France probably deserve that for an excellent second-half comeback. Ireland, who were once again up against it with injuries, were unable to play any rugby at all and, from the moment Goujon came on with France camped under the posts, there was only ever going to be one team.
You get the sense French teams of recent vintage would have blown that after taking the lead, but they have to be commended on a very professional job in seeing out the win. Theirs was hardly a great performance, but it keeps their title dreams alive while Ireland’s are almost done.
I’m off to do Wales v Scotland now. Do come and join me for that one here. Cheers for reading. Bye!
Updated
Full-time: France 10-9 Ireland
With the advantage, France use their backs to make ground and head towards the 22. As soon as the advantage is called over they revert to the forwards and earn another advantage. Vakatawa carries into the 22. The clock goes red, back to Machenaud and he welts it into the stands!
79 min Solid from France, buoyed by the sound of their anthem from the fans and they have a penalty coming.
78 min Another reset. That’s not much use for Ireland, some 60 metres from the French line. This time it comes out and they try to loop around but Madigan spills it. In goes Goujon, who has been excellent since coming on, and he wins the turnover! France are awarded the scrum.
77 min The scrum, eight metres inside the Irish half, goes down straight away. France are shocked at that.
Not a deliberate knock-on, much to Ireland’s consternation, and it’s only a scrum. Mermoz got away with that. Danty off, the comparatively diminutive Doussain on.
76 min Toner wins it but it’s scrappy ball for Ireland. Payne crashes it up the middle as Ireland go up towards halfway and they have a penalty for a deliberate knock-on. Danty is down now.
75 min Toner wins the lineout and Ireland drive up out to their own 22. France go off their feet at the breakdown and Ireland get the penalty, which Madigan clears beautifully to halfway on the right. How are your nerves? Chat back on for Guirado.
74 min Surely France aren’t going to keep it up the jumper for a full eight minutes? Machenaud spots someone having treatment on the ground – Ben Arous I think – and uses him to his advantage, sniping past him and making ground. McFadden comes across to tackle him into touch. Yes Ben Arous is injured and replaced by Poirot.
73 min It’s slow stuff, through the phases but now, unlike in the first half, France are making ground as Chouly carries into the 22. Drop-goal, anyone? Not yet as Ireland harass brilliantly around the breakdown, denying France clean ball.
72 min France dead centre with the scrum and they go left from it, with Danty carrying up towards the 22. Back inside then left again down the short side. Ireland need to be careful here.
71 min Madigan begins by putting the restart out on the full. Strauss is on for Best, so Heaslip takes over as captain I would think. This has become a wee bit exciting now.
Try! (Medard 70 + Plisson con) France 10-9 Ireland
France go quickly from the scrum this time. Two passes and Medard steps up, inside Henshaw, through O’Donnell and he scampers under the posts!
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When France, with the advantage, broke from that scrum the ball went loose and Sexton nabbed it. It looks like he was caught round the neck as he went to race clear. It’s he – not Henshaw – who was down but he’s back on his feet. He’s walking off though, with Madigan replacing him.
70 min Nope, it’s a fourth successive French penalty right under the Irish posts. “Next one,” says Peyper. Henshaw is down.
69 min A huge drive from France and they have another penalty. Penalty try next time I’ll wager.
Goujon on for Camara to add some extra weight to the scrum.
68 min Penalty to France at the scrum. They opt for another.
67 min The Stade de France is awash with tricolore flags and rattling to the tune of La Marseillaise. It’s not been a great game, but that makes for a brilliant spectacle.
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Nigel Owens, who couldn’t hear the TMO, suggests another look at the last angle. “Naw” says Peyper, or words to that effect.
No try!
It looks as though Chouly was short. Incidentally Bonneval was stood in absolutely acres of space at that point but France steadfastly ignored the backs. The TMO says he can see no grounding, so France will have a five-metre scrum.
65 min France are camped under the posts now. Flanquart drives, just inches short. This is a mighty defensive effort from Ireland. Peyper is on his knees looking to see if they’re over. We’re going to the TMO but I can’t imagine we’ll be able to see a grounding under such a mass of bodies.
