France deny Ireland the Grand Slam despite Dupont blow
Yesterday at 12:31 PM
MATCH REPORT: France inflicted heartbreak on Ireland as they sealed a comfortable 42-27 victory in Dublin on Saturday.
The win enhanced France's chances of claiming the Six Nations title and dashed Ireland's hopes of securing a Grand Slam.
*To recap all the action CLICK HERE!!
Les Bleus are now at the top of the tournament log with 16 points, while Ireland are second with 14 points.
There will be big concerns as both camps sustained significant injury setbacks.
James Lowe missed the fixture after he picked up an injury during the warm-up, while France's playmaker Antoine Dupont left the field in the 28th minute with what appears to be a serious knee injury.
However, despite missing Dupont the French scored five tries - two to Louis Bielle-Biarrey - as they ran the Irish ragged, storming back from 8-13 down early in the second half into a 42-13 lead.
Three Irish legends Cian Healy, Conor Murray and Peter O'Mahony, who will retire from Test rugby at the end of the tournament, led the team onto the pitch.
Healy, Ireland's most capped player with 137, wiped a tear from his eye but it would not be the only tear of regret shed by the Irish as the match went on.
Despite early Irish dominance, they came away with nothing, Gregory Alldritt doing brilliantly to prevent his fellow No.8 Caelan Doris by marking his 50th cap with an early try.
Irish lock Joe McCarthy cost the hosts, in a move labelled "cynical" by referee Angus Gardner when he tugged back Thomas Ramos running up to support wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
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As Gardner dismissed Doris -"I do not want to talk to you Caelan back 10 metres" - so McCarthy shortly afterwards went to the sin bin.
Within a minute Bielle-Biarrey had touched down, the seventh successive Test he has scored a try.
Ramos failed to land the conversion but the momentum was with the French at 5-0 up and the massed ranks of their supporters in full voice.
They turned to groans as just before the half-hour mark Dupont stayed down after slipping over going into a ruck and despite treatment limped off, ice on his knee, to be replaced by Maxime Lucu, the only back on the French bench.
The Irish finally got on the board as Prendergast stroked over a penalty for 5-3 with five minutes remaining of the first period.
Soon after Ramos converted a penalty for 8-5 but Prendergast's jaw-dropping penalty from halfway meant there was just two points difference at the break.
The Irish went ahead for the first time in the match shortly after the restart - Dan Sheehan going over in the corner.
Prendergast landed a brilliant conversion from the touchline for 13-8 to Ireland.
French power
The rollercoaster of a match turned again and for good in the 46th minute.
Calvin Nash was sin-binned for a high tackle and Gardner allowed a French try by Paul Boudehent despite fierce debate over whether O'Mahony had been taken out by Thibaud Flament.
Ramos knocked over the conversion for 15-13 to France.
The French tails were up and they hammered home their one-man advantage with a brilliant second try by Bielle-Biarrey.
His pace was too much for the Irish defence as he followed up his kick into the try area - Ramos converted for 22-13.
The Irish were being run ragged and Ramos slotted over a penalty for 25-13.
The one-way traffic continued as Oscar Jegou - normally in the scrum but playing in the centre owing to Pierre-Louis Barassi's head injury - went over for his first Test try and Ramos converted for 32-13.
Ramos added another penalty for 35-13.
The Irish pressed for a consolation try but Ramos intercepted a Prendergast pass on the French line. He then released Damian Penaud who raced over to level Serge Blanco's national try-scoring record of 38.
Ramos converted for 42-13.
There was to be one last home hurrah for Healy, who bulldozed over for his 13th Test try and Conan added another although it was the French who were celebrating at the final whistle.
Player of the match: Sam Prendergast was the standout for Ireland, making some lethal breaks and kicking well. For France Yoram Moefana was incredible, making some strong carries and solid tackles. However, our nod goes to Louis Bielle-Biarrey. The wing was incredible on the wide. He simply never stopped looking for a chance to attack and scored a brace.
Moment of the match: Sam Prendergast's penalty kick from more than fifty meters out on the brink of halftime was certainly a clutch moment.
Villian of the match: No one! The match was played in good spirits.
The scorers:
For Ireland:
Tries: Sheehan, Healy, Conan
Cons: Prendergast 3
Pens: Prendergast 2
For France:
Tries: Bielle-Biarrey 2, Boudenhout, Jegou, Penaud
Cons: Ramos 4
Pens: Ramos 3
Yellow cards: Joe McCarthy (Ireland, 19 - cynical and deliberate foul) Calvin Nash (Ireland, 46 - foul play, dangerous tackle), Thibaud Flament (France, 75 - deliberate offside)
Teams:
Ireland: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Jamie Osborne, 13 Robbie Henshaw, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Calvin ash, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris (captain), 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Peter O'Mahony, 5 Tadhg Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Finlay Bealham, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16 Rob Herring, 17 Cian Healy, 18 Thomas Clarkson, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Ryan Baird, 22 Conor Murray, 23 Jack Crowley.
France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Damian Penaud, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Mickael Guillard, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Emmanuel Meafou, 20 Hugo Auradou, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Anthony Jelonch, 23 Maxime Lucu.
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (England), Christophe Ridley (England)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
