Comment: Ireland were on shaky ground long before referee's controversial call

We’ll never know how far referee Angus Gardner’s baffling call tipped the scales 47 minutes in.

Jean-Baptiste Gros of France is tackled by Peter O'Mahony, left, and Bundee Aki of Ireland. Pic: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

“The number six was retreating.” 

Five words, one small sentence, impact unknowable. The first thing to say here is that France were sublime in victory over Ireland at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon.