Fighting for the inches in Dublin
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France managed to keep their Grand Slam hopes alive on Sunday after winning a hotly-contested clash with Ireland 25-22 at Aviva Stadium.
Ireland gave a massively improved performance than the one that saw Italy come so close to causing the upset in the championship's history.
But their efforts were not enough to overcome a les Bleus outfit who will be relieved to escape Dublin with two points that puts them joint-top.
The classy visitors had gone in 15-12 down at the interval after Leinster winger Fergus McFadden and Munster scrum-half Tomas O'Leary had crossed the whitewash, with France maestro Morgan Parra on target with four penalty goals.
However, a well-taken Maxime Médard try on 55 minutes was the catalyst of a French revival in the second-half as their bench proved too strong.
Ireland supporters will be cursing their luck though in the aftermath of this one as they blew an opportunity to score what would've been a match-winning try in the 79th minute, but replacement hooker Sean Cronin knocked-on at the vital time.
The underdog hosts in fact looked superior in flashes, but were undone by their ill-discipline as six penalties saw Marc Lievremont's charges edge the battle on a brisk afternoon.
Ireland began at great pace and were rewarded with a fifth-minute try when McFadden muscled his way over from close-range with his leg drive stunning France's ruck guards.
However, the assured boot of Parra replied quickly for the visitors and he went on to land three further before the interval while O'Leary answered some of his critics with another strong finish fifteen in from the left touchline. An out-of-sorts Sexton missed the extras.
Following the break another Parra penalty drew the French level before the stadium fell silent on the hour when Aurelien Rougerie shrugged off Gordon D'Arcy to send Medard in.
A sixth French penalty - this time from replacement number nine Dimitri Yachvili - piled on the misery and although returning number eight Jamie Heaslip dived over in the corner to make it a three-point game, Cronin spilt the chance of a winning try at the death.
The scorers:
For Ireland:
Tries: McFadden, O'Leary, Heaslip
Con: Sexton, O'Gara
Pen: Sexton
For France:
Try: Medard
Con: Yachvili
Pen: Parra 5, Yachvili
Ireland: 15 Luke Fitzgerald, 14 Fergus McFadden, 13 Brian O'Driscoll (capt), 12 Gordon D'Arcy, 11 Keith Earls, 10 Jonathan Sexton, 9 Tomas O'Leary, 8 Jamie Heaslip, 7 David Wallace, 6 Sean O'Brien, 5 Paul O'Connell, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Mike Ross, 2 Rory Best, 1 Cian Healy.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Tom Court, 18 Leo Cullen, 19 Denis Leamy, 20 Eoin Reddan, 21 Ronan O'Gara, 22 Paddy Wallace.
France: 15 Clément Poitrenaud, 14 Yoann Huget, 13 Aurélien Rougerie, 12 Damien Traille, 11 Maxime Médard, 10 François Trinh-Duc, 9 Morgan Parra, 8 Imanol Harinordoquy, 7 Julien Bonnaire, 6 Thierry Dusautoir (c), 5 Lionel Nallet, 4 Julien Pierre, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 William Servat, 1 Thomas Domingo.
Replacements: 16 Guilhem Guirado, 17 Sylvain Marconnet, 18 Jerome Thion, 19 Sébastien Chabal, 20 Dimitri Yachvili, 21 Yannick Jauzion, 22 Vincent Clerc.
Referee: Dave Pearson
Assistant referees: Wayne Barnes (England), David Changleng (Scotland)
Television match official: Geoff Warren (England)
Comments
Danatthecorner says...
@Neotosolan - Don't apologise for your English mate, its better than most peoples second language.
Even as an England fan, the French continue to infuriate me by their inability to play to their best on the road. Its inexplicable. This season I have seen Toulon get a hiding away at Munster before exacting revenge at home, the same with Clermont and Leinster, and now the national side scraping home against Ireland in a game they really didnt deserve to get anything out of.
I think Lievremont must shoulder the blame for it, he picks the side, and sends them out there. If Yoann Huget never plays for France again it will be too soon, let alone the fact he was ahead of Clerc and Malzieu?! Crazy.
