Ireland’s hopes of securing a Grand Slam in the Six Nations were dashed in Dublin as France delivered a commanding performance, leaving the home side clinging to their championship aspirations with one round remaining. A victory would have marked a fitting farewell for veterans Peter O’Mahony, Conor Murray, and Cian Healy in their final home international, but France had other plans.
The visitors were formidable, first withstanding relentless Irish pressure and then unleashing a devastating attacking display. Their defensive resilience in the opening exchanges proved decisive, and remarkably, they maintained their intensity even after losing star player Antoine Dupont for 50 minutes due to injury.
By the final whistle, Ireland were left scrambling for a bonus point to keep their title hopes alive but fell short. The contest had started as an enthralling battle, but by the closing stages, it had turned into a clear statement from France.
The opening quarter was played at a breakneck pace. Ireland came close to scoring early, only to be denied by last-ditch French defense and an unfortunate penalty that struck the post. Meanwhile, France had a try disallowed for a forward pass, all within the first 14 minutes.
The effectiveness of France’s defensive strategy became apparent as they absorbed enormous Irish pressure. The statistics were astonishing: within the first 15 minutes, the visitors had completed 81 tackles compared to just four from Ireland. This immense effort prevented Ireland from gaining significant momentum, and though it seemed inevitable that the French defense would eventually crack, they held firm.
Despite Ireland’s dominance in possession, their efforts resulted in just six points in the first half, the latter three coming from a long-range penalty by Jamie Osborne just before halftime. France, on the other hand, capitalized clinically when opportunities arose. Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s try, coming just moments after Joe McCarthy was shown a yellow card, provided the only five-pointer of the half, giving France an 8-6 advantage at the break.
The match’s defining moment occurred in the first half when Dupont was forced to leave the field after a collision with Tadhg Beirne. With a 7-1 bench split favoring forwards, France faced the challenge of managing their backline for the remainder of the game.
Ireland responded strongly after halftime, injecting pace into their attack and scoring through Dan Sheehan. However, their lead was short-lived as France hit back almost immediately. Paul Boudehent powered over for a try, followed swiftly by Bielle-Biarrey’s second, leaving Ireland reeling at 22-13. With Calvin Nash in the sin-bin, the situation became even more dire for the hosts.
The French onslaught continued as their replacements injected fresh energy, combining speed and power to stretch Ireland’s defense to its limit. The home side battled to stay in contention but struggled against the relentless visitors.
Though late tries from Healy and Jack Conan added respectability to the final score, the damage had already been done. France’s dominance was undeniable, and their five-try performance ensured the championship would be decided on the final weekend. Ireland, meanwhile, were left hoping for favorable results elsewhere to keep their title ambitions alive.
