France v Ireland | Key Moments

Early errors from Ireland set the tone, and even 30 minutes into the match they struggled to get going. A lack of possession played its part, but when Ireland did have the ball, mistakes followed. The introduction of the Irish bench brought renewed energy in the second half, providing answers to France’s dominance and sparking what briefly looked like a comeback.

12min Prendergast costly decision:

Jalibert’s kick into space was kept in by Prendergast. Had he let it run dead, Ireland would likely have escaped with a lineout. Instead, Moefana gathered, France rebuilt calmly, and a minute later they crossed for a try.

18min Gibson Park saves a certain try:

Huge defensive play from Gibson Park, who chopped down Dupont just as the scrumhalf was shaping to release Bielle Biarrey. It shut down what looked like a certain try out wide.

20min Intercept turns into pressure:

Prendergast read Ramos’ final pass to Attissogbe five metres from the line and intercepted. However, he was driven back over his own try line, and his attempted offload to Tommy O’Brien forced O’Brien to ground the ball behind the line. France were awarded a five metre scrum, handing them a dangerous attacking platform.

26min Breakdown error punished:

McCarthy entered from the side needlessly at the breakdown. Ramos made no mistake from the tee, taking the three points and stretching France’s lead to 15.

30min A controversial call:

Prendergast was penalised after he and Ramos chased a loose ball that rolled behind the French try line, denying Ireland a potential first scoring chance. The flyhalf was furious, believing Ramos had obstructed him in the chase.

SECOND HALF

46min Ramos improvises, Bielle Biarrey finishes:
An unbelievable improvised kick into space by Thomas Ramos while being tackled, following an Antoine Dupont box kick, found a charging Louis Bielle Biarrey, who secured the bonus point with an early second half try.

54min Crowley’s try saving ankle tap:
Jack Crowley, who came on for Tommy O’Brien, made a try saving ankle tap on Theo Attissogbe after Sam Prendergast’s pass was intercepted by the French winger.

59min Dupont avoids the bin:
Dupont escaped a yellow card for a deliberate knock on. Referee Karl Dickson determined that the number of French defenders behind did not warrant a yellow card.

61min Two tries in 3 minutes - Irish bench makes an impact:
The Irish bench began to shake things up, after Nick Timoney linked with Prendergast to score three minutes earlier. He was followed by Michael Milne, whose try was reviewed by the TMO after there were suspicions of a knock on when he crashed over the line.

65min Stockdale shuts the door:
Poor decision making from Theo Attissogbe, who failed to step past Jacob Stockdale. A kick into space would have been more threatening. However, it said more about Stockdale’s defensive prowess, as he stopped the Pau speedster in his tracks.

72mins France survive sustained pressure:
Ireland were denied a try after France fought off 17 phases. In the 12th phase, Caelan Doris was judged to have knocked the ball on. France were also fortunate to escape a penalty after Peato Mauvaka was believed to have used a no arms tackle. However, the TMO decided otherwise and awarded a scrum on the five metre line to France.

76min France denied a key scrum:
France were infuriated after being denied a scrum deep inside Ireland’s 22, after referee Karl Dickson determined that James Ryan’s knock on had actually gone backwards.

Overall 5 tries from France resulted in a 5 star performance that saw Les Bleus lift the inaugural Solidarity Cup that will be played between the two nations going forward.