Match over as soon as it began

France 43 Ireland 21

France were delighted at how they played while it was still a contest and Ireland salvaged some pride from potential disaster.

Incredibly, they outscored the French 21-16 in the second half but, thankfully, nobody in the Irish camp was deluded by this with a clear recognition that the game was dead and buried by the interval when the score was 27-0 in favour of Bernard Laporte’s side.

The World Cup will continue without the Irish.

There can be no complaints. France were a vastly superior force, especially in the opening half, and if they were outscored in the second, that was probably due as much to a relaxation in their efforts as it was to a much improved performance and a more positive approach from Ireland.

And yet this match was over almost as soon as it began. France clicked into top gear from the kick-off and Olivier Magne cruised over for the first of their four tries in the third minute. Frederic Michalak converted to kickstart a personal 23 point contribution that saw his tally in four World Cup matches soar to 101.

France will surely prove a veritable mountain for England to climb if they play for the full eighty minutes like they did for the first fifty yesterday.

You almost run out of superlatives to describe how they mercilessly tore the Irish apart. Some coaches might try to duck and dive the reality of how dominant the French actually were as they built up that 27 point interval lead but not Eddie O’Sullivan.

“The problem today was a very simple one,” he accepted. “We were in our half for the first twenty minutes. France were dominating us. Their scrum was incredibly powerful and we were under a lot of pressure. They put pressure on our line-out as well and we couldn’t get out of our own half.”

Michalak’s cross kick that bounced perfidiously for Girvan Dempsey and perfectly for Aurelien Rougerie and try scorer Olivier Magne sent France on their way. Michalak converted and almost immediately his opposite number Ronan O’Gara took a fierce but accidental blow to the head.

He went off for a couple of minutes before coming back but in retrospect it may well have been a mistake. O’Gara was below his best as Michalak and all around him made hay.

Michalak made it 10-0 on twenty minutes but when O’Gara might have immediately tried for the posts from 45 metres, he was instructed to seek the touch line.

That came to nothing although to be fair Ireland at last put a few phases together and looked promising until Simon Easterby was pinged for coming in at the side of a ruck and France cleared.

The error was compounded when an attempted skip pass by O’Gara went to ground and Serge Betsen pounced to send Dominici racing clear from well inside his own half. Michalak, of course, converted. 17-0. Game over.

“We had a bit of rhythm going until we threw that intercept pass,” said O'Sullivan. “That really was the stake in our heart. It just whipped the guts out of the team.”

Worse, of course, was to follow. Imanol Harinordoquy is a great number eight by any standards but even he must have been surprised at the ease with which he went over for try number three and with Michalak converting and then landing a penalty, the game had the potential to degenerate into a route at 27-0.

“We didn’t know what had hit us,” admitted O’Sullivan. “We got into the locker room and circled the wagons and tried to get some shape into our game and said we’d start the second half well. So much for that plan, a penalty and a try against us in the first ten minutes and it was looking ominous.”

However, I doubt if any side could have prevented the fourth try touched down by prop Jean-Jacques Crenca. The build-up was brilliance personified and showed off French rugby at its very best.

At long last, O’Sullivan rang the changes, David Humphreys for O’Gara, a few minutes later Horan for Corrigan and later still Eric Miller for Costello and Guy Easterby for Peter Stringer.

Finally, Ireland found a rhythm. Kevin Maggs ran in a terrific try and the irrepressible O’Driscoll got a couple. Humphreys converted all three. Some pride had been salvaged, a little face saved. But not a whole lot more. France, quite simply, were in a different class. Look out England!

FRANCE: N Brusque; A Rougerie, T Marsh, Y Jauzion, C Dominici; F Michalak, F Galthie capt; JJ Crenca, R Ibanez, S Marconnet, F Pelous, J Thion, S Betsen, O Magne, I Harinordoquy. Replacements, Brian Liefenberg for Jauzion 52 mins; Olivier Brouzet for Thion (blood) 65; Y Bru for Magne 65; O Milloud for Crenca 75; Magne for Ibanez 75; P Tabacco for Harinordoquy 75; P. Elhorga for Bourzet 78.

IRELAND: G Dempsey; S Horgan, B O'Driscoll, K Maggs, J Kelly; R O'Gara, P Stringer; R Corrigan, K Wood capt, J Hayes, M O'Kelly, P O'Connell, S Easterby, K Gleeson, V Costello. Replacements, D Humphreys for O'Gara 48 mins; M Horan for Corrigan 52; G. Easterby for Stringer 72.

Referee - J Kaplan (South Africa).