64 min France reset and switch play left, with Vakatawa looking to hand off Trimble. He’s very well stopped though and there’s no ground to be gained for France, who are back to 10 out. Vakatawa again comes off his wing, looking to add his bulk. Danty goes on...
63 min Into the corner from Plisson and Jedrasiak takes it. The maul goes back and towards touch, so Machenaud snipes round the corner and is dragged down five short.
In the meantime, enjoy the first-half highlights.
Also thanks to my mum, who points out that Roger McCann’s entire Lions team was born in the southern hemisphere. Furlong is on for White.
McCarthy is down. There was a collision of heads between him and White, I think it was, and he was out before he hit the ground. Ryan will come on when they’re able to get the lock off the pitch.
62 min On go France with Ireland down to 14 as Mike McCarthy, I think, is hurt. Vakatawa carries it through the middle and France are within 10. Right they go and Plisson looks to send a looping pass out to Bonneval, but Trimble does brilliantly to tap it back in mid-air and prevent the try. Back we go for a French penalty.
61 min Machenaud takes it right as France probe for gaps. There are none, so Plisson kicks and Henshaw returns. Carried back up over halfway by the French forwards with Vakatawa calling for the cross kick. He’s ignored.
60 min Ireland scrum, dead centre, five outside their own 22. It goes left to Kearney who kicks straight to Bonneval and France run it back.
59 min Jedrasiak comes on for Maestri and wins the lineout, midway inside the Irish half. Danty drives through Sexton, but there’s yet another knock on by Camara on the floor. He’s done some things so well today, the Toulouse flanker, and shown great promise, but there have been way too many knock-ons.
58 min Machenaud boxes clear down the right, finding touch just apst of his own 10 metre line. Guirado is back on for Chat. Toner takes the lineout and Ireland drive the maul before O’Donnell peels. He’s stopped and turned quite brilliantly by Guirado. O’Donnell flaps at it on the floor and that’s a penalty, which Plisson kicks to touch again on the right.
57 min Change at scrum-half for France as Machenaud comes on for Bezy. Free-kick to Ireland for French early engagement and Ireland go quickly, carrying it up over the French 10 metre line and Sexton goes high, but Medard takes brilliantly ahead of the chasing Kearney.
56 min Camara taps the lineout down to Flanquart at the back and France go right. Bezy looks to have a dart but he’s well snagged. Knock on by Mermoz on the ground and Ireland have another scrum on halfway.
55 min Ireland wheel the scrum illegally and France get the penalty. Eddy Ben Arous gets the pats on the back before Plisson clears to touch on the left near halfway.
54 min The scrums have taken a lot of time today. France have this one, five metres out under their own sticks.
53 min Pressure on Chat at his first throw and McCarthy taps it back on the Irish side. Sexton goes high from 42 metres and Henshaw gives chase, contesting it and beating Medard in the 22 but knocking over the line.
52 min That was lovely from France, the best move of the match. They make a mess of Ireland’s scrum and Murray does well to keep possession under pressure from Chouly and Camara. Stander crashes it up and Sexton kicks to touch well, down the left and just inside the 22.
50 min Quick ball off the top and Ireland crash it up in midfield. Kearney comes into the line and offloads but only to Bezy. France cut loose at long last as Chat offloads to Vakatawa and he streaks clear to halfway. France go through the hands, offloading nicely, but the pass to Chouly just inside Ireland’s half goes forwards.
49 min I say that but Ireland’s scrum has been walked backwards again. Murray gets it off the base and they recycle, before Sexton kicks into the corner. Medard gathers and clears well from the corner, getting it 30 metres up the field with no room to work with.
48 min Now Chat comes on for the captain Guirado. He’s a very exciting young prospect but this is a hell of a cauldron to throw him into. France’s scrum was going pretty well too.
47 min France go left and Danty makes ground. He’s the only French player to have consistently broken the gainline today. Recycled inside and Camara knocks on once again.
Incidentally I think Roger McCann (44 min) – a sometime cricket team-mate of our own Jonathan Wilson, in fact – was joking with that Lions team. Chat makes to come on for Guirado for his debut, but is quickly sent back to the touchline.
46 min Ireland’s scrum goes backwards but they retain the ball and Kearney crashes it up in midfield. Left it goes and Henshaw knocks it backwards, but they keep possession. Sexton’s chip is deflected and straight into the hands of Bezy.
45 min France change both their props and bring Bonneval on for Thomas. That makes sense, having a full-back to defend the Sexton cross-kicks I expect we’ll see more of with the rain pouring down harder.
44 min Slow ball so Plisson kicks. It’s overhit and goes dead, back for an Irish scrum just inside the French half.
.@danlucas86 Lions XV '17: White Hartley (c) Nel Ball Toolis Stander Hardie Vunipola Boss Anscombe Rokoduguni Barritt Tuilagi Maitland Payne
— Roger McCann (@rogpineapple) February 13, 2016
43 min A poor pass goes flying behind Mermoz and France have lost ground. They lose the ball too, when Camara spills it. Expect to see a lot of this. Stander, the best player on the pitch, crashes up over the 10 metre line but Trimble knocks on when he tries to inject some momentum.
42 min The conditions are getting worse, reports Tommy Bowe. Great. McCarthy is back on for Ryan as Vakatawa takes it up over halfway. France recycle and maul, from which they get very slow ball. Camara crashes it up an extra metre.
41 min “So far this has been an advert for having a roof on a stadium,” says our very own Eddie Butler as Sexton restarts this slog. Stander strips Maestri on the French 22 and Ireland have a great platform right at the start. O’Donnell is pinged for holding on on the floor though. Plisson clears to halfway down the left.
If you want to follow the football, Sunderland and Ireland fan Barry Glendenning is all set to be a very happy man in 45 minutes or so.
Half-time: France 3-9 Ireland
Plisson pushes his kick across the posts to register his first miss of the tournament. Ireland go in at half-time with a six-point lead, which is just about what they deserve having bossed all but around 10 minutes of this match, even if they haven’t looked like creating a try.
40 min Ireland make a mess of the restart, with Toner unable to hold on in the rain. They recover but fail to release on the floor and, with what will be the last kick of the half, Plisson is going to go for goal from wide on the left, just outside the 22.
Penalty (Sexton 39) France 3-9 Ireland
From 42 metres, a touch to the left, Sexton restores Ireland’s six-point advantage with half-time just 90 seconds away.
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38 min Penalty Ireland at the scrum though when the French front-row stands up under pressure.
37 min Sexton looks to kick cross-field into the right-hand corner. His radar is off though and the ball goes beyond the dead ball line, taking us all the way back to halfway for a French scrum. Sexton hasn’t looked too confident since that cheap shot from Maestri earlier.
36 min Chouly takes the restart and drives France back up over halfway. There’s much more zip about France now, but they’re struggling to hold on to the wet ball and are going backwards now. 15 metres inside their own half and now it’s turned over when Thomas drops it. He’s a bit rubbish, isn’t he?
35 min Medard runs and sucks in three Irish defenders, but the visitors regather well and deny France the overlaps. It comes back to Plisson in the pocket 40-odd metres out but his drop-goal, though sweetly struck, goes wide. McCarthy is going off with blood streaming from his eyebrow. Donnacha Ryan is the blood replacement.
34 min Finally a line break as Vakatawa runs from deep and goes into the Irish half. They switch right and Atonio shows nice hands to take an offload from Guirado. France are suddenly awake and they have advantage, although no quick ball.
33 min Thomas takes and looks to run, but Payne is alert and makes the tackle. The French fans are in wonderful voice. Kicks back and forth then Kearney’s chip is poor, so France can put width on the ball. Sloppy hands though.
Penalty (Plisson 32) France 3-6 Ireland
With no fuss, Plisson whacks it straight down the middle and twix the posts.
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31 min The crowd roar the French on as they go left through the hands. Back inside then McCarthy is penalised for not rolling away. Rob Kearney is having treatment now having run straight into a French player with neither player looking. No blame there.
30 min This time Murray keeps his box kick in play and Lauret takes it on halfway. Atonio carries it on then they go left, but Chouly drops it backwards on the 10 metre line. They retain ball though and switch right.
