Ireland 32
France 19
THE FINAL BLOW was stunning, just like pretty much everything that preceded it.
Caelan Doris seemed to have Frenchmen hanging out of him as though he had stolen precious artwork from the Louvre but somehow he conjured a powerful offload to Garry Ringrose, who had looked battered and broken only minutes before.
Ireland’s totemic outside centre found more energy, though, firing up a brutal fend and then breaking through a despairing final French tackle attempt to send the Dublin crowd into raptures once more. A masterpiece.
A bonus-point try against France, who were the reigning Grand Slam champions. They have been dethroned in that sense and while the Six Nations title is still alive, Ireland now march on as favourites to claim that crown.
This contest lived up to the billing. It was a pulsating epic. The colour and the noise at the Aviva Stadium was a thrill, with thousands of French supporters playing their part. We witnessed one of the great Six Nations halves in the first, but it was Ireland who finished on top. Deservedly so. This was an all-time Irish performance.
Andy Farrell’s men played some sublime rugby. There was a contentious try for James Lowe but even that effort was memorable. Andrew Porter smashed over from close-range, while fullback Hugo Keenan finished a stunning set-piece strike from a first-half goal-line drop-out.
France really should have been permanently reduced to 14 men in the first half when Uini Atonio high-tackled Rob Herring but referee Wayne Barnes went for yellow. It was wrong, but it meant we got more of the delightful 15 v 15 contest.
Perhaps as pleasing as anything for Andy Farrell is the fact that his team closed this game out without their talismanic leader, Johnny Sexton, who was forced off injured after just 48 minutes.
Ross Byrne calmly stepped into Sexton’s place and along with replacement scrum-half Craig Casey – on after Conor Murray’s big effort following a very tough week with his father in hospital – saw Ireland home in impressive fashion.
It could even have been a bigger Irish win as Farrell’s side were held up over the tryline no less than four times. But France played their part in this absorbing battle, with Damien Penaud producing a stunning first-half try.
Still, Ireland can be proud that the second best team in the world couldn’t get over their tryline a second time. With the Irish attack purring, it was a thoroughly deserved victory to make it two bonus-point wins from two in this championship.
Roll on Rome in two weekends’ time. This Ireland team will take some stopping.
When Lowe’s kick in the opening minute hit the spider camera hanging above the Dublin turf, it was a sign that we were in for a truly bonkers opening half of rugby. There was barely time to breath between that moment and Barnes’ half-time whistle.
France showed their power as they carried close to the ruck early on, leading to the opening points when fullback Thomas Ramos slotted a penalty in the fifth minute.
But Ireland’s inventive attack was soon firing as Sexton looped off Ringrose and Lowe clevery chipped down the left to draw an error from Ramos. Ireland couldn’t score directly off the ensuing five-metre lineout as their maul was repelled and then Porter was held up over the tryline in a brilliant tackle by opposite number Cyrill Baille.
But Ireland finished off the goal-line drop-off as Farrell’s men rolled out an old Joe Schmidt dummy loop play close to the ruck, Finlay Bealham showing deft skills to feint a return pass to Murray before popping back inside to the late-arriving Keenan. Ireland’s 15 had support but finished pacily between Ntamack and Ramos.
Already we had a see-saw battle and les Bleus struck next. Ramos knocked over another three and then they conjured a stunning try.
Hansen had chipped ahead and the French countered straight off it, Ramos palming the ball skillfully into space out on the right, where wing Penaud gathered and swerved back inside the Irish cover to offload to flanker Anthony Jelonch. He fended Sexton long enough to allow Penaud to glide over to his left and take the return offload. Penaud fended Hansen to saunter home and France led 13-7 with the conversion.
It was Ireland’s turn to strike back and they did it in a similarly sensational fashion. Hansen immediately blocked down Ramos’ attempted clearance off the restart and Ireland swung the ball wide left through the hands of Sexton, Peter O’Mahony, Keenan and Ringrose. Lowe produced a finish that was equally sublime and questionable.
He acrobatically leapt and stretched to dot down past Penaud, with TMO Brendon Pickerill indicating to Barnes that he couldn’t find evidence to overturn the on-field decision of a try. Ireland were back within a point.
The French could have called foul there, but they should have been down to 14 men when Atonio’s high tackle made contact with Herring’s head. It was a truly thunderous hit but Barnes somehow opted for only yellow, feeling that the contact had been with the chest too. It was a questionable call. Herring was forced off for a HIA he didn’t return from.
