Ireland produced a stunning performance as they beat France 38-17 in the opening Guinness Six Nations match in Marseille.
Andy Farrell's men scored five tries as they got the defence of their crown off to a perfect start.
Here's how we rated the Irish players.
Hugo Keenan – 8
Solid self as usual and put in an incredible tackle on Damian Penaud. Positioned himself perfectly throughout. Has had busier nights but did everything well.
Calvin Nash – 7
Slow start but got himself involved midway through the first half. Took his try well and made nearly 80 metres off eight carries in total. Never looked out of his depth. Limped off at the end.
Robbie Henshaw – 8
Brilliant midfield shift for the Leinster man after a disappointing World Cup. Always available to carry and outplayed Gael Fickou. Had nine carries and five big tackles. Made Nash's try with a brilliant run and offload.
Bundee Aki – 9
Picked up where he left off after the World Cup. His offload led to Ireland’s first try and he never shirked responsibility on the ball, twice dropping and picking up to avoid giving away a penalty. Beat two defenders over nine carries.
James Lowe – 8
Kicked for over 500 metres as Ireland used his boot to great effect. Completely dependable under the high ball and a big presence on both sides of the ball. Got the intercept that put Ireland on front foot before first score.
Jack Crowley – 7
The novice out-half carried and passed well but too many kicks out of hand were misjudged or poorly executed. But he never let it bother him. Kicked 13 points including three conversions from the sideline.
Jamison Gibson-Park – 8.5
Back to his best, the scrum-half kept the tempo up and outplayed Maxime Lucu. Kicked well out of hand apart from one in the second half. Finished the opening try superbly.
Andrew Porter – 7
Blamed for five penalty concessions but was unlucky with a couple of calls. Made seven metres post contact from five carries.
Dan Sheehan – 8
Excellent outing the by the hooker as Ireland won 11 of 11 lineouts while he was on. Busy in defence as Ireland’s top tackler (10) and took his try superbly. Beat three defenders over seven carries.
Tadhg Furlong – 7
Huge work-rate by the tighthead. Blamed for a couple of scrum penalties but it wasn’t a deciding factor. Quiet in the loose compared to his forward team-mates but racked up five tackles.
Joe McCarthy – 9
Simply superb. Big call to include him at James Ryan’s expense but fully justified. Gave as good as his got from the French pack. The 22-year-old was a total nuisance off the ball and a big carrying threat. Took two lineout balls and made eight tackles. Named man of the match.
Tadhg Beirne – 9
As good as his second row partner. Took seven lineout balls and got his hand to a French throw. Made 12 carries and two linebreaks. Ran a beautiful line for the second try. Tackled like a demon, too.
Peter O'Mahony – 7
In the thick of the action from the start, winning a jackal penalty. Battled away and made eight tackles over his 53 minutes. Ireland weren’t lacking for leadership, even without Johnny Sexton. Sin-binned before France’s second try.
Josh van der Flier – 7
The flanker was busy on both sides of the ball without doing anything spectacular. Ran hard and straight and kept control in contact. Carried eight times beating one defender.
Caelan Doris – 7.5
Quiet first half by his standards but also grew into the game. Played the full 80 minutes, shifting to the flank when Jack Conan arrived. Made nine carries and eight tackles.
REPLACEMENTS:
Rónan Kelleher (for Sheehan 63) – 7
Took his try well, busy in the loose.
Cian Healy (for Porter 8 and 63) – 7
Filled in well, made four tackles.
Finlay Bealham (for Furlong 63) – 6
Solid when called on.
James Ryan (for McCarthy 67) – 6
Got busy in the loose.
Ryan Baird (for O’Mahony 63) – 6
Claimed the lineout ball for Kelleher’s score.
Jack Conan (for Van der Flier 63) – 7
Best of the replacements, important tackle soon after coming on.
Conor Murray (for Gibson-Park 70) – 6
Did his work.
Ciarán Frawley (for Nash 79)
Not on long enough to be rated.
