As it happened: thrilling France end Ireland's Six Nations Grand Slam hopes
Louis Bielle-Biarrey of France celebrates with teammate Romain Ntamack, right, after scoring his side's third try. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile
"When we got good entries into their 22, we didn't come away with points," says Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby as he tries to explain his side's defeat.
"Discipline didn't help at times," says Ireland captain Caelan Doris. Ireland were shown two yellow cards to Joe McCarthy and Calvin Nash.
Penalty for Ireland. They take it quickly and go over for a try through Jack Conan. Prendergast kicks the conversion. France win 42-27.
Hugo Keenan kicks at nice 50-22 and puts Ireland in a good attacking position.
Try for Ireland. In his last appearance for Ireland at the Aviva, Cian Healy gets a try. Prendergast kicks the conversion. It's 42-20 to France with 77 minutes on the clock.
That's a record-equalling 38th France try for Penaud.
France intercept near their own line and Damian Penaud runs in another French try. Ramos kicks the extras. It's 42-13 with five minutes to play.
Another penalty to Ireland for offside, and it's a yellow card for Francois Cros.
Penalty advantage to Ireland. They go wide. Prendergast kicks a grubber through but France get there first. The play goes back for the Ireland penalty and Prendergast kicks to the corner.
Prendergast kicks to the corner. Herring goes to Beirne. Ireland are over the tryline but it's held up.
The TMO is reviewing a potential deliberate knock on by France. It's deemed just a penalty as there was "no overlap opportunity".
Conor Murray, for Jamison Gibson-Park, and Cian Healy, for Andrew Porter, are on for their last home internationals. Probably not what they were hoping. Rob Herring replaces Dan Sheehan as well.
Caelan Doris left the game injured a few minutes ago with Van Der Flier coming back on.
France penalty. Ramos will kick at goal again. It's 35-13 to France after 67 minutes.
A moment of luck for Ireland as the ball doesn't bounce France's away when another try looked a real possibility. Osborne kicks clear.
"He'll have learned more in the last 20 minutes than in his first 15 years of rugby," says Donal Lenihan of Sam Prendergast as he delays a pass too long and is gobbled up by France.
Thomas Clarkson comes on for Finlay Bealham.
France have been incredible since Dan Sheehan's try. 20 minutes to play.
Jegou gets France's bonus point try. Ramos kicks the conversion and France lead 32-13.
James Ryan is on for Joe McCarthy.
France had numbers wide there but Jegou chose to kick. A let off for Ireland.
Jack Crowley is on for Bundee Aki. It looks like Crowley will go to 12.
Ramos kicks the penalty and France extend their lead to 25-13.
Penalty for France. Ireland are wobbling. Ramos will take a shot at goal.
Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Emmanuel Meafou, Dorian Aldegheri, and Anthony Jelonch are all on for France.
Confirmation that Calvin Nash's yellow card will will not be upgraded after review.
Try for France! Brilliant counter-attack. Bielle-Biarrey touched down. Ramos kicks the conversion and France lead 22-13 with 51 minutes on the clock.
Peter O'Mahony is replaced to a standing ovation at the Aviva Stadium. Jack Conan is on in his place. Ryan Baird is on for Josh van der Flier.
Change for France with Oscar Jégou, who usually plays in the backrow for France, comes on in midfield for Pierre-Louis Barassi.
"That's a very strange call" says Donal Lenihan about that decision by the referee. France lead 15-13 with Ireland down a player as Nash is in the sin-bin.
There is also a TMO review for the French try. Peter O'Mahony appears to have been taken out off the ball but Angus Gardner sticks with his on field decision. The French try stands.
The TMO is looking at a tackle by Calvin Nash. It's a yellow card. The referee says the winger "could have been lower" in the tackle. There will be an off field review.
Penalty advantage for France. They go wide on the opposite side. France are over for a try.
Try for Ireland! Dan Sheehan goes over in the corner. Prendergast's conversion kick is over and Ireland lead 11-8. Great start to the second half for Ireland.
Penalty to Ireland. France offside. Ireland go to the corner. Beirne claims the line out.
Clever kick from Gibson-Park puts Ramos under pressure and Ireland have a lineout in a decent attacking position. McCarthy wins it.
Prendergast gets the second half underway.
It's over! Super kick by Prendergast. Half-time and France lead 8-6.
Ireland have a lineout. Beirne claims it. Penalty advantage to Ireland for offside. It's on the halfway line. We're over the 40 minutes. Prendergast will kick for goal.
Good kick by Jamie Osborne has Penaud under pressure. France have a scrum close to their own line.
Penalty to the French for crossing from the restart. Bernard Jackman and Donal Lenihan on RTÉ commentary both think it's not a penalty. Jackman also thinks the penalty which got Ireland on the board was also "soft". Ramos kicks the penalty. France lead 8-3.
Ireland have a penalty for a tackle off the ball. Prendergast will kick at goal. 33 minutes on the clock.
France captain Grégory Alldritt appears to say Antoine Dupont has suffered an ACL injury.
Interesting conversation there between Caelan Doris and Angus Gardner about the Ireland captain questioning the referee during TMO reviews.
Gibson-Park has a boxkick blocked but the referee brings play back for an earlier knock on by France.
Joe McCarthy is back on for Ireland. They've done well to concede just five points while he was in the sin-bin.
Maxime Lucu, France's only back on the bench, is on for Dupont. That could be a massive moment in the game.
