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Simon Easterby laments awarding of crucial second French try

Updated / Saturday, 8 Mar 2025 18:14
Paul Boudehent scores France's second try
Paul Boudehent scores France's second try

Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby insist his side were better than the scoreline suggested in their 42-27 defeat to France at Aviva Stadium.

Their Grand Slam hopes were blown apart by Fabien Galthie's side, while their chances of winning a third Guinness Six Nations title in a row look slim heading into next week’s final round against Italy in Rome.

Ireland had been 13-8 in front early in the second half after a Dan Sheehan try, but the game was blown apart by the visitors in the third quarter, who scored three tries and a penalty in a 16-minute blitz, which gave them the buffer they needed to cruise to a first win against Ireland since 2022.

"I don't think they were that much better than us. The scoreline will reflect something different," Easterby told RTÉ Sport.

The game ultimately swung on that second French try, scored by Paul Boudehent, which also saw Calvin Nash yellow-carded for a head-high tackle in the build-up.

And while there were few complaints around the Irish wing being sin-binned, Ireland were left frustrated that the Boudehent try was allowed to stand after Peter O’Mahony was cleared out beyond the ruck by Thibaud Flament a couple of phases before.

However, after checking with the TMO, referee Angus Gardner determined that O’Mahony had stepped backwards, rather than being knocked down by the French lock.

And speaking to RTÉ Radio 1 afterwards, it was clear the Ireland interim coach didn't agree with that assessment.

"Whether that player was going backwards or forwards, it doesn't really matter.

"Pete was clearly taken out. If he wasn't taken to ground, then he's in a position to potentially make a tackle.

"That's as much as I'd say on it," he told Saturday Sport.

Easterby elaborated on those thoughts in the press conference.

"All teams try and do it to a point, they try create a bit of space through the ruck and that allows the next person to pick. It's to judge whether that contact on Pete was close enough to the ruck for them to feel like it was legal, which is probably about three or four metres from the ruck.

"That's something we'll reflect on and feed back to Angus Gardner and his assistant referees, and obviously the TMO came in and felt like it was legal."

Easterby lamented Ireland’s missed chances, particularly early in the game they had several ventures into the French 22 that failed to return any points.

"We felt like going in at half-time 8-6 down, we were well in the game, and we were confident that if we started well - which we did - in the second half, we could kick on and make them pay, in terms of our fitness and our ability to go well in second halves, which we have done in previous games.

"But, unfortunately, we probably didn't take enough of our opportunities in their 22, and vice-versa, we conceded too easily ourselves.

"We weren't far away on a number of occasions and that means that we're probably doing the right thing most of the time. But we need to reflect on and look back at where we could have probably gone forward a little bit more from those entries into their 22.

"I thought we stressed them at times up to the point of getting into the 22 and then they had 14, maybe 15 men on the front line sometimes and that becomes a harder task then to get over the line," he added.

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