Ireland No8 Jamie Heaslip set to be ruled out of Six Nations as Ireland prove their progress

It is a mark of how far Ireland
have progressed under Joe Schmidt, as well as France’s regression under
Philippe Saint-André, that a first victory over Les Bleus at the
Aviva Stadium on Saturday felt distinctly underwhelming.




Paul O’Connell, the Ireland captain, declared himself frustrated despite
tasting only his third victory against the French in his distinguished
career.




Interactive: Ireland France 6 nations 2

In many facets of the game, Ireland were poor.

Too often they left their
carriers isolated at the breakdown and failed to make a single line break.

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