Full-time: Ireland 18-11 France
Well well well, that was all a little bit exciting in the end. A brilliant defensive effort from the home side; when France made their triple front-row change the momentum turned in their favour. Debaty and Atonio in particular were destructive while Camille Lopez pulled the strings from 10.
Ireland though can be very pleased with the result and their defensive shift. You feel they’ll need to step it up against England as France offered very little creatively, but that was a defensive shift at the end so brutal I could feel the collisions here in my Kings Cross bunker.
That’s all from me. Do join me again for Scotland v Wales tomorrow. Thanks for all your emails and tweets, sorry I couldn’t use them all.
Bye!
80 min “This is not enjoyable,” says Ian McCourt to my left. France get clean ball from the scrum and Tales takes it into contact. We go through the phases but this has been a wonderful defensive effort from Ireland. They think they’ve nabbed it but Dusautoir retains possession. Right it goes to Huget and Zebo drags him into touch!
79 min France go down the blindside but there’s nothing happening. Left they go; it’s sloppy but the bounce of the ball is true and favourable for the French. Back inside it comes and Henderson disrupts them at the ruck. Scrum to France but that’s great work by the lock.
78 min Slow ball here as Ireland fight for a turnover. The ball is stuck in there and France get the put in to the scrum, 30m out on the right.
77 min Murray kicks high and Tales does well to take, then nearly slips out of a tackle. France in possession just inside the Ireland half now.
76 min Henderson takes and Ireland drive out of their 22 with a mighty ol’ maul.
76 min Bastareaud barrels forwards and knocks Sexton back. A few phases later it goes left and Lamerat stabs it in behind Bowe, who had pushed up. Fofana outside him can’t get there and the ball bounces off him and out for an Irish throw.
Sexton’s eye has opened up again after this clash earlier.
75 min Ireland are penalised for not driving straight. Iain Henderson on for Devin Toner. Tales – it looks like Spedding was the man replaced earlier – finds touch on the Irish 10m line on the left.
Updated
74 min Wayne Barnes awards France a scrum as their player apparently ran into him. Ireland aren’t happy as the man barely brushed the referee before being turned over.
73 min O’Brien returns for Ireland, Best staying off and Cronin on. For France, Goujon is on for Chouly. Sexton sends one up and Lopez calls the mark and goes quickly. This is breatheless now.
Try! Ireland 18-11 France (Taofifenua 71)
Atonio pops it wide with a lovely offload that creates the overlap. Huget looks to be in for a fraction of a second but he’s dragged down short. France recycle, it goes left and the giant replacement lock rides one tackle and goes over! Lopez misses the kick from the left.
Updated
70 min O’Mahoney wins it and Murray sends it high down the left. Huget catches it and France get it wide to Fofana, perhaps a fraction too quickly. They retain possession though.
69 min France go short this time but knock it on looking to regather. Sexton chips ahead and the ball bobbles around, but France secure it and Lopez clears to touch with another excellent kick. From dead centre inside his 22 he gets it to midway between the Ireland 22 and 10m line on the right.
Penalty (Sexton 68) Ireland 18-6 France
It’s 15m in from the right and about 42m out. Sexton takes his time and slots it wonderfully. 12 points clear now and it’s a long way back for France.
67 min Murphy wins the lineout, France come offside and Wayne Barnes immediately blows his whistle. Tough kick at goal this, but Sexton will go for it.
66 min Danger now: the wonderful Morgan Parra is on for Kockott. No matter here though as France are penalised for wheeling the scrum. Sexton kicks up over halfway to touch.
@DanLucas86 hairy scary moments for Ireland but brilliant by PO'M, Ireland need to box clever for the next 10-15mins! Pape is dirty git!
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) February 14, 2015
65 min France win it and have even more possession. Taofifenua is on for them and Pape has returned. Huget looks to burst through, taking an inside ball from Lopez but he spills it in the tackle by Murphy. Cronin comes on for O’Brien for the scrum.
64 min Ireland win the turnover 10m from their own line. O’Mahoney takes it at first receiver and – oh my – sprials a lovely kick with the outside of his boot for Zebo to chase. It just beats him to touch.
63 min Sean O’Brien takes on throwing duties and Debaty catches it! Now Bastareaud burrows into the 22 before Le Roux makes further ground.
