Progress obvious but French loss leaves Ireland with regrets
DISAPPOINTING LOSS: Ireland got within two points of France in the second half but errors cost Ireland. Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Ireland were left to rue a slow start and a fading finish as they opened their Six Nations campaign with a defeat to France that still confirmed the impression of a side that is travelling in the right direction.
Trailing 14-0, Scott Bemand’s side never lost heart and they dragged themselves back into contention. Maybe all that effort emptied the tank as France pulled away in the last ten minutes just as a famous comeback win was in the making.
Ireland had come into the Six Nations flying high having secured their places at this year’s World Cup with a much improved showing in this Championship the year before and a standout showing in the elite WXV1s in Canada in the autumn.
France hadn’t enjoyed the same positives in North America, finishing fifth to Ireland’s second, and all that gave birth to the hope that the hosts could bridge a long-established gap with this opponent and maybe even beat them for the first time in eight years.
A concern for Ireland starting this tournament against such strong opposition was the facile nature of the Celtic Challenge tournament that these players experienced when playing for the Wolfhounds and Clovers against Welsh and Scottish opposition.
The Wolfhounds’ last game was a 102-0 win over Edinburgh earlier this month.
Sure enough, Ireland started slowly. There were handling errors, two Stacey Flood kicks directly to touch, problems at the scrum and early indiscipline. None of this happened in isolation, obviously. France played their part in all of it.
The net result was a 14-0 lead for the visitors by the end of the first quarter with tries for Gabrielle Vernier and Marine Menager coming after waves of pressure on the Irish line. There was only so much some impressive and committed ‘D’ could do.
Ireland needed a response. A foothold.
They got it through Aoife Wafer, the 22-year old No.8 who exploded onto the scene in 2024 like a rocket. The Blackrock player took a ball directly off lineout and from ten metres out shredded three attempted tackles to touch down.
It was awesome.
Ireland were at a size disadvantage against a much bigger French team but here was Wafer scattering them like skittles. Dannah O’Brien couldn’t add an easier conversion than the two landed by Morgane Bourgeois and that left it 14-5 with 22 minutes played.
It was back to panic stations after that, Ireland twice scrambling with the ball behind their own try line, but a succession of dominant tackles prevented another French try. There was even a tip of the cap at that stubbornness when Bourgeois settled for a penalty for 17-5.
Ireland started the second-half much better than they had the first.
They were helped in that no end when Vernier bolted from the defensive line and caught Eve Higgins flush in the face with her head. Referee Holly Davidson produced the yellow and sent it for review upstairs. It was accidental but should have been a straight red.
The TMO at least confirmed as much, leaving France short for ten extra minutes.
Ireland capitalized immediately, the resultant penalty leading to a lineout inside the 22 and a surging maul that the French were powerless to prevent. The try was awarded to Neve Jones, her tenth for her country, though the conversion went unclaimed again.
Still, Ireland were the ones writing the agenda and they fought fire with fire towards the end of the third quarter when answering France’s replacement of their full front row with a quartet of changes of their own.
Both had named 6-2 bench splits two days earlier.
A third try duly followed 13 minutes from time, from another irrepressible maul off the back of a lineout, Wafer dotting the ball down for her second score of the day. Another failed kick at the posts from O’Brien – a very kickable one - left it 17-15.
That was as close as Ireland got.
Another Bourgeois penalty gave France some breathing room before Emilie Boulard dived over for a converted try in the 75th minute. The French will go home relieved. That in itself is a measure of how far Ireland have come, even if they will want more than moral victories.
: S Flood; A McGann, A Dalton, E Higgins, AL Costigan; D O’Brien, E Lane; N O’Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang; R Campbell, D Wall; B Hogan, E King, A Wafer.
: E Breen for Higgins (45-52 and 68); C Moloney for Jones, E McMahon for Jones, F Tuite for Hogan, A Reilly for Lane (all 56); G Moore for Campbell (69); S McCarthy for O’Dowd and C Haney for Djougang (both 78).
: M Bourgeois; M Llorens, N Konde, G Vernier, M Menager; C Arbez, P Bourdon Sansus; Y Brosseau, A Sochat, R Bernardou; M Feleu, M Fall; C Escudero, S Okemba, T Feleu.
: E Boulard for Konde (34); A Chambon for Bourdon Sansus (52-62) and 69; M Bigot for Brosseau, A Mwaywembe for Sochat and C Joyeux for Bernardou (all 56); A Berthoumieu for Vernier and L Champon for Okemba (66); L Queyroi for Arbez (69).
H Davidson (SRU).
