Here is Andy Bull’s report rom Paris.
Andy Farrell is speaking to ITV.
“We came here to win, but France are a class side and had a big say in that. The character to come back from 22-7 down says a lot about our team. We expected Carberry to play well and he did, but the forward pack also did well, it was tit-for-tat in terms of who was on top up front. All in all it comes down to it was one hell of a Test match.”
Looking ahead to Italy..
“We’re a squad and some boys need some game time, so we’ll be looking to that for the Italy game.”
Man of the Match, Gregory Alldritt is offering his take.
“Great moment to play in a full stadium. It was a really physical game, but the win was made by 22 players. We have a huge away game in Scotland in two weeks, and we are not thinking about anything more than that.”
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A fascinating, pulverising match ends with a deserved winner. Ireland’s comeback in the second half gave hope, but it was never realistic that they could stop this France team scoring and Ireland were never once ahead in the game.
FULL TIME! Victory for France
80 mins. On the next phase, Ntamack boots the ball out and Les Bleus are ecstatic.
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79 mins. Jack Carty is on for Carbery and his first contribution is to throw a forward pass and on the advantage France boom it away to eat up territory and seconds.
PENALTY! France 30 - 24 Ireland (Melvin Jaminet)
78 mins. NO TRY!
It’s not given! But an advantage was being played and Jaminet takes all the time in the world before slotting and easy three from in front of the posts.
77 mins. In the Ireland 22 France are working through carries from the base of the ruck, Ireland have bodies flying into tackles and rucks, one of which is illegal. On the advantage Fickou chips forward, the ball comes left after a blue shirt gathers it and Jaminet is over the line as Sheehan tackles him.
The ref and TMO are taking a long look, but it looks like Sheehan has made an incredible effort to hold it up. It’s been given as no try on the field, so clear evidence is needed to award it.
74 mins. Tactical kicking has become the battle in recent minutes, and the latest bout is won by France as Hansen pulls a clearing kick horribly and gives possession to the home team in the Ireland half.
PENALTY! France 27 - 24 Ireland (Joey Carbery)
72 mins. Ireland look like they are getting stronger in the phases and France’s physicality has dropped off noticeably. F,ament loses his footing at the ruck, it’s pretty much in front and Carbery hammers it over. No issue with his nerves.
Cian Healy and Finlay Bealham replace Furlong and Porter.
70 mins. Some exchanges of kicks, the penultimate one from Keenan is a great territorial effort that forces Ntamack to find touch and Ireland will have the ball in the France half.
Maxime Lucu replace Antoine Dupont.
67 mins. Tadhg Furlong yoinks possession in midfield, the ball comes left and breaks to Beirne who snap-kicks at 50:22 with his left peg. What a kick that is!
This is then immediately ruined by Ireland losing their resulting lineout. GAH!
63 mins. Ireland subs.
Conor Murray for Gibson-Park
Robbie Henshaw replaces Bundee Aki.
62 mins. France break up the right and as the ball is kicked forward by Dupont he collides with Beirne. The TMO is looking at obstruction but there’s very little in it. Ireland clear possession upfield from the lineout on their own 22.
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60 mins. Ireland get some offloads going from Ringrose, Henderson and Gibson-Park who kciks the ball on to force Dupont to tidy up. The France captain steps out of his own in-goal with ease, like the obscene talent he is.
57 mins. Dupont shovels some poor possession on to Ntamack who does the same to Fickou. With no-one tidying it up Doris is this close to grabbing it but just fumbles it forward.
Iain Henderson is on for Caelan Doris
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54 mins. Lots of subs for France.
Uini Atonio and Baille replaced by Demba Bamba and Jean-Baptiste Gros
Thibault Flament for Willemse
Cameron Woki gives way to Romain Taofifénua
TRY! France 27 - 21 Ireland (Cyrille Baille)
53 mins. The Irish pack do a good job of holding the France scrum stationary and Les Bleus go left through Ntamack and Moefana to Penaud but the Irish defence scramble. France are back on the ball in the 22 via a huge counter-ruck and an Atonio carry that his front row pal Baille finishes from a strong carry of his own.
Jaminet finally misses a kick.
