinster); Johnny Sexton (Leinster, capt), Conor Murray (Munster); Andrew Porter (Leinster), Rob Herring (Ulster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht); Tadhg Beirne (Munster), James Ryan (Leinster); Peter O’Mahony (Munster), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Leinster) for Herring (26 mins), Iain Henderson (Ulster) for Beirne (46), Ross Byrne (Leinster) for Sexton (49), Jack Conan (Leinster) for O’Mahony, Craig Casey (Munster for Murray (both 57), Tom O’Toole (Ulster) for Bealham (62), Bundee Aki (Connacht) for McCloskey (66), David Kilcoyne (Munster) for Porter (70).
FRANCE: Thomas Ramos (Toulouse); Damian Penaud (Clermont), Gaël Fickou (Racing 92), Yoram Moefana (Bordeaux-Bègles), Ethan Dumortier (Lyon); Romain Ntamack (Toulouse), Antoine Dupont (Toulouse); Cyril Baille (Toulouse), Julien Marchand (Toulouse), Uini Atonio (La Rochelle); Thibaud Flament (Toulouse), Paul Willemse (Montpellier); Anthony Jelonch (Toulouse), Charles Ollivon (Toulon), Grégory Alldritt (La Rochelle).
Replacements: Sipili Falatea (Bordeaux-Bègles) for Alldritt (26 mins) and for Atonio (58), Romain Taofifuena (Lyon) for Willemse (46), Sekou Macalou (Stade Francais) for Alldritt (52), Reda Wardi (La Rochelle) for Baille (58), Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Bègles) for Ramos (62), François Cros (Toulouse) for (70), Gaëtan Barlot (Castres) for Marchand (74). Not used: Baptiste Couilloud (Lyon).
Sinbinned: Atonio (26 mins).
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
