Fabien Galthie: 'For 50 minutes we forgot it was Ireland we were playing'

Les Bleus started as they mean to go with a convincing opening-night win. 

France head coach Fabien Galthié. Pic: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Time and again Fabien Galthie stressed that it was Ireland his French team had been playing.

Not some second tier nation, or an Italy or a Wales that was habitually under their thumb. It was an Ireland team that had proved such a prickly opponent for them and for others for so damn long.