Antoine Dupont is receiving treatment. It looks like he's going off.
French power really on display with a rolling maul. They go wide looking for another try with McCarthy still in the bin.
France identify space wide. Ireland have a lineout in their own 22. O'Mahony claims the lineout
Bielle-Biarrey kicks an audacious, maybe mad, crossfield ball near his own line. The French get away with it.
The French crowd are making themselves heard now.
Ramos misses the conversion. The visitors lead 5-0.
Try for France. Bielle-Biarrey goes over in the corner.
France kick to the corner and they win the line out at the back.
Penalty against Ireland for Joe McCarthy tackling a supporting French player off the ball. It's deemed cynical by the referee and McCarthy is shown a yellow card. Ireland are down to 14 for the next 10 minutes.
Jamie Osborne loses the ball in the air but Doris wins it back.
Ireland win the turnover just outside their own 22 and kick it clear. Prendergast kicks to touch.
Loads of pressure from Ireland in the opening 16 minutes but no reward on the scoreboard.
Knock on by Sam Prendergast. France kick it clear and win a penalty in the middle of the pitch. Ntamack kicks to touch.
Ireland scrum in a good attacking position. It goes wide to Hugo Keenan.
You could really feel the pressure Ireland were under from the French defence in that last play.
Antoine Dupont goes over for a try but there could be a knock on. Referee says the onfield decision is a try but the TMO is checking for a knock on. It's ruled a "clear knock on" by the TMO.
Peter O'Mahony claims the line out.
Advantage again to Ireland. They go wide but referee Angus Garden comes back for a penalty against France for offside.
Sam Prendergast's kick clips the left post and misses.
Penalty to Ireland. Caelan Doris wins it. Ireland will take a shot at goal.
Penalty to France for not releasing. They've weathered the Irish storm in the opening few minutes.
Dan Sheehan throws to Tadhg Beirne for Ireland's first lineout. Ireland have the advantage. Quick tap for Ireland. Caelan Doris goes over but he's held up.
Positive start for Ireland. They have a penalty. Sam Prendergast kicks down the line to the corner.
The first scrum of the game goes down. There's a tension in the ground about it. Jamison Gibson-Park was about to give the feed but the French engage early and it's a free kick to Ireland.
Romain Ntamack gets the game underway!
IRFU confirmation: "James Lowe (back spasm) is a late withdrawal for the Ireland XV. He is replaced by Calvin Nash who will wear the number 11 jersey."
The James Lowe incident was so innocuous, he soft-tackled Hugo Keenan in a five-man drill and seemed to injure himself as the pair twisted and turned on contact while still upright.
Brendan O'Brien is at the Aviva Stadium for the and says "James Lowe in trouble, coming off in the middle of the warm-up. Looks like his day is done. Calvin Nash next man up, bib off there now."
Brendan adds: "Huge rendition of La Marseillaise here now, first of the afternoon. There was a huge French presence here two years ago, today looks the same."
France defence coach Shaun Edwards calls Ireland the "standard bearers" for northern hemisphere rugby in the past two years. On the 7-1 bench split, he says they have "guys who can play in the backs as well" among the replacements.
Prime yourself for the game by reading Donal Lenihan and Ronan O'Gara.
Donal says that "In all likelihood, Ireland will need to be ahead on the scoreboard when the juggernaut French replacement pack arrives.
"While that bench is an impressive weapon, especially with four of the Toulouse front five arriving as one cohesive back-up unit, Ireland must be ready to match fire with fire.
"In that respect, it’s vital the hardened core of international bench experience Ireland have in Cian Healy, James Ryan, Jack Conan, Rob Herring, and Ryan Baird prove capable of matching their French counterparts."
Ronan says, "This is a test for (Sam) Prendergast like nothing else in terms of physicality. No matter how much Ireland look to protect him, teams are too intelligent at Test level. They get to you somehow. He’s just got to make sure he doesn’t break, doesn’t break the D line. Take them down by the legs, which he is well capable of. Can you pick him, from a defensive point of view? I’m not having that question. Course you can, he’s added a lot to Ireland’s all-round game."
H Keenan (Leinster); J Osborne (Leinster), R Henshaw (Leinster), B Aki (Connacht), C Nash (Munster); S Prendergast (Leinster), J Gibson-Park (Leinster); A Porter (Leinster), D Sheehan (Leinster), F Bealham (Connacht); J McCarthy (Leinster), T Beirne (Munster); P O’Mahony (Munster), J van der Flier (Leinster), C Doris (Leinster) - captain.
R Herring Ulster), C Healy (Leinster), T Clarkson (Leinster), J Ryan (Leinster), J Conan (Leinster), R Baird (Leinster), C Murray (Munster), J Crowley (Munster).
T Ramos (Toulouse); D Penaud (Bordeaux), P-L Barassi (Toulouse), Y Moefana (Bordeaux), L Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux); R Ntamack (Toulouse), A Dupont (Toulouse); J-B Gros (Toulon), P Mauvaka (Toulouse), U Atonio (La Rochelle); T Flament (Toulouse), M Guillard (Lyon); F Cros (Toulouse), P Boudehent (La Rochelle), G Alldritt (La Rochelle).
J Marchand (Toulouse), C Baille (Toulouse), D Aldegheri (Toulouse), E Meafou (Toulouse), H Auradou (Pau), O Jegou (La Rochelle), A Jelonch (Toulouse), M Lucu (Bordeaux).
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