Penalty (Sexton 29) France 0-6 Ireland
From the 22, about 16 in from the right, Sexton should double the lead. Dave Kearney – who was smashed by Guirado, not Danty, sorry – is having treatment. Amid the boos and whistles, Sexton fires it through for a 6-0 lead. Kearney is off, McFadden on.
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27 min Stolen by France but knocked on. Ireland get it back and are up to the 22, then get a penalty for Chouly failing to roll away from a ruck.
26 min Ireland eventually get on with it and drive up through midfield, going a few phases and making all of two metres or so. Murray does well to retain possession from Chouly, then Dave Kearney is absolutely mullered by Danty in midfield. He’s not happy but it was simply a great tackle.
25 min Ireland scrum, 10 in from touch on the French 10 metre line, which has a nice kind of symmetry to it.
Robin Hazelhurst writes: “Ireland have shown more ambition and passing in this half so far than in the whole of their World Cup campaign. Which was played in good weather while this is in crap conditions. What gives? Ireland are like mushrooms or Garbage and only happy when it rains?”
They were more ambitious last week too. They kicked less than any of the other five sides.
24 min Taken by Chouly and they maul it up over their own 10 metre line. The glue in the maul loses its tackiness though, it splits apart and that’s a scrum to Ireland.
23 min That’s a very powerful scrum from France. Best and McGrath lose their bind and the Irish front row splits. Penalty France and Plisson finds touch about 12 metres inside his own half.
22 min Sexton carries it on, then Heaslip goes on the crash ball as Ireland head towards the five metre line. Stander knocks on in the tackle though and France will get the scrum. Peyper tells Sexton “rugby values”. God knows what that means. Even Brian Moore thinks it’s bollocks.
21 min O’Brien actually hurt his leg attempting to side-step there. He’s off, with Tommy O’Donnell coming on. Stander wins the lineout on the 22 on the Ireland right and Best has it at the back of the driving maul, which is well defended. Sexton sends a wide pass out to Dave Kearney but he’s well marked by Medard. Right now and Henshaw goes on the arcing run. Ireland reset, 10 out on the right, and go through the phases.
20 min Stolen very well at the front by Stander and O’Brien steps through a gap in midfield. It goes right and Sexton fumbles it backwards, so he’s forced to kick across to the right. Medard gathers and clears, but doesn’t make a great deal of ground down the left. O’Brien is down and looks to be winded, writes your medical expert/MBMer.
19 min Toner takes and O’Brien peels, taking it into contact in midfield. Great work at the breakdown by Camara though, sealing it off legally and winning the penalty for holding on. Plisson clears to touch near halfway.
Updated
18 min TMO-enthusiast and Andres Iniesta lookalike Jaco Peyper goes to, er, the TMO. It’s a penalty for a neck roll on Payne by Damien Chouly. The crowd don’t like that one bit but it’s a fair decision. Sexton, tight to the touchline, just about squeezes it into touch on the 22 despite Medard’s best efforts at keeping it in play.
17 min France easily win the lineout and Danty crashes it up in midfield before the giants Maestri and Atonio make further ground, with play shuffling right. It’s very slow ball for the French, which they won’t like, but they just about keep hold of it.
16 min Toner takes the restart superbly above his head under pressure on the 22 and Murray fires the clearance into touch on halfway. Excellent exit from the Irish. La Marseillaise rings out around the Stade de France.
Penalty (Sexton 15) France 0-3 Ireland
Sexton is back up and will have a crack at goal. He was taken out by a late shoulder from Maestri and the citing commissioner might want to take a look at that. 41 metres, dead centre and it’s straight through the middle for a well-deserved lead.
14 min Eventually Medard opts to run but he smacks into an Irish wall just inside his own half. Yet another knock on and Ireland go right, but Payne can’t hold on to it so we’ll go back for the original offence. Sexton is down injured though.
13 min Stander wins it and gives to Payne. Ireland go left but lose it on the floor and France, having thought about running it for a moment, clear long. Ireland return and... well, you know how this kind of thing works.
12 min This is Ireland’s first scrum and it’s a good one. They get the penalty when Maestri loses his bind and Sexton kicks down the right to touch, just inside the French half.
