France V Ireland: Match Report

France got the defence of their Six Nations title off to the perfect start with a 36-14 home win over Ireland in the opening round. France were at their magical best in the opening forty, running in three unanswered tries and kicking a penalty to take a commanding 22-0 advantage into the halftime break after a dominant first half display. Their momentum continued into the second half and just six minutes in, France had the all-important bonus point fourth score, with Ireland yet to even fire a shot. Ireland got on the board with a flurry of tries around the hour mark to reduce the deficit to 29-14 with a little under 20 minutes remaining and give themselves a small glimmer of hope of a comeback. However, it was not to be as France wrestled back control and put the icing on the cake with a fifth score with the final play of the match to seal a statement victory.