France got their Six Nations title defence off to the ideal start as they put a sorry Ireland to the sword with a 36-14 victory at the Stade de France in Paris.
Les Bleus scored four tries through wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey (two), fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and lock Charles Ollivon to sprint into a stunning 29-0 lead – full-back Thomas Ramos adding three conversions and a penalty. Wing Theo Attissogbe added a fifth in the final play of the match.
Ireland responded with tries from replacements Nick Timoney and Michael Milne – either side of Antoine Dupont fortunately avoiding a sin-binning for a deliberate knock-on – but Andy Farrell’s charges failed to add anything more, paying for an abject opening 50 minutes.
Sam Prendergast and Ireland struggled badly in Paris on the whole
France were nearly over for a try as early as the second minute when Bielle-Biarrey showed great skill down the left to create space and kick ahead, but Ollivon knocked on when sliding on the greasy surface with a try seemingly at his mercy.
A stunning Jamie Osborne 50:22 put Ireland onto the attack in response, but their early move ended when Sam Prendergast attempted an ill-advised offload off the deck, which was knocked on by flanker Josh van der Flier.
A neat Prendergast kick-pass to wing Tommy O’Brien created Ireland’s next promising opening, but the ball did not land kindly when kicked ahead.
On 13 minutes, France’s opener arrived as Bielle-Biarrey struck ruthlessly, skipping through the tackles of Jamison Gibson-Park and Prendergast to finish down the left.
Bielle-Biarrey’s pace and skill saw him race him for the opening try of the Test
Ramos converted for the full haul, and nine minutes later France had their second as after waves of attack – and a missed neck-roll on Cian Prendergast at the breakdown – Sam Prendergast intercepted a Nicolas Depoortere pass to stop a certain try, but then carried back over his own try-line for a France five-metre attacking scrum.
When the scrum wheeled right, Jalibert dived over with fly-half Prendergast unable to have an impact defensively.
Matthieu Jalibert dived over for France’s second try
Stupidity from Ireland lock Joe McCarthy in defence to give away a cheap penalty saw Ramos stretch things to 15-0, and a third French try followed soon after when lock Mickael Guillard fed partner Ollivon to score, after good work from Jalibert and Jean-Baptiste Gros earlier in the attack.
When Ramos converted the score was a daunting 22-0 at half-time, and things only got worse early into the second period when Bielle-Biarrey scored his second after clever chips from Dupont and Ramos.
When Bielle-Biarrey scored his second and France’s fourth early in the second half, the lead was 29-0
The visitors at least ensured they would not be nilled when replacement Timoney sped over off a lovely Stuart McCloskey offload for a try in the 59th minute.
Dupont was extremely fortunate to avoid a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on soon after, with Ireland striking for their second try through prop Milne, reducing things to 29-14.
Replacement back-row Nick Timoney scored one of two Ireland tries as they responded somewhat in the second half
Ireland thought they may have a third try inside the final 10 minutes through hooker Ronan Kelleher, but the TMO ruled out the score for a Caelan Doris knock-on when on the ground, while also clearing a potential Peato Mauvaka no-arms tackle.
Instead, France would have the final say as they accelerated into life down the right past the 80th minute through Jalibert, with Attissogbe just remaining in the field of play to score.
Farrell questions Ireland’s fight and intensity – ‘this loss has to stand for something’
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell speaking to ITV:
“There’s a lot going through our minds. Obviously we’re very disappointed – it’s something I never thought I’d say about this Irish team.
“The lack of intensity in the first half, the missed tackles, not winning the scraps on the floor or the contests in the air…you’re not going to win an international game with that approach, let alone in Paris.
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell cut a very disappointed figure post match
“Showing a bit of fight and character was what we needed. Fair play to the subs, they gave us some go‑forward. But reacting too late isn’t how we want to operate. They played well, they’re off to a great start, and we’re not.
“France were outstanding at times, with the athletes and power they have. Their offloading ability in these conditions is hard to live with – it looked like they were playing a different game at stages.
“This result isn’t a good one for us, but it has to stand for something. We’re an honest group, and we’ll make sure we use this in the right way.”
Ireland captain Caelan Doris speaking to ITV:
“We left ourselves with too tall a mountain to climb. We were passive defensively – 19 missed tackles – which allowed their attacking game to flourish. We couldn’t find our feet in the first 30 minutes.
“The bench made a good impact and helped get us back into the game, and there was a bit of grit and determination shown in the second half. But overall, it was a very disappointing way to start the match.”
Edwards: Bielle-Biarrey a world-class superstar
France defence coach Shaun Edwards speaking to ITV:
“He [Bielle-Biarrey] is getting better. Do you know why? He wants to get better.
“His attitude is fantastic, he’s got all the talent in the world. He’s a world-class superstar.
“We’re very happy. I thought attack in the first half was fantastic. We dominated possession and territory, which is very unusual against Ireland.
“When we’re on attack, it’s a joy to watch.”
What’s next?
Ireland next face Italy in Round 2 of the Six Nations on Saturday February 14 at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (2.10pm kick-off).
France travel to face Wales at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff for their second Six Nations clash on Sunday February 15 (3.10pm kick-off).
