Read Michael Aylwin’s report from the Stade de France:
Not quite what you predicted John but it was certainly a far better finish than the first 71 minutes of that game deserved.
@Tbassam world class from Super Sexton! Some player he is! We were lucky but deserved the win. Joe S will read the riot act to them on Monday during the video review. Chapeau to Fra they hung in there
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) February 3, 2018
An incredibly calm Sexton speaks to the BBC post-match: “One of those moments where Im happy I got another chance after I snatched at the penalty earlier.
“I went back to when I played Treviso and was in an almost identical position, I just had a pop and put my through it because I don’t think the lads could have gone through another couple of phases.”
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Drop goal! Full time! Ireland steal it! France 13-15 Ireland
Sexton spanks a drop goal from an absolute mile out after some 40-odd phases of largely motionless attacking from Ireland. Incredible stuff from the Irish fly-half to remain that cool under pressure and win it right at the last!
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80 mins We’re into overtime and Ireland cannot get across halfway.
78 mins It’s wide and Ireland have a couple of minutes to try and turn this around.
77 mins After all of that it is a French scrum and now a penalty as Ireland are driven up.
76 mins France are exactly where they want to be. Put in at the scrum inside the Irish half and chewing up the clock. Now we have an injury stoppage with Dupont down, four and a half minutes to go as Machenaud comes back on for the injured man. Again it is ruled a HIA by the sideline doctor, that will inevitably draw some debate after what’s gone on in Paris before...
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Conversion! France 13-12 Ireland
72 mins It goes over and suddenly Ireland are chasing the game.
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Try! France 11-12 Ireland
71 mins There is it is! Teddy Thomas punishes Ireland with a 60-yard slalom down the sideline, evades a Sexton tackle and goes over. What a score! France can take the lead with the conversion...
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68 mins The pattern of play this half has mostly been: small attacking break, defensive stand, penalty turnover, lineout and repeat. After the classic in Cardiff this has been truly sobering.
66 mins France make a rare burst into the Irish 22 but cannot make any further headway and then Vahaamahina comes in from the side. The French lock has been one of Ireland’s most useful players today.
63 mins Guirado is pinned in at the ruck on the French 22 and in dinged for not rolling away. Inexplicably Sexton misses the penalty, a stroke of fortune for France.
61 mins Jack McGrath comes on for Cian Healy as penalty and Swxton’s boot put Ireland on the French 22. There is no catch and drive though.
Lawks a lordy, this France team is not like France teams of old, other than that one of its forwards is 'like' the entire pack of '90 or '91 in terms of sheer body mass. #FRAvIRE #SixNations
— Martin Pengelly (@MartinPengelly) February 3, 2018
55 mins Changes up front for France as Dany Priso and Cedate Gomes Sa come on in place of Jefferson Poirot and Rabah Slimani
Penalty! France 6-12 Ireland
54 mins Machenaud brings France back within a score as Ireland concede a rare penalty in their own half. If France can pull a try out of this Ireland will be kicking themselves, the visitors have dominated possession but not translated it to the scoreboard.
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51 mins Jefferson Poirot rips the ball away in the tackle as Ireland threaten the French tryline, prompting huge roars in the Stade de France. They needed that, the game needed that. It was getting a little flat.
Penalty! France 3-12 Ireland
47 mins Despite some horrible conditions Sexton knocks over his fourth penalty of the day after Vahaamahina was caught offside, French being made to pay again for ill-discipline.
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45 mins France are going through the phases but cannot make headway in the face of the staunch Irish defence. Ireland eventually turn it over and Poirot is offside, allowing Sexton to get Ireland deep into French territory.
Restart
Ireland kick off the second half, with Sexton sending the ball through low.
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Half-time: France 3-9 Ireland
Not a great half and Ireland by no means dominant despite holding the lead.
Penalty! France 3-9 Ireland
39 mins Sexton extends the Irish lead back to six with a penalty that came after a dumb and potentially dangerous hit on Murray.
Josh van der Flier’s day is heading off, the flanker’s knee buckles as he attempts a side-step. Dan Leavy replaces him.
I thought I heard Nigel Owens make that call on the field so perhaps accusations of skullduggery are premature.
How on earth is Jalibert an HIA @Tbassam? That was knee-on-knee, nowhere near the head. Really against the spirit of the laws, but France have form here, after the fiasco in Cardiff. Diminishes the game.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) February 3, 2018
Penalty! France 3-6 Ireland
35 mins Machenaud halves the deficit after Jefferson Poirot’s good work in the ruck earned France a shot at goal.
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32 mins Excellent defence from France as they slow Irish ball inside the 22 and eventually turn the ball over after 13 phases. Update on Jalibert is that he is being assessed for concussion, which means more time to patch his knee up should he pass the protocol.
