Ireland's Six Nations campaign has started with a defeat, but the evidence is clear that Scott Bemand’s side are closing the gap further on their rivals.
Les Bleues were 12-point winners at Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, but it’s a scoreline that doesn't tell the full tale, as Ireland came close to pulling off a famous upset.
With these sides potentially on course to meet in a World Cup quarter-final, there may be another chapter to be told.
Twelve months ago it was deemed an achievement for Ireland to keep the score respectable when the sides met in Le Mans, but this afternoon they will look back with frustration at a game they know they could have won.
The difference between the sides was off the kicking tee, with French full-back Morgane Bourgeois flawless with three conversions and two penalties, while Ireland out-half Dannah O’Brien endured a tough afternoon as she saw each of her three conversion attempts drift wide.
For a time in the first half it looked like Ireland would be in for a long and painful afternoon when France raced into a 14-0 lead with tries from Gabrielle Vernier and Marine Menager, while Ireland responded with a clever lineout score for Aoife Wafer to go into the break trailing 14-5.
A 20-minute red card for Vernier nearly proved fatal for the French as she made a head-on-head tackle on Eve Higgins, and while Ireland mauled their opponents over for two second half tries – one for Neve Jones and the other for Wafer – they could only close the gap to two points before a late penalty and try saw France keep them at arm’s length down the stretch.
Ireland found themselves pinned back into their own 22 inside the opening couple of minutes, when Stacey Flood’s kick went out on the full, and that was followed by a pair of penalties, one of which came at the scrum.
The visitors turned down an easy three-points from the second of those penalties, instead kicking for the corner, and it proved to be the right decision, as a series of hard carries, most notably from towering second row Madoussou Fall-Raclot, gave the French front-foot ball before Vernier’s crashing line against the grain broke the defence to score the opening try on six minutes, converted by Bourgeois to make it 7-0.
The response from Ireland was strong, but lacked in execution, with a handling error ending their first venture into the 22, before Aoife Dalton’s break from deep ended after O’Brien overcooked a crossfield kick towards Anna McGann’s wing.
They would pay for that wastefulness just after the quarter-hour mark when another Flood kick went out on the full, and after France mauled towards the 22, Melissande Llorens’s carry sucked in the Irish defence before simple hands got the ball to the edge, where Menager was on the overlap to score.
Ireland hit back on 21 minutes when strong carries from Erin King, Wafer and McGann led to a penalty which O’Brien pinned to the corner, and this time the execution was on point, with the hosts dummying to the maul before Dorothy Wall popped the ball off to Wafer (below), who crashed through two tackles to ground the ball.
O'Brien's conversion sliced wide, leaving the score at 14-5, and two quick penalties soon saw France camped back down in the Irish 22.
The defence was holding up its end of the bargain, with Neve Jones twice making turnovers, as did Dalton, but time and again Ireland failed to get any depth on their exit kicks, inviting pressure back on themselves.
That French attack on the Ireland 22 lasted just short of 10 minutes before Ireland gave up a scrum penalty, which Bourgeois struck between the posts; a mini-victory for the defence rather than the attack.
Ireland could and should have had the final say in the half when King stole a lineout deep in the French 22, but after a lengthy series of phases, the attack and half ended with a poor pass from O’Brien spilled forward by Jones.
Despite that frustration, Ireland started the second half with renewed energy, and after working their way towards the 22 on 44 minutes, French centre Vernier got her timing all wrong, clattering into the head of Higgins, and her initial yellow card would be upgraded to a 20-minute red by the TMO bunker official.
Ireland took advantage instantly when they kicked to the touchline, and a dominant maul marched the French backwards for Jones to get the decisive grounding. Another missed conversion from O’Brien left seven between the sides, 17-10, with 45 minutes on the clock.
With a player advantage, the hosts were controlling possession in the third quarter, but again the handling errors let them down, with a tip-on at the line to Wall ending the latest attack, while on 57 minutes a clever kick in behind the defence from Flood was almost latched onto by McGann.
Both sides emptied their benches after the third quarter, and the Irish replacements were having an impact. Fiona Tuite forced a turnover in her own 22, before Aoibheann Reilly was quickest to the loose ball.
On 65 minutes it was Edel McMahon’s strong carry that led to an Irish penalty when the Irish skipper was tipped over the horizontal, and O’Brien took the bold choice to kick for the corner, which once again brought a dividend, as they mauled their way over for Wafer to score her second on.
Frustratingly, O’Brien was struggling from the tee and missed the chance to draw the sides level with the conversion, while five minutes later France’s kicker Bourgeois maintained her 100% record with a penalty to send her side’s lead out to 20-15.
Two minutes later, the visitors got their insurance score.
Bourgeois made the initial break down towards the corner, and while the Irish defence did well enough to track back, they couldn’t stop Boulard following up with a direct line to get over for a third French try, which their full-back converted to make sure of the win.
SCORERS
Ireland – Tries: Aoife Wafer (2), Neve Jones
France - Tries: Gabrielle Vernier, Marine Menager, Emilie Boulard
Cons: Morgane Bourgeois (3)
Pen: Morgane Bourgeois (2)
Ireland: Stacey Flood; Anna McGann, Aoife Dalton, Eve Higgins, Amee-Leigh Costigan (capt); Dannah O'Brien, Emily Lane; Niamh O'Dowd, Neve Jones, Linda Djougang; Ruth Campbell, Dorothy Wall; Brittany Hogan, Erin King, Aoife Wafer.
Replacements: Clíodhna Moloney (for Jones, 55), Siobhán McCarthy (for O’Dowd, 77), Christy Haney (for Djougang, 77), Grace Moore (for Campbell, 67), Fiona Tuite (for Wall, 55) Edel McMahon (for Hogan, 55), Aoibheann Reilly (for Lane, 55), Enya Breen (for Higgins, 44-51 HIA, and 67).
France: Morgane Bourgeois; Melissande Llorens, Nassira Konde, Gabrielle Vernier, Marine Menager (co-capt); Carla Arbez, Pauline Bourdon-Sansus; Yllana Brosseau, Agathe Sochat, Rose Bernadou; Manae Feleu (co-capt), Madoussou Fall-Raclot; Charlotte Escudero, Stephanie Okemba, Teani Feleu
Replacements: Manon Bigot (for Sochat, 55), Ambre Mwayembe (for Brosseau, 55), Clara Joyeux (for Bernadou, 55), Axelle Berthoumieu (for Vernier, 67), Lea Champon (for Okemba, 66), Alexandra Chambon (for Bourdon-Sansus, 51-61 HIA, and 69), Lina Queyroi (for Arbez, 69), Emilie Boulard (for Konde, 33)