Heaslip is hurt and has been replaced by Jordi Murphy. Healy and Moore are on too, for McGrath and Ross.
Updated
62 min Lopez steps up but misses it to the left. My apologies, that penalty was for entering the ruck on the wrong side. Anyway, France gather the ball from Sexton’s shallow restart and have it around 30m out. Bastareaud throws his pass to touch though.
61 min Not a good penalty from Lopez as he misses touch in the corner. France regain possession from the return kick and carry it back into the Ireland half. Left it goes, Best sticks his hands in the ruck and concedes a penalty. In fact Wayne Barnes bins him. Lopez to kick for goal from 32m, off to the left.
60 min It’s a brilliant scrum from the seven men of France though and Mike Ross turns in. Penalty France.
59 min A dodgy throw by Kayser though and Le Roux fingertips it forwards. Scrum Ireland a yard or two inside the French half.
58 min Ireland’s front row goes down and France get the penalty. Lopez finds an excellent touch near halfway on the right and clears the pressure.
57 min There’s a dark, stormy atmosphere brewing now after that joke of a Pape decision. Speaking of which, Gary Lucas (hi, Dad!) writes pithily: “Red if your name is Hartley.” Dad’s not wrong.
56 min Toner wins the lineout and Ireland set the driving maul. France are backpeddling with a man down. It goes left as Murray peels off the back and it’s a great chance for Ireland, but Sexton pops his pass to Payne on the crash ball rather than sending it along the line and the number 13 knocks it on!
55 min Ireland win the lineout but Murray’s box kick is poor and France counter. It’s swung left but Lopez’s miss pass to Fofana lands at the centre’s feet on the left. Ireland win the penalty on the floor and Sexton pops it up to the 22 on the right.
54 min Madigan clears to touch down the left from the resulting penalty. That’s his last act as Sexton returns.
Wayne Barnes bottles it. It’s only a yellow for Pape, despite the referee acknowledging that it was deliberate. Swear at a guy, red card. Assault someone and it’s just a yellow. Barnes really is an utter disgrace of a referee.
Updated
Looks deliberate to me. This has to be a red for the France lock.
53 min France a relentless in crossing the gainline but then O’Mahoney pops up with an astounding bit of defence, ripping the ball from Lamerat after the winger got isolated.
Bastareaud is ready to come back on, no sigh of Sexton
— Rúaidhrí O'Connor (@RuaidhriOC) February 14, 2015
Bastareaud is indeed back on, but Tales remains. Not sure who’s off just yet. Oh but Pape is in trouble here, he’s put a knee into Heaslip’s back.
52 min After an exchange of kicks France look to carry it through the phases and they get up to the Irish 22. This is more like it from the French.
51 min With Ireland more than a score clear now will they open the game up? Nope, not a chance, I’d say.
Penalty (Madigan 51) Ireland 15-6 France
Madigan steps up and swiftly dispatches the kick.
50 min France change their entire front row. Slimani, Guirado and Ben Arous are off. Kayser, Debaty and the 6’5”, 24st 5lb Uini Atonio enter the fray. Madigan to kick for goal from the 22, 10m in from the left.
Updated
49 min Free-kick to Ireland against Le Roux. They go quickly and Toner surges up to the 22. It goes loose but Zebo recovers and Ireland move it right. There’s no advantage and it’s a penalty to Ireland for offside at the earlier ruck.
48 min This scrum is a mess. The home crowd smell blood though as they’re really starting to get the upper hand on the French set piece.
France (like England) tend to be able to turn bad #6Nations into good World Cups, but this side so average, flat, zero to fear in October.
— Ewan MacKenna (@EwanMacKenna) February 14, 2015
47 min Toner disrupts Guirado’s throw and Slimani knocks on. Scrum Ireland midway between the French 22 and 10m line.
46 min What a scrum that is from Ireland. Kockott is caught by O’Brien at the back but Ireland are off their feet and Lopez can clear to touch.
45 min Ireland come inside, 10m out now. Sexton takes it on the loop but Bastareaud meets him with a mighty tackle. Both are bleeding after a clash of heads. It goes right to Bowe but the pass is forwards. That was a thunderous clash between Sexton – who has just spent 12 weeks out after suffering four concussions in a year – and Bastareaud. Both go off, with Madigan and Tales are the blood replacements.