11 min Another solid scrum and France go left, Bezy to Plisson to Medard to Danty... who spills the wet ball. It was probably thrown a bit fast at him by the full-back too.
10 min Sexton throws a pass far too hard to McCarthy and the lock knocks on. Scrum France, 35 metres or so out, in the middle.
@DanLucas86 Sexton out to shut the French press up, he'll be targeted big time as always by the french . Ireland by a couple of kicks
— Toniwater (@Toniwater) February 13, 2016
9 min Sorry, that’s the 22. France set the maul before Danty drives hard through midfield. He makes good ground but is turned over and Sexton can clear. An exchange of kicks sees the ball back with Ireland in their own half.
8 min Good scrum from France and Bezy takes it from Chouly. He clears but not well – a shake of the head as the ball goes to touch on the 22, on the French right. It’s long to McCarthy but Jaco Peyper says there was an offside beyond the 15 – not sure about that – and gives France the penalty. A much better effort with the boot from Plisson goes up to halfway.
6 min Interesting: Sexton goes to the corner. I reckon we might see a driving maul here. Just an instinct. No, McCarthy takes and taps down for O’Brien, who drives towards the corner. He’s stopped so they go back inside, where Best knocks on from Sexton’s offload.
5 min It’s very slow ball so Sexton goes high for Payne to chase. Henshaw, in fact, collects it at Ireland have possession just 10 metres out. Great chase that and Ireland do have an advantage. Sexton goes high for Rob Kearney but Vakatawa takes it well. Back we go for the penalty.
4 min Toner takes this time and Ireland go right, Sexton looping and dummying to make a metre or so through the middle.
3 min Stolen by Camara though who used every inch of his rangy arms to knock that back on the French side. France go left then Plisson tries the shallow cross kick, but slices it backwards and forces Thomas to go back and gather. Eventually Bezy box kicks clear to touch on his own 10 metre line. That’s two poor kicks from two by Plisson though.
2 min Now Ireland go into contact and earn a penalty on their own 10 metre line against Atonio for not rolling away. Sexton puts it into touch on the left, a few metres inside the French 22.
PEEEEEP! Plisson kicks off, Toner takes just inside the 22 and Murray box kicks clear to touch on the Irish right, eight metres inside the French half. A predictable kick from Murray but a damn good one. France take it off the top and go into contact in midfield, before Plisson kicks long to Trimble.
Anthems time. La Marseillaise obviously wins that particular battle, being, as it is, the Jahingir Khan of national anthems.
Kick-off is in a couple of minutes. Personally I can’t wait for the first collision between France’s 6’5” 25st Uini Atonio and Ireland’s 6’10” 20st Devin Toner.
What odds on Ireland doing something like this today? Slim, I would guess.
This is not a good sign.
#IRE deep into their warm-ups. Every dropped ball slipping a mile. Will be a few of those today. #6Nations pic.twitter.com/SepN8Ww4q3
— Robert Bartlett (@RobBartlettESPN) February 13, 2016
On the BBC, the great Paul O’Connell is talking about his sad, injury-enforced retirement. “Winning became the norm under Paul O’Connell,” says Keith Wood, not inaccurately. “Ireland was like James Bond, you think they’re dead but they keep coming back,” adds Thomas Castagnede. When asked to pick his highlight from his career, O’Connell picks winning the championship in Paris as he had a “poor record” against the French. He played 16 times against them, winning just four and losing 11.
He’s non-committal on what the future holds for him. Personally I have great memories of him playing for Munster against Northampton. Was this really 2009?
Most people are backing Ireland, it seems. I thought this would be a poor Six Nations for them, with the team in transition and their clubs struggling, but then they didn’t get smashed by the Welsh as I was expecting and France weren’t great last week.
@DanLucas86 more positive with SO'B back a beast with ball in hand, Fra are there 4 the taking. Big shift by "Zlatan"Sexton 2. Ireland by 9
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) February 13, 2016
The last time these teams met was in the penultimate match of the World Cup group stage. Ireland won pretty comfortably despite losing O’Connell and Sexton in the first half; it was a pretty dire match though and both teams got the ever loving crap kicked out of them in their respective quarter-finals.