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TRY! France 22 - 19 Ireland (Jamison Gibson-Park)
50 mins. Dan Sheehan steps enough in the carry that just gets himover the gainline in the 22, that’s enough to get France scrambling and Gibson-Park dummies and steps around Willemse to score next to the right post.
Carbery adds two and it’s a one point game. Well I never!
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47 mins. Suddenly Ireland spring to life with Keenan rushing forty metres with the ball. As the ball is recycled the French defence is finally disjointed and they are offside. Again the penalty is kickable, but it’s rejected as Ireland go for the lineout.
TRY! France 22 - 14 Ireland (Josh Van der Flier)
45 mins. OK, so they nearly scored first! Carbery goes to the corner on a kickable penalty, his forwards catch and drive before the Leinster flanker drives over to score.
Joey Carbery hits a wonderful conversion from out wide.
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PENALTY! France 22 - 7 Ireland (Melvin Jaminet)
43 mins. Andrew Conway does his side no favours after they work some ohases around halfway. The Munster winger is offside in front of the kicker after France contained every bit of running attack Ireland attempted.
Jaminet calls for the tee and hammers it through from nearly 50 metres on the angle.
Ireland had to score first this hald and they haven’t
SECOND HALF!
40 mins. Joey Carbery kicks us back underway. Cros claims it and Dupont clears with the boot
Half-time musings.
Let’s be honest, Ireland are clinging on. Their only score has come through a freak restart play and each time they try to build something they are being bludgeoned into submission. Added to this, the France scrum walked them ten metres back for the penalty on the stroke of half-time.
Farrell’s men are second best everywhere and twelve points behind away from home. The key to clawing their way back into this game is holding the ball longer and hoping France infringe, but the problem with this plan lies in what I said above regarding French bludgeoning.
This France team are petrifying.
HALF TIME! France 19 - 7 Ireland
PEEEP! That’s the end of an absorbing first half.
PENALTY! France 19 - 7 Ireland (Melvin Jamiet)
39 mins. The fullback adds three more.
37 mins. France hold then malevolently creep forward a scrum in the middle of the Ireland half. The ref is playing advantage for the Ireland front row standing up and as the next phase of France attack halts, play will come all the way back for another Jaminet penalty kick.
PENALTY! France 16 - 7 Ireland (Melvin Jaminet)
35 mins. Dupont flings a long pass to Penaud who cuts inside on the angle and backhand offloads to Moefana. The centre drives in the 22 and on the next phase Ireland are scrambling and give away a penalty that Jaminet wastes no time in converting to points.
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33 mins. After Ntamack puts the ball into the corner, France let Ireland off the hook by closing the gap at the lineout which allows Carbery to clear upfield.
30 mins. Aki slams into Ntamack at full tilt, bouncing the French 10 off before Fickou stops him. On the next phase Willemse times his strike for the ball perfectly at the breakdown and wins a penalty, this allows Woki to fly high in the subsequent lineout to put his side on the ball in the Ireland half.
28 mins. France seize on a lost Ireland lineout but Cyrille Baille knocks on around the Ireland 22. Ireland clear away and another French handling error gives the men in green a scrum on the France 10m line.
25 mins. Ronan Kelleher is injured and Dan Sheehan replaces him
23 mins. Furlong pops up in the 12 channel as the pivot for the Carbery runaround loop and it nearly gets Ireland away down the left but Kelleher’s final pass was just behind Hansen, forcing him to check his run.
As possession is given away, Ntamack’s kick leaves Keenan with no choice but to take a tackle into touch.
The French line-speed and ferocious tackling is incredible. Surely they can’t do this all game? Ireland need to ride this period out without conceding any more points.
20 mins. Penalty infringements are traded in the middle third, the latest of which has Carbery putting the ball into touch for an Ireland lineout just outside the France 22. The ball is won by James Ryan but again there is imprecision in possession forced by France’s sheer physicality in the tackle.
PENALTY! France 13 - 7 Ireland (Melvin Jaminet)
16 mins. Ireland win their own lineout, but France are through and harrassing the attempted maul and Ref Gardiner penalises the team in green.
Jaminet maintains his 100% record thus far.
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13 mins. Carbery looks confident with the touches he’s had so far, his latest is an angled driven kick into touch to make France play from their own 22. The home side tidy it up and clear after Kelleher is caught offside.
