Ireland back in business with memorable Marseille triumph over 14-man France
PASSION: Ireland’s Dan Sheehan celebrates scoring their fourth try. Pic: Dan Sheridan, Inpho
Ireland made a dream start to their Guinness Six Nations title defence and life after Johnny Sexton as they claimed a famous bonus-point victory over France in Friday night’s championship at Stade Velodrome.
It had been an Ireland team that had gone into the game full of question marks following Sexton’s retirement after a heartbreaking World Cup quarter-final exit to New Zealand last October 14 but 97 days later, the 2023 Grand Slam winners were back in business at the first opportunity, Andy Farrell’s men in awesome form to grab a first Irish win on French soil since Sexton’s drop goal sealed the deal in Paris in 2018.
If that game was a nail-biter, this was a romp, aided by France lock Paul Willemse first-half red card for a second yellow card offence but entirely down to Irish superiority, first-half tries from Jamison Gibson-Park and Tadhg Beirne backed by a penalty and two conversions from Sexton’s fly-half replacement Jack Crowley giving the visitors a 17-10 interval lead before second-half tries from Six Nations debutant Calvin Nash, Dan Sheehan and then his replacement Ronan Kelleher capped a special night in Marseille.
France were without scrum-half and captain Antoine Dupont, taking a sabbatical in search of a place in his country’s Olympic Sevens squad this summer, while Ireland began life without Johnny Sexton, Peter O’Mahony succeeding him as captain.
Both nations had World Cup traumas to overcome having lost their quarter-finals, though O’Mahony had insisted there were no points to prove, just a desire to keep improving and deliver a performance which reflected that.
That was exactly what they did, ignoring the deafening rendition of La Marseillaise to take this game by the scruff of the neck and not let go.
A Crowley penalty got Ireland up and running after seven minutes before Willemse committed the first of his two high hits a minute later, his shoulder making direct contact with the head of Andrew Porter.
It looked like a certain red card but referee Karl Dickson issued a yellow to the France lock and referred the incident to the bunker review as Porter was removed for a Head Injury Assessment.
With Willemse in the sin bin awaiting his fate, Ireland capitalised, though it took until the 15th minute, scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park starting and finishing a superb passage of Irish handling through centres Robbie Henshaw and Bundee Aki before the latter’s pass back inside to the number nine to break the French line and score the opening try.
Crowley converted to put Ireland 10-0 ahead when Porter was cleared to return and the only surprise was that Willemse followed him back soon after, his indiscipline deemed worthy of only a yellow card.
It did not stop the defending champions from maintaining their grip, and they should have stretched their lead, only to be foiled once by a knock-on from French hooker Peato Mauvaka that looked suspiciously deliberate.
From the resulting Ireland scrum, Gibson-Park went down the blindside and his team looked certain to score only for the opportunity to be wasted on the line.
The failure to execute was compounded by a missed penalty kick from Crowley and France’s first points of the game from the boot of Thomas Ramos but Ireland were not cowed and came through on the half-hour when the fly-half fed a delightful short pass to Beirne, who found a gap and was not troubled by a desperate arm extended by a drifting Jonathan Danty, the lock scoring under the posts and Crowley once again added the extras to send the visitors into a 17-3 lead.
There was further French woe when Willemse’s ill-discipline returned, this time with a high arm on ball carrier Caelan Doris, giving referee Dickson no choice but to reach for a second yellow, swiftly followed by the automatic red card.
France would have to play the next 48 minutes with a man down but they stayed in the contest with a try before half-time with their first real period of goalline pressure. Wing Damien Penaud finished through a stretched Irish defence and full-back Ramos converted to end the half and leave Ireland with a seven-point interval lead at 17-10.
Ramos missed a 42nd-minute penalty to further close the gap and Ireland made the most of their let-off, Nash coming in off his right wing to score in the opposite corner four minutes later after a big carry from Henshaw.
Crowley’s conversion from close to the left touchline opened the lead to 24-10 but Ireland were on the back foot soon after, lock Paul Gabrillagues’s try awarded after a lengthy TMO check for the grounding and Irish captain O’Mahony yellow-carded before Ramos nailed his conversion from wide. All of which left Ireland with a man down for 10 minutes and with a seven-point lead at 24-17 after 53 minutes.
Ireland did their sin-binned captain proud in his absence, Sheehan peeling off the back of a lineout drive to deliver a try bonus point few of the travelling Irish supporters would dared have dreamed of, Crowley’s second touchline conversion of the night sending them into raptures as the Velodrome fell silent and the Fields of Athenry echoed around the vast stadium.
Ireland were 31-17 up and cruising to victory but there was still time for a fifth try, Kelleher following Sheehan into the scorebook and Crowley adding his third touchline conversion and fifth in total to crown a memorable night by the Mediterranean for Farrell’s ever-improving side, now surely with back-to-back Grand Slams in their sights.
T Ramos; D Penaud, G Fickou, J Danty (L Bielle-Biarrey, 62), Y Moefana; M Jalibert, M Lucu (R Le Garrec, 62); C Baille (R Wardi, 52-71), P Mauvaka (J Marchand, 53), U Atonio (D Aldegheri, 53); P Gabrillagues (P Tuilagi, 53), P Willemse; F Cros (C Woki, 62), C Ollivon (P Boudehent, 62), G Alldritt – captain.
P Willemse 8-18 mins
P Willemse 32 mins
H Keenan; C Nash (C Frawley, 78), R Henshaw, B Aki, J Lowe; J Crowley, J Gibson-Park (C Murray, 71); A Porter (C Healy, 8-18 – HIA & 62), D Sheehan (R Kelleher, 62), T Furlong (F Bealham, 62); J McCarthy (J Ryan, 67), T Beirne; P O’Mahony – captain (R Baird, 62), J van der Flier (J Conan, 62), C Doris.
P O’Mahony 52-62
Karl Dickson (England)
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