Even after being rocked, Herring had somehow managed to recover to send Sexton on a big linebreak moments later, producing a penalty that could have seen another Frenchman binned. Ireland did manage to score off the ensuing scrum, with McCloskey carrying strongly, Murray going close, then Porter smashing over with an O’Mahony latch. Sexton converted for 19-13.
We were somehow only 25 minutes in at this stage. Sexton was soon making another searing break up the left, firing a delicious pass back inside to Doris, who surged into the France 22. But Ireland couldn’t find the killer blow as they were done for a neck roll in sight of the tryline.
Ramos kicked his third penalty to narrow the scoreline, just before another near miss for Ireland against the 14-man French. This time, Hansen intercepted a Ntamack offload and freed Keenan up the right, where he grubbered past Ramos. Gael Fickou missed the ball as he fell on it, and it looked for all money that Hansen would finish. But Dupont somehow stopped him, showing remarkable strength just metres from the line.
Ireland passed into touch but France gave them another chance as Jelonch dropped the ball from the lineout. With The Fields of Athenry booming around the Aviva, Murray was held up for a second time in swift succession, but penalty advantage was playing and Sexton popped over the points for a 22-16 half-time lead.
Ireland had a frustrating turnover in the French 22 early in the second half, with France soon earning another penalty through jackal extraordinaire Julien Marchand. This time, Ramos’ long-range effort dropped under the crossbar.
Ireland soon needed a big play from Stuart McCloskey near their tryline after a dominant French counter-ruck and a mazy Penaud break. The Ulster centre won a turnover penalty to lift the pressure.
That was where Sexton exited injured and Byrne entered. Unfortunately for Ireland, the errors in attack continued as a good lineout near the French 22 in the 52nd minute went astray, O’Mahony knocking-on sub hooker Rónan Kelleher’s throw over the tail.
It felt like Ireland’s energy was waning a little but they were revived by a brilliant 50:22 kick by Keenan, who spotted space in the French backfield and calmly rolled a kick deep to the right. Farrell’s men battered from the 10-metre lineout and won a penalty under the sticks.
As Barnes informed James Ryan that he was now the Irish captain and congratulated him, Byrne kicked three points for a 25-16 lead with 20 minutes left.
Les Bleus swiftly drew themselves back to within six points, though, as Ramos dropped into the pocket and slotted a clever drop-goal on their next visit into Irish territory. It was his last act as Galthié sent the dangerous Mathieu Jalibert on in his place.
With the tension mounting, Craig Casey – only just on for Murray – came up with an outstanding long box kick down the right into touch, from where Ireland snaffled the ball and again battered at the French line. But yet again, they were held up as Kelleher was thwarted this time.
Farrell’s men stayed calm and they built their way towards that brilliant fourth try through Ringrose inside the final 10 minutes. This one will live long in the memory.
Ireland scorers:
Tries: Hugo Keenan, Andrew Porter, James Lowe, Garry Ringrose
Conversions: Johnny Sexton [2 from 3], Ross Byrne [1 from 1]
Penalties: Johnny Sexton [1 from 1], Ross Byrne [1 from 1]
France scorers:
Tries: Damian Penaud
Conversions: Thomas Ramos [1 from 1]
Penalties: Thomas Ramos [3 from 4]
Drop goal: Thomas Ramos
IRELAND: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Stuart McCloskey (Bundee Aki ’66), James Lowe: Johnny Sexton (captain) (Ross Byrne ’48), Conor Murray (Craig Casey ’57); Andrew Porter (Dave Kilcoyne ’70), Rob Herring (Rónan Kelleher ’26), Finlay Bealham (Tom O’Toole ’62); Tadhg Beirne (Iain Henderson ’46), James Ryan; Peter O’Mahony (Jack Conan ’57), Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris
FRANCE: Thomas Ramos (Mathieu Jalibert ’62); Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Ethan Dumortier (Sipili Falatea ’26 to ’36); Romain Ntamack, Antonie Dupont (captain); Cyril Baille (Reda Wardi ’57), Julien Marchand (Gaetan Barlot ’73), Uini Atonio (yellow card ’26 to ’36) (Sipili Falatea ’57); Thibaud Flament, Paul Willemse (Romain Taofifenua ’46); Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (Francois Cros ’70), Gregory Aldritt (Sekou Macalou ’52).
Replacement not used: Baptiste Couilloud
Referee: Wayne Barnes [RFU].
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