An iron fist in a velvet glove, right across the chops of the Irish. The likes of Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy, in all their years of service, have never felt a right hook quite like it. They bowed out with a blowout.
France worked the pitch like Muhammad Ali worked the ring. One of their greatest performances under Fabien Galthie, hey were irresistible with the ball in hand, blowing up Ireland’s Grand Slam bid with their own Parisian twist on the Bomb Squad.
This was the de facto title decider and, having secured the bonus point with room to spare, the Six Nations title is suddenly France’s to lose. They punched and purred, with Damian Penaud drawing level with the legendary try-scoring record of Serge Blanco.
‘Just don’t screw it up,’ read the headline on the local Irish newspaper. It was referring to the Taoiseach’s meeting at the White House with Donald Trump next week, although it may as well have run alongside a picture of Antoine Dupont. Oval Office or oval ball, they are two tricky opponents who are hard to predict. Handle them with care because both have the capacity to blow things up when the stakes are at their highest.
Well, Dupont was carried off after 30 minutes, which made this victory all the more remarkable. France coach Fabien Galthie described the clear-out that left their iconic scrum-half in tears as ‘reprehensible’.
‘He is suffering and we are suffering with him,’ said Galthie, unable to rejoice in the victory. ‘We are angry and we want an explanation.’ You suspect it is not the last we hear of it.
France were irresistible as they overcame Ireland 42-27 to take control of the Six Nations
Ireland’s hopes of completing the Grand Slam came to an end in stunning fashion
France’s display was all the more impressive after captain Antoine Dupoint went off injured
Emotions were high as the Irish were led out by their three retiring legends. Rugby fans in their early 20s do not know the game without O’Mahony, Murray and Healy. They are the fabric of an institution that has gone from one that barely knew what a Grand Slam looked like, to a powerhouse of rugby in the northern hemisphere. Yet this was not the farewell they had in mind. Their lap of honour after the final whistle must have felt like a lifetime.
The anthems here could bring a tear to the driest of eyes, although the stadium announcement that James Lowe was injured in the warm-up quickly brought things back to reality. ‘It’s not a happy changing room,’ said Ireland skipper Caelen Doris, whose side failed to capitalise on their first-quarter dominance.
Sam Prendergast was rag-dolled back over the 22 by Yoram Moefana before he struck the post with his first kick at goal. Ireland were held up over the line as the French buckled up. They made 78 tackles in the first 15 minutes, keeping Ireland pointless.
The Irish never recovered. Dupont had a breakaway try ruled out for a knock on but, with 21 minutes on the clock, against the run of play, he showed his class. Joe McCarthy, a tractor of a second row, was shown a yellow card for pulling back Tomas Ramos. France threw to the tail of the lineout, leaving a big blindside for Dupont to switch back into, throwing a miss pass to set up a try for Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
It was breathless and unrelenting. Bielle-Biarrey’s kick-pass across the face of his own posts left French hearts in mouths. Brian O’Driscoll and Dimitri Yachvilli laughed from the commentary box in disbelief. French swagger at its finest.
Bodies were chewed up and spat out at the rucks. It was like throwing off-cuts into a meat grinder. Ligaments stretched to their limits. Dupont wowed his audience with a backdoor pass but then disaster struck. He was smashed by Tadhg Beirne as he tried to secure the ball and his knee buckled. Accidental, said referee Angus Gardner. No penalty. Galthie vehemently disagreed.
France only had one back on their 7-1 bench and they had 50 minutes to survive with no specialist cover. Prendergast and Ramos exchanged penalties before the break, with France heading into the dressing room with a two-point lead. Dan Sheehan edged Ireland ahead in the second half from a driving lineout and Galthie was a man under pressure. Those French fans wearing his trademark glasses suddenly questioned their loyalty.
Yet Dupont’s replacement, Maxime Lucu, stepped up to the challenge. He took control of the match in the middle third. He made France’s offloading game tick, leading a 17-point charge during Calvin Nash’s 10-minute sin-bin for a high tackle on Pierre-Louis Barassi.
Cian Healy and Peter O’Mahony bowed out in a blowout in front of a home crowd in Dublin
Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored France’s opening try after Ireland had started the match brightly
Oscar Jegou went over to put France on course for their biggest win over Ireland for 15 years
Damian Penaud broke clear to equal the try-scoring record of the iconic Serge Blanco
Healy, pictured, and Jack Conan scored late for Ireland but it was not enough for a bonus point
After Paul Boudehent’s try, France unloaded five heavyweight forwards from the bench, turning up the power. Ireland were counter-rucked in their own half and France made hay. Penaud charged out of his half like a dog off a lead, before Bielle-Biarrey chased a kick down the wing to score.
Rookie French flanker Oscar Jegou finished the day in the centres and few would have argued if he had been named man-of-the-match. It was one of those days that ripped up convention. Jegou’s try put his side on course for their biggest victory over Ireland for 15 years. Francois Cros was shown a yellow card but the French siege kept coming, with an end-to-end try for Penaud.
Healy and Jack Conan scored late on for Ireland yet it was not enough for a bonus point. The hosts were bruised and beaten, knocked to the canvas long before the bell. This one will take some time to get over.
