As it happened: Heartbreak for Ireland as France rally to reach Women's Rugby World Cup semis
France's Pauline Bourdon Sansus celebrates. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan
Ireland’s Women’s Rugby World Cup campaign came to a shattering end as they were edged out of a nail-biting quarter-final by Six Nations rivals France at Sandy Park on Sunday.
Link to the report just below. Until next time.
Thanks for following our liveblog. Stay tuned to our website for Simon Lewis' match report as well as they best of the reaction and analysis.
Heartbreak for Ireland. They rue not scoring more before half time, deserved to be more than 13-0 ahead.
But you can't fault their effort. Fair play to France, who are through to the semi-finals.
Ireland's wait for a win in the knockout stages of the Rugby World Cup - men's and women's - goes on.
Ireland lose the ball and unfortunately lose the match.
O'Brien again heads to the corner. Ireland lineout.
Ireland fans roaring on their side.
Ireland advantage. Six metres out from the French line.
Ireland win the lineout and are driving forward.
O'Brien kicks to the corner. Last chance.
Ireland win their lineout. Ireland on the attack.
Yellow card for France. They will finish with 14. O'Brien kicks towards the corner, not great distance on the kick though.
Break in play as a France player goes down injured after a collision with her own player.
Lucky break for France as their kick squirms under O'Brien's foot and goes into touch.
Never in doubt, unfortunately. Bourgeois splits the posts with ther kick. Five between the teams now.
Bourgeois going for the posts, which would mean Ireland would need a try to level it. Maybe even win it.
Ireland building. But France win the ball back.
Ireland now back to 15 players and they are on the attack.
Huge blow for Ireland. Just as they are building pressure, they lose the ball and Grisez races away to score a try. France now lead. Bourgeois misses the conversion from a tough angle.
Double sub for Ireland. Jones and Monaghan off, Moloney-MacDonald and Corri-Fallon on.
France's momentum is growing and Ireland need to get their hands on the ball and hold onto it to try and stop the French purple patch..
Big ten minutes now for Ireland, need to hold firm.
Double blow for Ireland. Moments after going a player down for 10 minutes, Escudero crosses the line for a try. Great conversion by Bourgeois.
TMO reviewing a tackle by Moore, who has just come on. Yellow card is the decision, dangerous tackle.
France growing into the game with the elements at their back. There are some errors creeping into the Irish game.
Moore on for Hogan, and Perry on for O'Dowd.
The weather doesn't seem as bad in Exeter now compared to the first half. Although it is hard to tell from my living room in Cork!
Ireland collect their lineout and the Irish fans are urging them forward. Not releasing called by the referee so France regain the ball.
Ireland penalty and O'Brien heads for the corner.
Brittany Hogan down injured so play has been halted.
Another error from Ireland obstructing in the lineout. Two successive penalties that will frustrate Ireland.
That's frustraing there, massive penalty from the scrum that remains dominant and then having the penalty reversed for foul play.
And she is going for the posts. And it drops over. France finally on the board. Great kick by Morgane Bourgeois.
Another scrum for Ireland. They'll be pleased with this start to the second half.
Ireland again going for the scrum, has worked well for them so far.
Ireland win a penalty on their own 22 metre line.
France on the attack now, they've plenty of work to do.
Ireland take a 13-0 into the half time break and it's thoroughly deserved after making the most of the conditions and exploiting French edginess.
Yet their failure to add a third try just before the break with a player advantage could cost them, 35 phases ending in a turnover.
They'll turn around playing into the wind and France surely will begin to apply pressure. Will 13 points be enough of a cushion?
Great first half from Ireland, very dominant in the scrum and forwards are leading the way.
Ireland not giving France any space with quick line speeds and forcing errors and taking advantage of the yellow cards.
Wafer loses possession and France clear to end the half. Great half by Ireland. But of scurmish there at the end, sets up a fiesty second half.
Ireland up to Phase 32 now. Still pushing, still trying to find a gap.
Phase 12 of Ireland's attack. They're so close to another try.
Ireland power forward with their scrum. Close to the French line again.
Yellow card for France.
Ireland kick to the 22metre line, looking for another score before the break.
Scrum penatlies so far. France 3 Ireland 0
A great score, I thought it was going to drift wide there. Ireland still very dominant in the scrum.
Rather than go for the corner, O'Brien kicks for the posts. Good decision, a great kick given the conditions and Ireland extend their lead.
It is a very un-French like performance but Ireland are putting great pressure on them with fast line speed and good scramble defence when needed.
Tackles made stat update. France 99 Ireland 38. Three tackles missed by both teams.
