2GS The Sunday Times February 13, 2022 5
FRANCK FIFE
enough about Ireland’s exalted
front row.
The longer the half went on, the
more penalties Ireland conceded.
France were still capable of brilliance:
Dupont’s tracer-bullet pass to Damian
Penaud, Penaud’s back-flick to Moef-
ana. That combination brought a
third penalty for Jaminet, before the
French scrum delivered a fourth.
After the restart Jaminet struck a
kick beautifully from 50 metres. Then
came Ireland’s counterthrusts.
Andrew Porter’s strength over the
ball won them the penalty that
allowed them to set up a corner line-
out, from which Van der Flier went
through a gap and over. Carbery
landed another excellent conversion.
Hugo Keenan’s counterattack gave
Ireland further impetus. So too did
the footwork and dynamism of Dan
Sheehan. Suddenly Ireland were pro-
ducing quick ball. Gibson-Park saw a
gap to the side of a ruck and scooted
through it. Carbery’s simple conver-
sion meant that Ireland found them-
selves only a point behind at 22-21.
Fittingly enough, it was France’s
physicality that was the most impor-
tant factor in making sure that they
scored next. Just when Ireland
seemed to be exiting safely from their
22, Ireland were unhinged by fero-
cious piece of French counter-ruck-
ing. Out of the wreckage emerged
Baille, wriggling and twisting and bul-
lying his way over the line.
This wasn’t the signal for France to
retake control of the game, however.
They looked nervous, uncertain, in
need of direction. Carbery’s late
penalty would have worried them fur-
ther. They got there in the end —
unbeaten but still unconvincing.
Star man Grégory Alldritt (France)
Scorers: France: Tries Dupont 2, Baille 54.
Conversion Jaminet. Pens Jaminet 6.
Ireland: Tries M Hansen 7, J van der Flier 45,
J Gibson-Park 50. Cons J Carbery 3. Pen Carbery.
France Jaminet; D Penaud, G Fickou, Y Moefana,
G Villiere; R Ntamack, A Dupont (M Lucu 70);
Baille (JB Gros 55), J Marchand (P Mauvaka 54),
U Atonio (D Bamba 54); C Woki (R Taofifenua 52),
P Willemse (R Flament 52); F Cros (D Cretin 74),
A Jelonch, Aldritt.
Ireland H Keenan; A Conway, G Ringrose, B Aki,
M Hansen (R Henshaw 64); J Carbery (J Carty 78),
J Gibson-Park (C Murray 64); A Porter (C Healy 72),
R Kelleher (D Sheehan 25), T Furlong (F Bealham
72); T Beirne, J Ryan (capt); C Doris, J van der Flier,
J Conan (P O’Mahony 52-57, I Henderson 57).
Attendance 81,000.two tries that got them back to within
one point offered them the
opportunity to go and win the game.
And this was why Ryan looked so
desolate during the press conference.
They had a chance to win and it came
in the 72nd minute. Six points
behind, Ireland got a penalty deep
inside French territory. The choice
was straightforward, take the likely
three points or go for the corner and
back yourself to get seven and the
lead for the first time in the game.
In recent years, Ireland have
backed themselves. Earlier in the half
they had gone for the corner and
used the maul to set up Josh van der
Flier for the try. Ryan chose to take
the three points, which helped
Ireland get a losing point. Alas, they
passed up the chance to ask France a
question. But there should be no
recriminations. Ireland played a
terrific Test match. Through that
second half, they looked almost like
France on a good day. Ireland have
had some really good days in Paris,
but the second-half performance was
perhaps the best 40 minutes they’ve
played at this stadium.
There was so much to like. They
lost hooker Ronan Kelleher early and
his replacement, Dan Sheehan,
delivered a stunning performance.
Lock Tadhg Beirne was terrific, too.
Late in the second half, he snaffled
up a loose ball and arrowed a left-foot
kick into touch deep inside the
French 22m. The other Tadhg,
Furlong, stood at first receiver and
threw passes that a No 10 would have
been proud of.
Others excelled. Joey Carbery
reminded us that there will be life
after Johnny Sexton and Van der
Flier’s work rate continues to make
him one of the team’s biggest players.
And for those who yearn to see rugby
continue to be a game for men of
varying sizes, it was reassuring to
watch Gibson-Park dance around
Paul Willemse for Ireland’s third try.
The victory went to France while the
glory of a wondrous Test was shared
by both teams.size and power. So they attacked
Ireland’s lineout and gained from
that. Like hyenas over a fallen
wildebeest, they surrounded
Ireland’s ball carrier at the
breakdown and three consecutive
penalties came from that.
Seven-nil became 16-7 and to be
that close, Ireland needed a
miraculous Mack Hansen try. Finally,
just before the interval, they targeted
the scrum. Another penalty, 19-7.
Ireland knew all this physical stuff
was coming and though they thought
they were ready, they weren’t. That
will be a regret. Then, straight after
half-time, Andrew Conway got his
timing slightly wrong when chasing
Gibson-Park’s kick. This was the
ultimate in an unforced error, 22-7.
The home crowd began to sing La
Marseillaise. That was it, they agreed.
And yet back from the dead, Ireland
came. They forced France on to the
backfoot and Les Bleus did not like it
there. For much of the second half,
Ireland played the better rugby. TheFebruary 5
Ireland 29 Wales 7
Scotland 20 England 17
February 6
France 37 Italy 10Yesterday
Wales 20 Scotland 17
France 30 Ireland 24
Today
Italy v England
3pm, ITVFebruary 26
Scotland v France
2.15pm, BBC
England v Wales
4.45pm, ITV
February 27
Ireland v Italy
3pm, ITVMarch 11
Wales v France
8pm, BBC
March 12
Italy v Scotland
2.15pm, ITV
England v Ireland
4.45pm, ITVMarch 19
Wales v Italy
2.15pm, BBC
Ireland v Scotland
4.45pm, ITV
France v England
8pm, ITVSIX NATIONS
RESULTS AND
FIXTURES
For a young man who is just 25, James
Ryan has seen a lot. And won a lot. A
grand slam, a European Cup and any
amount of Pro-14s. It is no
coincidence that the teams he plays
for win because he is, by nature, a
winner. No one should have been
surprised by his demeanour at the
post-match interviews at the Stade de
France. He looked like one who had
lost everything.
Which, in a sense, he had. Because
for Ryan, winning is everything. The
thing eating his insides was his belief
that Ireland had had France on the
ropes and did not finish them off. To
every question that came his way, he
offered perfunctory answers. What
does it matter when you’ve lost? How
can a winner who has lost find any
comfort in others telling how he was
part of a tumultuous occasion? To
hell with that. We enjoyed a fine Test
match. He hated the result. We have
memories. He has regrets.
He knew, as every Irish player
knew, that under Fabien Galthié,
France have become masters of the
rapid-fire start and how did Ireland
deal with that? Twenty seconds into
the game, Jamison Gibson-Park
slightly miscues with an attempted
box kick. It flies directly into touch,
allowing Antoine Dupont to take a
quick throw and a minute later,
France are seven points to the good.
Of course, Romain Ntamack made
a fine half-break and delivered an
exquisite pass to Dupont scorching
through an unguarded inside
channel. To the 80,000 crammed
inside the stadium, France seem
unplayable in moments such as this.
But if you’re Ryan or Gibson-Park,
there is only the thought that an
inaccurate box kick has hurt Ireland.
France’s pack had an advantage inRyan knew France were on ropes
Josh van der Flier celebrates his try
DAVID
WA LS H
Chief Sports Writer Paris
‘Ryan is a winner
and the thing eating
his insides was the
belief they didn’t
finish France off ’