Updated
44 min Chance now for Ireland as Kearney brilliantly chases and claims Sexton’s up-and-under on the full. Left it goes and Payne makes ground down the left.
43 min Ireland send it right and O’Mahoney goes into contact after a diagonal run. Murray sends it up and Kockott knocks on the high ball. Left it goes to Sexton but he fires his kick to the corner into the in-goal area and Spedding dots it down for a 22 drop-out.
42 min France win the lineout and keep going with the short pop pass/ruck combos. Lopez sends it high but the safest full-back in world rugby, Kearney, is securely under it.
41 min As Jonny Sexton gets the second half underway with another outstanding shallow kick-off, tapped back by Bowe, I bring Irish fans a bad omen.
The last four times these teams have met, the side leading at half-time has not won the game. #seebeyond #IRLvFRA pic.twitter.com/1hEvAZUEQh
— Accenture Rugby (@AccentureRugby) February 14, 2015
Sexton finally goes awry as his diagonal kick to the corner from halfway goes out on the full.
Half-time correspondence dept.:
“Hi Dan.” Hi, John McEnerney. “Ireland not up & running just yet but what worries me is that France look like they could score easily enough gaps everywhere. Zebo is the weak link & France are gobbling him up every time. Ireland to win but not by much.”
France have creative players but the likes of Spedding, Fofana and Huget have been well shackled. The latter has barely even touched the ball and if any side has the discipline to keep this up, it’s Ireland.
Also it’s “People from Dan’s schooldays find him” Day!
Stumbled upon the @guardian_sport live update of the England #SixNationsRugby only to find my old chum @DanLucas86 narrating! Excellent!
— Sam Claridge (@samuelclaridge) February 14, 2015
Hi Sam! Long time no see!
Half-time: Ireland 12-6 France
That was pretty much exactly as I expected. Neither side look like scoring a try but it’s been full-blooded and you can’t fault the commitment, even from France! Wayne Barnes has been quick to use his whistle as always, so it’s Ireland’s (marginally) better discipline that’s winning the game for now.
Updated
40 min One last attack then for France and they maul down the left, into Ireland’s 22. Lopez goes right to Bastareaud and the centre looks to pop it to Spedding, but the charging full-back knocks on.
Penalty (Sexton 39) Ireland 12-6 France
Smack bang in front, 17m out. I’d get this. Johnny Sexton therefore obviously does.
38 min O’Connell and O’Brien charge up, making ground. Ben Arous doesn’t roll away and this will be an easy three points for Sexton.
37 min An excellent kick-off from Sexton as Chouly takes it a couple of yards in from touch on his 22 and is swiftly ushered out. Good platform for Ireland. Toner wins it and the ball is swung infield.
Penalty (Lopez 36) Ireland 9-6 France
Pretty straight, 42m out. The Clermont man is no mug with the boot and nails it.
35 min There’s something resembling a gap. Lopez steps inside and heads towards it, but quickly it closes. A couple of phases later though, Best doesn’t roll away after tackling Kockott and Lopez will kick for goal.
34 min Murray sends a high box kick towards touch where Lopez fields and offlaods inside to Spedding on halfway. France go side-to-side, through the phases but there’s nothing even resembling a gap there.
Penalty (Sexton 33) Ireland 9-3 France
This guy does not miss. Teddy Thomas has hobbled off, Remi Lamerat on.
31 min Ireland spin it right off the lineout and Bowe shrugs off Thomas before being felled by Fofana. Toner carries it on then Ireland move it back inside. France don’t roll away after a few phases of quick recycling and Sexton will have a crack at goal from 38m, right in front.
30 minThe French fans are not happy here. Ireland don’t form a maul and France are penalised for crossing.
29 min McGrath makes a good tackle on Chouly, but Barnes awards the penalty as the prop holds on to his man. Lopez finds a good touch, 10m out from the Irish line on the right.
28 min O’Connell takes at the front and sets up the Irish drive. Murray comes away but is stripped of the ball and Thomas breaks upfield before giving it inside to Fofana. Lopez then kicks to the corner, but Kearney is back to cover the kick. Thomas is down hurt.
Updated
27 min France are under pressure now as O’Brien chases and scrags Fofana. France recycle and spin it left, but Lopez throws his pass into touch. Great pace to this game now.
26 min Ben Arous is held up in the middle of the park and eventually stripped of the ball. Sexton sends it high but Spedding takes under no pressure.
