France made the perfect start to their Six Nations title defense with a disappointing 36-14 victory over Ireland at the Stade de France in Paris.
Les Bleus built an astonishing 29-0 lead, scoring four tries through winger Louis Biel-Bialley (two), fly-half Mathieu Jalibert and lock Charles Ollibon. Fullback Thomas Ramos also added three conversions and one penalty. Winger Theo Attisogbe added his fifth goal on the final play of the game.
Ireland hit back with tries from substitutes Nick Timane and Michael Milne, but Antoine Dupont’s side were lucky to avoid a sin-bin for a deliberate knock-on – but Andy Farrell’s charge went no further and they paid the price for a disastrous opening 50 minutes.
Sam Prendergast and Ireland struggled overall in Paris
France almost scored a try as early as the second minute when Biel-Bialley showed great skill on the left to create space and take the lead, but Ollivon, skidding on the oily surface, knocked on and the try appeared to be at their mercy.
Jamie Osborne’s incredible goal at 50:22 put Ireland on the offensive, but the early action ended when Sam Prendergast attempted a reckless offload from the deck, which was deflected by flanker Josh van der Flier.
A clean kick pass from Prendergast to winger Tommy O’Brien created Ireland’s next promising opener, but the ball kicked forward did not land well.
France took the lead in the 13th minute when Biel Bialley evaded tackles from Jamison Gibson-Park and Prendergast and slotted home on the left.
Bjer Bialei’s pace and skill contested the first try of the Test
Ramos converted the ball and nine minutes later, France scored their second goal after a flurry of attacks, when they missed a neck roll from Cian Prendergast at the breakdown. Sam Prendergast intercepted Nicolas Deportaire’s pass to stop the try, but brought it back over his own tryline to complete France’s five-metre attacking scrum.
As the scrum rotated to the right, Jalibert dived and fly-half Prendergast was unable to influence the defence.
Mathieu Jalibert dives to score France’s second try.
A cheap penalty from Ireland’s defender Joe McCarthy gave Ramos a 15-0 lead, and moments later France’s third try saw lock Mikael Guillard score for his partner Ollivon, following good work from Jalibert and Jean-Baptiste Gros in the early stages of the attack.
When Ramos converted, the score was an astonishing 22-0 at half-time. And things got even worse early in the second period when Vier Bialley scored his second goal after a deft tip from Dupont and Ramos.
Early in the second half, Biel-Bialley scored his second goal and France’s fourth, increasing the lead to 29-0.
At least the visiting side ensured they would not concede a goal in the 59th minute when substitute Timane sped in for a try from an offload from the excellent Stuart McCloskey.
Dupont were very fortunate to avoid a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on moments later, with Ireland prop Milne scoring his second try to make it 29-14.
Ireland showed some response in the second half, but substitute back-rower Nick Timane scored one of Ireland’s two tries.
Ireland thought hooker Ronan Kelleher could score a third try with less than 10 minutes remaining, but the TMO ruled out Caelan Doris scoring from a ground knock-on and also cleared the possibility of a no-arm tackle on Pete Mauvaca.
Instead, France had the final say, and after 80 minutes Jalibert’s goal gave them momentum from the right, with Atissogbe staying on target to score.
Farrell questions Ireland’s fighting style and intensity: ‘This loss must mean something’
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell told ITV:
“There’s a lot going through our minds. Obviously we’re very disappointed. This is something we never expected to say about this Ireland team.”
“The lack of intensity in the first half, the missed tackles, the scraps on the floor and the contests in the air… You can’t win an international game with that kind of approach, let alone in Paris.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell said the numbers were very disappointing after the game
“Showing a little bit of fight and character is what we needed. Fair play to the sub-team, they gave us a step forward. But reacting too slowly is not the way we want to play. They played well and got off to a great start, but we didn’t.”
“There were times when France stood out for their athleticism and power. Their ability to offload in these situations was excruciating and they seemed to be playing a different game on stage.”
“This result is not a good result for us, but it has to represent something. We are a group of integrity and we will try to use this result in the right way.”
Ireland captain Caelan Doris told ITV:
“We left ourselves with a mountain too high to climb. We were passive defensively, had 19 missed tackles, and allowed the opponent’s attack to flourish. We were flat-footed for the first 30 minutes.
“The bench had a good impact and helped get us back into the game. We showed a little bit of grit and determination in the second half. But overall it was a very disappointing way to start the game.”
Edwards: Biel Bialley is a world-class superstar
France defensive coach Shaun Edwards told ITV:
“He (Biel Bialley) is getting better. You know why? He wants to get better.
“He has a great attitude and has all the talent in the world. He’s a world-class superstar.
“I’m very happy. The attack in the first half was great. We dominated possession and territory, which is very unusual against Ireland.”
“When we’re attacking, it’s fun to watch.”
What’s next?
Ireland will next face Italy in the second leg of the Six Nations at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday 14th February (kick-off 2.10pm).
France travel to face Wales at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on Sunday 15 February (kick-off 3.10pm) in the second leg of the Six Nations.
