And they said that Antoine Dupont and Matthieu Jalibeart couldn’t play together; consider that notion most definitively dismissed. On a night of real Gallic charm, France laid down a Six Nations marker with a display of ambition and attacking skill to rival any that they have produced during the recent restoration of the French monarchy in this competition. Led by their half-backs, the defending champions looked down on a fellow contender and perhaps exiled them for good, leaving Ireland confronting the grim realities of what feels a sharp decline.
These two have shared a few epics in their shared recent duopoly of this championship. This was not an occasion of that type. Virtually from the first peep of Karl Dickson’s whistle, the victor was clear as France found a level that Ireland could not match. With Louis Bielle-Biarrey adding two more tries to his rapidly-swelling tournament tally, France provided the first 29 points of what plenty felt might be a nip-and-tuck contest to cement their place as title favourites.
