Ireland with nail-biting win over France
Ireland’s Championship and Grand Slam ambitions remain alive, but only just after Joe Schmidt’s side clung on to claim victory against France in their Six Nations meeting at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday evening.
Though the game never hit the heights hoped for beforehand, the result was everything desired for by the majority of fans in a packed stadium, even if Schmidt’s notoriously blunt video review sessions will take longer than usual on the back of this one.
Ireland had almost two-thirds possession and territory in the first-half and finished it 12-6 to the good with Jonathan Sexton landing four penalties to the two of Camille Lopez, but it was a hugely unsatisfactory 40 minutes.
Time and again the poor execution of both sides hampered the flow of the game and the individual errors were apparent in a penalty count that saw France concede nine in that spell to Ireland’s half-a-dozen.
All eyes were, of course, on Jonathan Sexton given his 12-week hiatus on doctor’s orders after suffering four concussions in a year, and the returning out-half didn't have long to wait to prove his readiness for the fray.
Matthieu Bastareaud was responsible for one of that quartet of those said concussions when the sides last met in Paris last Spring and the Toulon behemoth charged down Sexton’s channel with ball in hand after just eight minutes.
The Frenchman led with his forearm, as he had done in the Stade de France, but Sexton was his equal this time, standing the massive centre up long enough to earn the support of teammates who collectively earned Ireland a penalty.
Within five minutes he was kicking his first three points after French captain Thierry Dusautoir was penalised for being offside at an Irish maul and another effort six minutes later was sandwiched by Lopez’s opener for the visitors.
The scoreboard remained undisturbed for a long spell thereafter, as did both try lines, with neither side engineering anything like the sort of line break or concerted period of pressure needed to prise open defences at the Test level.
Another trio of penalties shared close to half-time left Ireland with that 12-6 advantage, but the dreaded sight of Sexton having to leave the field prematurely was witnessed just five minutes after the pause.
A clash of heads with Bastareaud was the reason but the result seemed to be less of a concussion than a cut below the Irishman’s left eye. Both players left the field to be seen to by the respective medical teams and duly returned ten minutes or so later.
The only action of significance in their absence was a penalty kicked by Sexton’s jersey-warmer Ian Madigan and a yellow card for French lock Pascal Pape whose knee to Jamie Heaslip’s back in a ruck was spotted by assistant Nigel Owens.
Ireland could and should have closed the game out in the moments after Sexton’s return when a maul on the left side of France’s 22 sucked in enough defenders to leave space outside, but Sexton’s pass to Jared Payne was too high and struck the centre in the face.
With Robbie Henshaw and Simon Zebo further outside and France outnumbered it was a brilliant opportunity butchered and Ireland made life harder for themselves again when Rory Best was sinbinned for a blatant trip on Dusautoir.
Luckily for Ireland, Lopez missed the straightforward penalty but, with Pape’s expulsion expiring shortly after, Ireland faced the bones of eight minutes with a man down. They handled it well. Or, most of it.
The next score came, for the fifth time, from Sexton’s boot to leave Ireland with a 12-point lead and only as many minutes to play, but France shaved five from that with the game’s best move that ended with Romain Taofifenua touching down.
Lopez couldn’t tack on the extra two points with a difficult kick from the touchline but, with only a converted try between them, there was every chance that the sides could end honours even for the third time in four meetings.
It didn't. Ireland survived, if only just.
Two games, two victories and England arriving in Dublin in two weeks’ time.
It's not been pretty so far, but it has been effective.
Ireland: R Kearney; T Bowe, J Payne, R Henshaw, S Zebo; J Sexton, C Murray; J McGrath, R Best, M Ross; D Toner, P O’Connell; P O’Mahony, S O’Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: I Madigan for Sexton (45-55); J Murphy for Heaslip (60); C Healy for McGrath and M Moore for Ross (both 63); S Cronin for O’Brien (65-72) and for Best (73); I Henderson for Toner (75);
France: S Spedding; Y Huget, M Bastareaud, W Fofana, T Thomas; C Lopez, R Kockott; E Ben Arous, G Guirado, R Slimani; P Pape, Y Maestri; T Dusautoir, B Le Roux, D Chouly. Replacements: R Lamerat for Fofana (16-23) and for Thomas (33); R Tales for Bastareaud (45-53) and for Spedding (53); B Keyser for Ben Arous, U Antonio for Guirado and V Debaty for Slimani (all 50); R Taofifenua for Pape (65); M Parra for Kockott (66); L Goujon for Chouly 73);
Referee: W Barnes (England).
