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Caelan Doris rues Ireland's failure to capitalise on early pressure

Updated / Sunday, 9 Mar 2025 08:58
Doris: 'I felt we had applied a lot of pressure and didn't convert early on'
Doris: 'I felt we had applied a lot of pressure and didn't convert early on'

Caelan Doris said Ireland's failure to convert their early pressure into points came back to hurt them as the French backs took wing in a rampant second half display.

Ireland's push for a fifth Grand Slam is buried, while their accompanying tilt at an unprecedented third successive outright Six Nations title hangs by a thread as France grabbed the initiative in the championship, with the champions in danger of slipping to third should England collect maximum points against Italy this afternoon.

The hosts monopolised possession and dominated the territory stakes in the early stages but blew a couple of early chances with Doris himself being held up over the try-line by the combined might of the French back-row.

After all that, it was Louis Bielle-Biarrey who grabbed the first half's only try and while Ireland did nose in front early in the second half after Dan Sheehan's try, they were engulfed by a French tsunami thereafter, the visitors scoring 34 points without reply before a couple of late consolation scores.

"I felt we were in the balance at half-time," Doris told RTÉ Sport afterwards. "I felt we had applied a lot of pressure and didn't convert early on.

"We felt we'd learned that lesson before. Where we weren't accurate enough early on and didn't convert and it came back to bite us again today.

"Started well in the second half with a try and... they're capable of bits of magic and we just weren't good enough in that middle section of the second half.

"Discipline didn't help at times. We were down a man. They'd a couple of back to back penalties which gave entry into our half. When they have quick ball, with the backs they have, the forwards they have, they're capable of scoring from anywhere."

Ireland lost James Lowe to a back spasm injury in the warm-up, with Calvin Nash elevated to the starting line-up. However, Tadhg Beirne played down the disruptive impact of this late forced change.

"This team are well able for anything that happens," Beirne said. "You saw Calvin come in, he'd a great game today. These things happen in warm-ups all the time.

"France showed a bit of their class in the middle part of the second half and we'll have to look at why we weren't able to deal with that.

"We knew turnover ball or breaking balls, they'd be very dangerous. They got a few bounces of the ball and next thing we knew, we were under the sticks.

"When they did get momentum and they had the ball, it was hard to stop.

"That's disappointing, we had a plan there. We executed at times and other times we didn't. You can see from the scoreline, they managed to do a good job on us.

"We've to just get on with it now. We'll look back at it Sunday night and Monday morning and then the focus will all be on Italy."

It cast a shadow on the Lansdowne Road send-off for the departing trio, Peter O'Mahony, Conor Murray and Cian Healy, whose long careers conclude in Rome next weekend.

"It wasn't the way we had planned for this to go," says Beirne. "Disappointed for those lads who made their 50th (appearance) and disappointed for those three lads who've played their last game here, that we didn't come away with a win.

"They've had some special days here too and they'll be the days they'll remember. They'll probably want to forget days like this pretty quickly. But it still is a special day for all of them, for their families and everything. You heard by the crowd, they gave them a brilliant send-off all the same. We'll make sure to celebrate incredible careers."

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