It took her a few moments but Wafer is back on her feet. Looks to be ok.
That doesn't look good for Aoife Wafer, she is just back from a knee injury.
France penalty and they take it quickly but they lose it close to Ireland's 22. Think that was the first time they made it up that far!
A sliced kick clear gives Ireland a lineout on the 22 metre line. The girls in green claim it and are on the attack again.
The scrum is very dominant for Ireland and their forwards are on the front foot.
Bernadou's yellow card will remain just a yellow card. She will be back in play in just over three minutes.
Left and wide again from O'Brien with her conversion. Really tough with the wind.
Ireland move it quickly from right to left and Stacey Flood dives across the line. She even had a spare player over to her left if needed. Brilliant this from Ireland.
Ireland send a line out too long but a France knock on gives Ireland a scrum close to the French endline.
Great turnover by Ireland and the players celebrate as if they have scored a try.
Brilliant choke tackle there from Jones and O'Dowd to get the turnover. France had to make a change to bring in a front rower there for the scrum.
Our other rugby expert (along with Simon Lewis, not me) Fiona Halligan says: Its brilliant pressure and line speed from Ireland to keep Fance in their half.
Yellow card for Bernadou for a high tackle. Bunker will check to see if it should be a red.
Ireland again on the attack but play halted following a collision. TMO checking for a French high tackle. Bernadou is currently off with a HIA.
So far france have made 41 tackles, compared to just eight for Ireland. France have hardly been in Ireland's half as of yet. Famous last words.
A nice kick towards the corner by O'Brien. Still a good distance out from the line though.
Chucking it down here at Sandy Park but the atrocious weather is not dampening Irish spirits in the crowd.
It will be an uphill task against a quality France side who have been building nicely coming into the knockout stages on their mission to break their World Cup semi-final hoodoo but Sam Monaghan's team have a great opportunity to stage an upset today.
Tough kick by O'Brien in the wind and the rain drifts wide of the near post.
And there will be no disallowing of this one. Djougang gets her first try of this World Cup. She played in France earlier in her career so a nice moment for her, I'm sure.
A knock on in the build-up sees TMO disallow the try but it is a penalty for Ireland and they kick to the corner.
Great start by Ireland and they get their rewards. Monaghan powers her way over the line for her first Irish try and Dannah O'Brien adds the extras.
Great pressure by Ireland. They reclaim possession close to the line.
Ireland fail to make the most of it and now it's a France scrum.
Mistake from France and Ireland have a scrum on their five metre line.
WE ARE UNDERWAY!
Before kick-off, just some sad news from the world of sport to bring you below.
Hmmm, not going to lie, the French anthem is just much better. Isn't it?
And now the teams are out on the pitch. Time for the national anthems, starting with Ireland.
The teams are in the tunnel.
Irish fans in good voice, and in good numbers. As always.
And sure while we are talking about rugby. This is surely of interest to Irish, and French fans.
In their first home outing of the season, Ronan O’Gara’s La Rochelle condemned Christophe Urios’s Clermont to a second defeat in a row.
For more, click on the link here.
The weather looks horrendous in Exeter. Really wet, really wind. Should that suit Ireland?
Here is a reminder of the Ireland team to take on, and hopefully defeat, France.
15. Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC/Leinster) 14. Béibhinn Parsons (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht) 13. Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) 12. Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC/Leinster) 11. Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster) 10. Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) 9. Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht) 1. Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) 2. Neve Jones (Gloucester Hartpury) 3. Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) 4. Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster) 5. Sam Monaghan (Gloucester Hartpury/IQ Rugby) - captain 6. Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster) 7. Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster) 8. Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster).
16. Clíodhna Moloney MacDonald (Exeter Chiefs) 17. Ellena Perry (Gloucester Hartpury/IQ Rugby) 18. Sadhbh McGrath (Cooke RFC/Ulster) 19. Eimear Corri-Fallon (Blackrock RFC/Leinster) 20. Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby) 21. Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC/Munster) 22. Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster) 23. Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC/Connacht).
Welcome all to our liveblog on a huge day for Women's rugby in Ireland.
My name is Andrew Horgan and I will be talking you all through the best of the action as the Girls in Green take on France in the Women's Rugby World Cup quarter-finals.
Ireland have never won a knockout game at the Rugby World Cup - Men's and Women's - but today would be a good day to change that.
Kick-off is at 1pm so before then, fell free to read the best of the previews below from our website.
Ciara Griffin believes that Set-piece battles and playmaker duels define World Cup quarter-finals
After their defeat to New Zealand last time out, Ireland ready to bounce back against France says Aoife Dalton.
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