France storm Aviva to shatter Ireland's Grand Slam dreams and take pole position in Six Nations race
IRISH GOODBYE: Ireland's Peter O'Mahony salutes the fans. Pic:: Liam McBurney/PA Wire.
France stormed to a resounding victory to end their losing run against Ireland on Saturday as the home side’s Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam dreams were shattered and their title defence hangs in the balance with one game left to play.
Poor discipline, with Joe McCarthy and late addition to the starting line-up Calvin Nash both yellow carded, and a failure to capitalise on early concerted pressure took the shine off final farewells on home soil for Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray.
Yet France were full value for their bonus-point victory to put themselves in with a chance of the title next weekend, overcoming the early loss to injury of talismanic captain Antoine Dupont to blow Ireland away in a calamitous third quarter for the home side, man of the match Louis Bielle-Biarrey scoring his second of the game, while Pierre Boudehent and Oscar Jegou took the game beyond the Irish.
Damien Penaud added a fifth late on before Ireland restored a little pride and boosted their points difference even with tries in the dying minutes for Healy and fellow replacement Jack Conan on his 50th cap.
Ireland’s plans had been disrupted before kick-off when James Lowe was forced out of the game with a back spasm during the warm-up.
That brought Nash in from outside the matchday 23 and into the number 11 jersey, though the Munster wing, originally overlooked as stand-in for injured Mack Hansen, did move onto the right with Jamie Osborne switching to cover Lowe’s vacant left-wing berth.
There had been a celebratory atmosphere as Ireland centurions O’Mahony, Healy and Murray led the side out to a standing ovation ahead of their final home matches in green, followed by 50th cap recipients Finlay Bealham, Conan and captain Caelan Doris.
Yet it was quickly to business as the home side started strongly, dominating possession in the opening 10 minutes, forcing the French to defend deep but not making their pressure tell on the scoreboard.
Caelan Doris was held up over the tryline by fellow No.8 Gregory Alldritt in the sixth minute and Sam Prendergast missed a penalty four minutes later as France weathered the storm and there was an early warning that Ireland might pay for their profligacy when Damien Penaud picked up a loose pass and launched a counter-attack that saw Antoine Dupont cross the Irish line seconds later.
Luckily, the TMO spotted a Penaud knock-on when winning the ball and Ireland were off the hook, but it was shortlived relief.
Joe McCarthy was yellow-carded for pulling back France full-back Thomas Ramos as he supported a break by wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey on 20 minutes and it was the winger who struck from the resulting penalty, lineout and driving maul, Dupont finding him on the blindside, although Ramos missed the touchline conversion from the left.
Ireland managed to ride out the rest of the sin-bin period and France suffered a blow when Dupont was forced off after Tadhg Beirne fell onto his knee as the scrum-half attempted a jackal on Dan Sheehan, referee Angus Gardner insisting there had been no foul play, backed by his TMO, England’s Ian Tempest.
With Maxime Lucu, France’s sole backline replacement on a bench featuring seven forwards, head coach Fabien Galthie was walking a tightrope with 50 minutes remaining to survive without further injuries behind the pack, while the game had lost one of its chief protagonists in Dupont.
Not that Ireland cared.
Prendergast found his range with a penalty on 34 minutes, and though Ramos replied in kind it was the Irish fly-half who ended the half by closing the gap to two points with his second three-pointer of the opening period this one from the halfway line.
France led 8-6 at the interval but momentum continued with Ireland into the second half as Dan Sheehan capitalised on early pressure to score off the back of a lineout maul, Prendergast converting from wide out on the right to put his side in front at 13-8.
Yet a storm was coming for the home side and it was prompted by a controversial French try.
The build-up had been superb with Lucu at the heart of it to set up flanker Pierre Boudehent with Gardner awarding the try.
The Australian referee went to his TMO once more, first to check a high head hit by Nash on Pierre-Louis Barassi, which saw the Irish wing yellow carded, and then to check another incident leading to the try.
O’Mahony had been clearly taken out off the ball to open the gap for prop Jean-Baptiste Gros to charge through.
Yet Gardner said the try would stand, his explanation that the Irish flanker was moving backwards when he was impeded drowned out by furious booing from home supporters.
With Nash in the bin, France deployed the bulk of their forward artillery from the bench while O’Mahony departed to a standing ovation on his final exit from the Aviva Stadium pitch.
Yet it was the large contingent of vocal French fans who would enjoy what followed.
Bielle-Biarrey added a second try with a wonderful finish as France swept forward, Ramos adding his second conversion of the half and the full-back was busy again with the kicking tee as replacement Oscar Jegou stormed over for his side’s well-deserved bonus point.
Ireland’s Grand Slam hopes were in tatters and France compounded their woes when they turned over Irish ball on their own tryline and tore upfield unopposed as Penaud completed the rout with the visitors' fifth.
Healy gave the home side something to cheer as he crashed over on 77 minutes in his final home Test appearance and fellow replacement Conan added another at the death, both converted by Prendergast.
The extra points will help but with no bonus points, only the points differential was improved by the late flurry and Ireland’s title hopes now hang in the balance going into next weekend’s final round of games.
H Keenan; J Osborne, R Henshaw, B Aki (J Crowley, 55), C Nash; S Prendergast, J Gibson-Park (C Murray, 68); A Porter (C Healy, 68), D Sheehan (R Herring, 68), F Bealham (T Clarkson, 59); J McCarthy (J Ryan, 55), T Beirne; P O’Mahony (R Baird, 49), J van der Flier (J Conan, 49), C Doris – captain (J van der Flier, 64 – HIA).
J McCarthy 20-30, C Nash 45-55
T Ramos; D Penaud, P-L Barassi (O Jegou, 45 - HIA), Y Moefana, L Bielle-Biarrey; R Ntamack, A Dupont – captain (M Lucu, 29); J-B Gros (C Baille, 49), P Mauvaka (J Marchand, 49), U Atonio (D Aldegheri, 49); T Flament (H Auradou, 75), M Guillard (E Meafou, 49); F Cros, P Boudehent, G Alldritt (A Jelonch, 49).
F Cros 74-
Angus Gardner (Australia)
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