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11 mins. I’m disappointed to report that no-one has scored in the previous three minutes.
Ireland have a scrum on halfway.
10 mins. Fickou is pinged for a deliberate knock-on as Ireland get the passes going around halfway. Ireland have a lineout in the France half that runs a little loose and Penaud clear the French lines.
TRY! France 10 - 7 Ireland (Mack Hansen)
8 mins. Direct form the Carbery kick-off, Hansen races from deep and takes the ball above his head a full tilt and simply runs in to score!
Carbery adds the two and we have one ridiculous game on here.
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PENALTY! France 10 - 0 Ireland (Melvin Jaminet)
6 mins. It’s Ireland’s turn to go immediately onto the attack from a restart as Aki drives into the 22, but it breaks down as the ball doesn’t stick in Doris’s hands after a high pass from Gibson-Park. Villiere hoofs it downfield, and the France chase does enough at the breakdown to win a penalty that Jaminet slots.
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TRY! France 7 - 0 Ireland (Antoine Dupont)
2 mins. Gibson-Park puts the ball out and France take a quick throw in. The ball is out to Moefana who steps and offloads before it’s recycled for a big Atonio carry into the 22. It’s worked right and Ntamack pops it inside to Dupont who runs in from twenty metres.
Jaminet converts.
Well, that’s how you start a game.
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Kick Off!
1 min. Romain Ntamack takes the ball off a little remote controlled car, runs his fingers through his immaculate and voluminous hair, and kick is us into action.
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The teams are on the pitch and lining up for the anthems. Not long now...
Pre match reading
Much will ride on Joey Carbery’s performance, have a read of what our Andy Bull has to say about it.
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Tell me everything, ask me anything, send the lyrics to My Ding-a-Ling* to me by email or on Twitter
*Don’t
Teams
Speaking as I was of victories over New Zealand, today’s starting line-ups have France with fourteen of their side that beat the All Blacks, while Ireland have twelve.
For France, last week’s starting centre Jonathan Danty has been ruled out and so Yoram Moefana, who impressed off the bench versus Italy comes into the 12 shirt. Up front, back row François Cros starts in place of Dylan Cretin who drops to the bench.
Andy Farrell has lost his captain, Johnny Sexton, and is forced to start Joey Carbery and bring Jack Carty onto the bench where he is joined by the fit again Robbie Henshaw. In the absence of Sexton, captaincy novice James Ryan will take the role in perhaps the most high-profile situation imaginable. Not ideal.
France: Melvyn Jaminet; Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Gabin Villière; Romain Ntamack, Antoine Dupont (captain); Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Uini Atonio, Cameron Woki, Paul Willemse, François Cros, Anthony Jelonch, Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: Peato Mauvaka, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Demba Bamba, Romain Taofifénua, Thibaud Flament, Dylan Cretin, Maxime Lucu, Thomas Ramos.
Ireland: Hugo Keenan; Andrew Conway, Garry Ringrose, Bundee Aki, Mack Hansen; Joey Carbery, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan (captain) Caelan Doris, Josh van der Flier, Jack Conan.
Replacements: Dan Sheehan, Cian Healy, Finlay Bealham, Iain Henderson, Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, Jack Carty, Robbie Henshaw.
Preamble
Welcome to not-quite-Paris in the not-quite-springtime for this monster of a tie in the 2022 Six Nations. France vs Ireland, once more with feeling.
Not so long ago these two sides were handily beating the All Blacks, and comfortable victories in round one of the tournament have shined up their credentials as pretty much joint-favourites for the title.
Ireland were irresistible last week as Andy Farrell’s brand of multi-phase, multi-pattern, fast and furious rugby dished out a whomping to Wales in Dublin. Even with the loss of Johnny Sexton more of the same will be expected here as Ireland seem to be a perfect blend of well-drilled with flexibility - a structure that should survive any personnel changes. Although, Sexton’s absence is definitely the change that will test that theory closest to its breaking point.
France were more circumspect in a rain-sodden victory over an improved Italy in this stadium. However, this performance of such physically dominant pragmatism should also be admired alongside their much-touted capacity for magic from the Dupont and Ntamack.
It’s impossible to call and I for one cannot wait to get going.