I don't even know what to think anymore after two rounds of this tournament. England have looked good without really being tested, and there will be a point when the inside ball isn't on and we have to play territory and off the set-piece. Wales and Ireland, whilst capable of moments of brilliance, struggle with any kind of sustained strategy because their decisions at half back have been terrible. France are what they are it seems and will not be changing whilst that fool is running the show.
My two cents.
Posted 22:26 13th February 2011
Stag says...
If you're French or Irish, both teams can take positives from today. The reactionary Leinster fans on here have an irrational anti munster agenda that stems back kidney vacating the leinster role prematurely. A lot of the Irish failings are within their control and can be rectified. The French players reaction at the end was telling. They knew they got out of jail. England are not that much different from the recent vintage. In other words they're still average at best. Fabien galthie can be condescending about Ireland all he wants. His motive is to make lievremont look poor cos he wants his job. France to lose in England and England to be denied a slam by Ireland in landsdowne.
Posted 21:22 13th February 2011
Myopicflanker says...
Such an entertaining game in many ways, but the rules were hardly well enforced from my viewing. Irish centers seemed practically absent (comments above about their age seem a bit harsh and sad, but difficult to gainsay), Poitrenaud was due for one of his awful games (no fullback in Rugby is capable of such 'connerie', which outweighs his occasional moment of brilliance), Rougerie played like a madman to prove his omission last time was foolishness (as it was), O'Gara does not get sent onto the pitch until midway 2nd half given Sexton's game today(?!)... Fouls in the ruck aside, I though the Irish pack held up relatively well in the scrum. I was entertained during the match, but, in retrospect, what a disappointment all around. A lucky win for les Bleus.
Posted 20:38 13th February 2011
KiwiLad says...
6 nations starting to look more and more like a one horse racr this year.... And English fans will be crowing as it a world cup year.
Posted 18:52 13th February 2011
papachinzo says...
O'Leary should never have started... Reddan, Cullen in the XV from now on, and Stinger on the bench....
Posted 18:40 13th February 2011
neotolosan says...
First, excuse my poor english, I'm French.
this match was strange to me and I wonder how I could have lived it being Irish... In fact, we have 3 tries behind our lines to 1 only behind theirs. I admit their defense wasn't following loaws, remember O'Connel going by our way in the rucks and O'Driscoll layed on the ball. But would have France deserved this win without it ?
And how will be next match (in 15 days) against impressive english players ?
Well, I think somme few chances need to be made : first of all Yannick Jauzion for Damien Traille and then Vinvent Clerc for Yohann Huget. It's a kind of experience added to our lines. We need it.
In the past 3 years, what have we seen ? An english team taking time to build all by its own, an irish team getting older and older, a french team making poor experiences... World cup is in 6 months...
I'm afraid of south nation teams... Do you feel the same in UK ???
Posted 18:15 13th February 2011
neotolosan says...
I fear the next matchh (in 2 weeks) in England. What a strange match...
Posted 17:35 13th February 2011
ciaranbrk says...
Get rid of Kidney iv had enough i realy have bring joe shmidt in if kidney refuses to pick on form and pickes a idiot like cronan and brings cullen in with 6 seconds left. I dont wana know about it get rid of him o'leary o'gara o'connel o'callahan and wallace so we can unleesh leinster as Ireland squad instead of a mix bread leinster and munster ireland I want kidney gone he has rested on his laurels to long. He had a chance to put up or shut up he blew it now he can feck off we need a coach who will cut his buddies who arent up to scratch .
Posted 17:20 13th February 2011
caramba13 says...
Ireland were pretty lucky that France had elected to be just spectators in the first half. Apart from that we learn that Fitzgerald is not a full back and Messrs O'Callaghan and O'Connell need to brush up on the rule book. Good game though. Pity we in France had to suffer Galthié's commentary with a lot of condescending stuff about the Irish .. but that's part of the game.
Posted 17:01 13th February 2011