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30 mins Is Jalibert’s debut over? A knee-to-knee collision sends him off to be assessed by the match doctor.
Feeling confident then, John?
@Tbassam expecting Ireland’s LQB(lightening quick ball) strategy 2 put France in a daze. C.J. POM & Josh Van 2 hound the bejeepers out of Jalibert all day long. Sexton & Murray to run the show majestically as always. Ireland by 9 or more France are at sixes & sevens at the moment
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) February 3, 2018
26 mins A drop in midfield is hoofed along the ground towards the Irish tryline. Jalibert chases hard and puts Ireland under pressure, Murray does well to find touch with his box kick. Boos as Camara is pinged for obstruction to give Ireland the scrum following the lineout. France struggling get much going in an attacking sense.
Penalty! France 0-6 Ireland
23 mins He does.
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20 mins Ireland slowly work their upfield with Kearney and Earls earning big chunks. Camara errs in the ruck and Sexton’s free-play drop goal misses. He will have a penalty to double the lead.
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17 mins Irish penalties costing them again and bring France up their opponent’s 22 with a lineout. Ireland steal the lineout but had too many men in for the set-piece. The French scrum 25 metres out is penalised and Ireland get the ball back. In summary, not a good few minutes for the sport of rugby union.
13 mins Very village from Kevin Gourdon after a French scrum in midfield. The No8 tries to take a quick free-kick but knocks-on in the process. Fortunately for him Ireland squander the good attacking position with a penalty and France get upfield.
10 mins France put together 14 phases but go nowhere before a forward pass means Virimi Vakatawa’s bullocking pick-up and charge into his man counts for nothing. Irish scrum.
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6 mins Matthieu Jalibert’s first action is a little chip that does nothing but his team under pressure as Ireland easily claim it in midfield. A deep Irish kick pins France back in their own 22 with a lineout, Jalibert does better this time and France negate the danger.
Penalty! France 0-3 Ireland
3 mins First blood to Ireland as France are penalised for offside, Johnny Sexton knocks over a simple kick.
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Kick off
Connor Murray goes deep and Ireland tackle France out of play for some early possession.
63/64 - @FFRugby lost their @SixNationsRugby opener to England last season, however they have not lost their first match of consecutive 5/6 Nations campaigns since 1963-1964. Formidable. pic.twitter.com/mOFCcn4i2a
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) February 3, 2018
Anthems done, nice touch with the marching bands but in rousing rating I am giving the edge to Wales earlier on Six Nations day one.
Right then, to Paris. More pyrotechnics as the teams emerge from a smoky-filled tunnel - very, erm, atmospheric. Definitely atmospheric.
We have had one game already and in typical Six Nations fashion it took the pre-game narrative and flipped it on its head. Paul Rees was in Cardiff:
The Bordeaux Bègles imp has carved up enough men in his first season in the Top 14 to make his selection for Saturday’s match against Ireland feel like a natural opening gambit
Teams
France: 15 Geoffrey Palis, 14 Teddy Thomas, 13 Remi Lamerat, 12 Henry Chavancy, 11 Virimi Vakatawa, 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 1 Jefferson Poirot, 2 Guilhem Guirado (C), 3 Rabah Slimani, 4 Arthur Iturria, 5 Sebastien Vahaamahina, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 7 Yacouba Camara, 8 Kevin Gourdon.
Replacements: 16 Adrien Pelissie, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Paul Gabrillagues, 20 Marco Tauleigne, 21 Antoine Dupont, 22 Anthony Belleau, 23 Benjamin Fall.
Ireland: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Keith Earls, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray; 1 Cian Healy, 2 Rory Best (c), 3 Tadhg Furlong, 4 Iain Henderson, 5 James Ryan, 6 Peter O’Mahony, 7 Josh van der Flier, 8 CJ Stander.
Replacements: 16 Sean Cronin, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 John Ryan, 19 Devin Toner, 20 Dan Leavy, 21 Luke McGrath, 22 Joey Carbery, 23 Fergus McFadden.
Preamble
An early test of the Irish credentials in the ‘never an easy place to go’TM Stade de France then. Ireland have managed just two wins in Paris since 1972, in 2000 and 2014. Both victories were founded on scoring three away tries yet were only won by two points. In Ireland’s last three visits, there has been a draw, a two-point win and a one-point defeat. Essentially expect narrow margins.
With this France side though it is tough to know what to expect. They are missing key men, including Morgan Parra and Camille Lopez, with a host of new combinations under a hastily assembled new coaching team and have lost their last six Tests. Yet, for all of that the presence 19-year-old debutant and wunderkind Matthieu Jalibert ensures the well-worn cliches of Gallic flair and French unpredictability make this one hard to call.
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