Some essential pre-match watching for you. We spoke to a bunch of French rugby experts and they were pretty damn damning on the Top 14 and the effect it, and its money, are having on the national team.
Weather watch
It’s miserable in Paris. Nine degrees and feeling five or so colder than that with steady rain coming down. You would expect that to suit Ireland better. My colleague Martin Pengelly thinks they’ll do well anyway.
You follow @DanLucas86 NOW because I am and I think #IRE win by seven.#FRAvIRE: #SixNations 2016 – live! https://t.co/UuTd5cOP7B
— Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) February 13, 2016
Preamble
Afternoon folks. Round two it is then and we begin with two teams who will be disappointed with their respective performances last week, albeit for different reasons. Ireland were perhaps the better of the two teams but France will be, relatively, happier.
Ireland may have a ton of injuries, but they will be disappointed not to have beaten Wales at the Aviva last Sunday. 13-0 to the good, with the opponents’ linchpin crocked, they had to rely on a late brain freeze from the Welsh to scrape a 16-16 draw.
On the plus side for them, Sean O’Brien and Rob Kearney return to present a clear upgrade on the decent Tommy O’Donnell and Simon Zebo – the Stiaan van Zyl of international rugby. What’s more, they passed more and kicked less than any other side in round one: perhaps a sign that they will shed the title of the worst team to watch in the competition.
France, on the other hand, should have lost to Italy and would have done had Sergio Parisse fulfilled every real rugby fan’s dream and won the game with his last-gasp drop-goal attempt. France won though, thanks to some beautiful kicking from Jules Plisson, who made a mockery of the decision not to start with him as the first-choice kicker.
It was an erratic, error-strewn opener from the French. To their credit though, they were the most ambitious and attacking team in round one and Sebastien Bezy, though he had a terrible time from the tee, seemed primarily concerned with getting quick ball for his potentially thrilling backs, which is great to see.
France have, somewhat surprisingly, eschewed any notion that continuity is A GOOD THING by making six changes from the side that beat Italy. Guy Novès brings in the wing Teddy Thomas and centre Maxime Mermoz to replace Hugo Bonneval, who is named on the bench, and Gaël Fickou, who has been absent this week for personal reasons. In the forwards, the props Eddy Ben Arous and Rabah Slimani drop to the bench as Novès prefers Jefferson Poirot and Uini Atonio, with the lock Paul Jedresiak and injured flanker Louis Picamoles making way as Alexandre Flanquart and Yacouba Camara come in.
For Ireland, Zebo and Keith Earls are injured so in come the Kearneys, Rob and Dave. Fergus McFadden is called up to the bench. Meanwhile O’Brien’s fitness means he takes O’Donnell’s slot at open-side and Rhys Ruddock drops out of the squad.
Kick-off is 2.25pm GMT, or 3.25pm local time. The teams are:
France
M Médard (Toulouse); T Thomas (Racing), M Mermoz (Toulon), J Danty (Stade Français), V Vakatawa (French Rugby Federation); J Plisson (Stade Français), S Bézy (Toulouse); J Poirot (Bordeaux), G Guirado (Toulon, capt), U Atonio (La Rochelle), A Flanquart (Stade Français), Y Maestri (Toulouse), W Lauret (Racing), Y Camara (Toulouse), D Chouly (Clermont Auvergne).
Replacements C Chat (Racing), R Slimani (Stade Français), EB Arous (Racing), P Jedresiak (Clermont Auvergne), L Goujon (Bordeaux), M Machenaud (Racing), J-M Doussain (Toulouse), H Bonneval (Stade Français).
Ireland
R Kearney (Leinster); A Trimble, J Payne (both Ulster), R Henshaw (Connacht), D Kearney; J Sexton (both Leinster), C Murray (Munster); J McGrath (Leinster), R Best (Ulster, capt), N White (Connacht), M McCarthy, D Toner (both Leinster), CJ Stander (Munster), S O’Brien, J Heaslip (both Leinster).
Replacements R Strauss (Leinster), J Cronin (Munster), T Furlong (Leinster), D Ryan (Munster), T O’Donnell (Munster), E Reddan, I Madigan, F McFadden (all Leinster).
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