25 min It’s not a great lineout but O’Brien cleans up and smashes into Lopez. Right go Ireland and Heaslip goes to ground, but once again it’s a penalty for holding on. Spedding smashes it clear down the left.
24 min This is excellent from Kearney. He chases Murray’s high ball with a perfectly timed run and smothers the catcher Spedding. The Frenchman holds on and Sexton pops the penalty to touch on the left, just inside the 22.
23 min Fofana, who went off earlier as a blood replacement that I neglected to mention, returns in place of Lamerat.
22 min Oooh Toner nearly nabs it, but his tap down is secured by Pape. France clear but Ireland come back at them and Sexton, on the loop, nearly puts Henshaw through a gap. Maestri seals it off though and Henshaw is penalised for holding on.
Updated
21 min Ireland go left through the hands. Nothing happening but then Sexton takes it from a scissors move inside his own half and chips beautifully, end-over-end into the corner.
20 min Again Lopez kicks long to Zebo and the winger takes it under no pressure. Ireland get a penalty on their own 22 and Sexton finds touch on the right on halfway. Ireland are on top but neither side has created a solitary thing yet.
Updated
Penalty (Sexton 19) Ireland 6-3 France
Easy one that.
18 min Great work from Bowe to win back Sexton’s kick-off and Henshaw makes ground down the right. They go left along the 22 and go nowhere, but we go back for a penalty to Ireland 15m in from the right, 23m out, after Bastareaud didn’t roll away.
Pen (Lopez 17) Ireland 3-3 France
This is straight-ish but by no means a gimme for the inexperienced 10. It’s a great kick though, drilled powerfully through with a very aesthetically pleasing low arc.
15 min Clean lineout ball from France and Bastareaud takes it on the crash ball. It goes back to Spedding in the pocket and he looks to jink through. Nowt doing so Lopez kicks high and Kearney fumbles it backwards. Ireland carry back to their own 10m line but then hold on and Lopez will look to level the scores from 40m, marginally to the left.
14 min Lopez restarts and Sexton takes, then responds with a beauty of a spiralling touch-finder, 70m down the left.
@DanLucas86 So who should I be supporting: the team in Pakistan's cricket colours, or the team in England's? Isn't this the Cricket?
— Ravi Nair (@palfreyman1414) February 14, 2015
Penalty (Sexton 13) Ireland 3-0 France
5m in from touch and fractionally outside the 22, it’s a tough one this. Well, for normal human beings. Not the dead-eyed, cold-blooded kicking reptile that is Johnny Sexton.
12 min “It’ll be Devin Toner or Paul O’Connell” says the commentator. Heaslip takes it in and Ireland have a penalty coming for lifting the legs in the maul. Sexton sends a crossfield kick for Bowe, but it’s a bit too high. Back we go for the penalty.
11 min This time it’s Ireland who put the pressure on and when the scrum goes down, Barnes awards the penalty to Ireland. One back for Mike Ross. Sexton drills a kick into the 22 on the left.
9 min The ball shoots out the back of the scrum and Murray has to scramble back. Eventually they get slow ball and Henshaw chips over the top for Zebo. Fofana sweeps up though, but gets caught. Ireland knock on at the ruck on halfway and France get the put in.
8 min Quick ball off the top and Bastareaud barrells down Sexton’s channel. The defence swarms in and holds the big centre up, winning a scrum. Excelllent defence that.
7 min First scrum then and it’s France who draw first blood as Mike Ross goes to the floor. Spedding, with his big firm boot, sends it down the left and into touch 23m out.
5 min Sexton’s chip over the top is weighted beautifully and hugs the touchline. Spedding is forced to field and he’s taken into touch, 10m inside his own half. The lineout is overthrown, but Le Roux knocks on as he tries to secure the loose ball on the floor.
4 min Now Kearney looks to run and he’s hit on halfway. Ireland go right and Payne makes ground, but then when it’s swung left Zebo fumbles it backwards and Ireland are back in their own half.
3 min France kick ahead and Ireland carry back inside their own half. With the home side going backwards Sexton hangs it up and Lopez does well to evade Kearney’s chase. Kockott and Sexton exchange kicks.
2 min It’s a quick penalty but Sexton sends his pass left into touch with Zebo deeper than he expected. France win the lineout on their right, on their own 10m line.
