Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Magical halves pairing sees France to strong win over Ireland - but not strong enough to snare Six Nations title from England

By PA
Antoine Dupont. (Photos by Getty Images)

Try-scorers Antoine Dupont and Romain Ntamack won the battle of the half-backs as France’s 35-27 victory over Ireland in Paris handed England the Guinness Six Nations title.

ADVERTISEMENT

Toulouse playmakers Dupont and Ntamack outshone Ireland counterparts Conor Murray and Johnny Sexton to assert their status as Europe’s top half-back pairing.

Dupont and Ntamack’s finishes were adorned by a penalty try and Virimi Vakatawa’s score as France crushed Ireland’s slender hopes of a fourth Six Nations title in seven years.

Video Spacer

England post match press conference | Eddie Jones & Owen Farrell | Six Nations

Video Spacer

England post match press conference | Eddie Jones & Owen Farrell | Six Nations

The visibly frustrated Ireland captain Sexton was left shaking his head on being replaced by Ross Byrne in the final quarter but his tactical removal merely underscored France’s superiority.

Cian Healy toasted his 100th cap with a fine try on a punishing night where he also vomited on the Stade de France pitch and passed a head injury assessment.

Robbie Henshaw powered in a stunning solo score and Jacob Stockdale crossed at the death too, but France refused to allow Ireland anything like the control Andy Farrell’s side craved.

Ireland spent half the week expecting to require the win and a try bonus-point to claim the title – in the end it was Fabien Galthie’s resurgent Les Bleus who claimed the four tries, and deservedly so.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ntamack’s try broke Ireland’s resistance, France’s ruthless counter-attack stunning Farrell’s men, with Sexton’s bomb overhit and punished to the full.

The rampant France fly-half magicked Vakatawa’s try too, with a sublime chip and chase.

Farrell’s Ireland remain a team in transition, then, with Murray and Sexton unable to hit their previous heights across this admittedly truncated Six Nations.

The fast-approaching Autumn Nations Cup will prove compelling viewing with the Irish at a clear crossroads: stick with the tried, tested and trusted, or twist and build for the future.

World Cup 2023 hosts France meanwhile need change nothing barring tightening their discipline.

ADVERTISEMENT

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by RugbyPass (@rugbypass) on

The hosts drew first blood, Vincent Rattez keeping the ball in play on the right before Gael Fickou trapped a loose pass with his foot to launch a scything break.

The luckless Andrew Porter was no match for Fickou’s fleet feet out wide, and the France wing fed Dupont to hare home for the try.

Anthony Boutier’s yellow card for a deliberate tap into touch handed Ireland an immediate route back into the clash, however.

Ireland punted the penalty to the corner, only to bungle the lineout – with Sexton knocking on under pressure before copping a knee to the head from Francois Cros.

The visitors put a second penalty into touch for a lineout, and this time Bundee Aki had to rescue a lose throw, claiming smartly at the tail.

Ireland drove Sexton over the line to be held up for a five-metre scrum, and eventually Healy powered over for the try.

Sexton’s conversion had the scores level at seven apiece, then the Ireland fly-half’s penalty had the visitors 10-7 to the good.

Stockdale then knocked on twice in his own 22 in a matter of minutes – evading censure for the first, but not the second.

Caelan Doris was sin-binned for tackling Cros without the ball as the flanker was due to collect and score after Stockdale’s second knock-on – and France were duly awarded a penalty try.

Ireland delivered the ideal start to their 10 minutes with 14 men however, forcing a penalty in the France 22. Sexton slotted the facile goal to leave France leading 14-13.

Ntamack converted a goal of his own to leave France 17-13 ahead, with a lead they held to the break.

Restored to their full 15 players, Ireland punted a third penalty of the half to the corner – and were again unable to convert.

France turned the ball over to clear, to take their four-point lead into half-time.

The hosts opened the second-half with a fine try, stunning Ireland with a deadly counter-attack.

Bouthier fielded Sexton’s ill-judged high bomb, and launched an eye-catching and successful raid.

Fickou’s chip capitalised on Ireland’s misaligned backfield, Dupont raced onto a helpful bounce – and flipped inside for Ntamack to score in style.

Ntamack missed the conversion, but posted two quick penalties for France to lead 28-13.

Just when Ireland were staring down defeat’s barrel however, Henshaw conjured a try out of nothing.

The Leinster centre cut blind after scooping a loose ball, beat the cover and then bashed his way home.

Sexton’s conversion cut France’s lead to 28-20 on the hour – but there was to be no big comeback.

Instead Ntamack’s cute chip and chase teed up Vakatawa for France – and not Ireland – to seal the bonus-point score.

Stockdale bagged a consolation score with the game’s final play, with Ross Byrne converting, but not even that could deny France the win – and England the title.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 6 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

35 Go to comments
j
john 9 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

36 Go to comments
A
Adrian 11 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

36 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me' Luke Cowan-Dickie: 'I didn’t feel right. I felt like I was going to pass out. Everything was going black in front of me'
Search