1 min Lopez kicks off to Zebo. Ireland move it inside and go through the phases inside their own 22. Eventually Murray sends it up high for Bowe to chase but Lopez takes well. France move it infield but McGrath wins the turnover on the ground, and with it the penalty.
Updated
Wayne Barnes is the referee. Expect to see a lot of him: he’ll make sure you do. Anyhow, PEEP!
French win the battle of the anthems. All eyes now on Johnny Sexton when Bastarocket heads down his channel
— Daniel Schofield (@danscho1) February 14, 2015
Anthems: happening now. Jovial, joyous and uplifting. There’s a real giddy atmosphere around Lansdowne Road at the moment it seems. I’m hoping the rugby can live up to it, but I imagine this is going to be a whole lotta smashing.
Bastareaud has heavy strapping on his leg and has come through a late fitness test, we’re told.
The players are heading out. Quite the din for the French team at Lansdowne Road, which is what it’s called. France have never lost here since it’s been called the Aviva Stadium. That’s only going back to 2011 mind.
Bigger roar for Ireland, as you’d expect. Twickenham might not be the most graceful of atmospheres, but at least you don’t get this fireworks-and-flamethrowers crap.
Any predictions? I’m going with Ireland by six. On the BBC they’re discussing whether or not Mathieu Bastareaud is worth his place in the team. I reckon that if they’re going to go for this enormous power game then yes, he’s exactly the player you want. It’s the way modern rugby is going, sadly, with big units crashing the gainline generally more effective than sparky little players. The likes of Jonathan Joseph, who was magnificent today for England, are the exception rather than the norm.
Preamble
Evening folks. To the home side first, then. They were underwhelming in victory last week, failing to find fluency in beating an opponent against whom they were heavy favourites. An unsettled team, they won comfortably enough in the end but few saw potential champions.
So to the visitors. Er, well, see above, really.
So on the surface, this is an intriguing one: two sides who won without being much cop and, like this comparison, being fairly one-dimensional. If one can raise their game tonight, then you make them pretty strong favourites.
But, as Brian from Spaced would say, it’s a bit more complex than that.
France only make the one change, an injury-enforced one at that. Eddy Ben Arous comes in at loosehead prop for Alexandre Menini. Ireland on the other hand welcome back a rather terrifying raft of Lions: Johnny Sexton, arguably the form 10 in world rugby, Sean O’Brien, who has missed the last 15 months with a shoulder-OUCH, Rory Best, recovered from concussion, and Jamie Heaslip are all in. Cian Healy is on the bench too.
In short, Ireland are a far stronger proposition today and, with home support, you’d make them favourites for a ninth win on the spin. They have a point to prove after criticism last week and, while you can say the same for France, only one of these sides has a reputation for living up to that.
“How confident are you?” I ask Ian McCourt, sat to my left. “Not very,” he says. Mind you, he always says that.
Kick-off is at 5pm GMT. Which is 6pm, you lucky people in Paris. Here are your teams:
Ireland
15-Rob Kearney, 14-Tommy Bowe, 13-Jared Payne, 12-Robbie Henshaw, 11-Simon Zebo, 10-Jonathan Sexton, 9-Conor Murray; 1-Jack McGrath, 2-Rory Best, 3-Mike Ross, 4-Devin Toner, 5-Paul O’Connell (c), 6-Peter O’Mahony, 7-Sean O’Brien, 8-Jamie Heaslip
Replacements: 16-Sean Cronin, 17-Cian Healy, 18-Martin Moore, 19-Iain Henderson, 20-Jordi Murphy, 21-Isaac Boss, 22-Ian Madigan, 23-Felix Jones.
France
15-Scott Spedding, 14-Yoann Huget, 13-Mathieu Bastareaud, 12-Wesley Fofana, 11-Teddy Thomas, 10-Camille Lopez, 9-Rory Kockott; 1-Eddy Ben Arous, 2-Guilhem Guirado, 3-Rabah Slimani, 4-Pascal Pape, 5-Yoann Maestri, 6-Thierry Dusautoir, 7-Bernard Le Roux, 8-Damien Chouly
Replacements: 16-Benjamin Kayser, 17-Uini Atonio, 18-Vincent Debaty, 19-Romain Taofifenua, 20-Loann Goujon, 21-Morgan Parra, 22-Remi Tales, 23-Remi Lamerat.
