Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

The French tactic that was 'little bit surprising' to Andy Farrell

By Liam Heagney
James Lowe tackles Thomas Ramos (Photo by Paul Ellis/AFP via Getty Images)

Andy Farrell strode into his Aviva Stadium media briefing full of the joys of spring after his Ireland team had defeated France 32-19 in a Guinness Six Nations classic. A frenetic half, which ended with the home side 22-16 ahead after thrill-a-minute exchanges, gave way to a much cagier second half where scores were at a premium until a 72nd-minute Garry Ringrose try decided the outcome.

ADVERTISEMENT

Ireland ultimately trumped the French on a four-one try count, restricting the visitors to just three points in the entire second half, but the royally entertaining first half was jammed with attacking action, including a tactic that left the Irish coach somewhat startled.

“It was a little bit surprising how they [France] went about their game in the first half, to be honest, as far as how much ball they played in and around halfway,” he explained with the dust having settled on a vibrant afternoon at Lansdowne Road that ended with Ireland on 10 points on the Six Nations table, ahead of second place Scotland on points difference.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

“They are normally very pragmatic as far as that is concerned. I don’t if that is anything to do with it [alleged French sloppiness] but wow, when you say they’re sloppy, I don’t necessarily agree with that term. You are always five seconds from someone doing something remarkable.

“As far as (Antoine) Dupont and the two wingers are concerned, I don’t know if anyone tackled them throughout the full 80 minutes, to be honest. Even I was exhausted – and I didn’t play the game. It was a top-end Test match. It was what everyone wanted and everyone got that. We are fortunate to come out on the right side of the scoreboard.”

Related

The victory was Ireland’s 19th in 21 matches since they lost to France in round two of the 2021 championship, justifying their No1 world ranking in the process. What most impressed Farrell about his team in getting the job done? “The character more than anything,” he enthused. “If we are talking about the bigger picture stuff, the fight, the want to cover each other’s back, to show the togetherness and the spirit that we know we have got.

“To show it to everyone else in world rugby, it was there to be seen. We could talk for hours in that regard of instances and people not playing too much rugby and coming back and putting in performances like that when the chips are really down in big games, it shows a lot of character.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The first half was wow, just end to end to stuff. We all hoped it would be like that and it certainly was end to end. Even though I thought field position-wise we controlled it pretty well in the end, it’s not over until it’s over, probably until the 78th minute or something like that when you’re thinking we have won a titanic game in that respect.

“Unbelievably proud of the lads, what they have been through the last three weeks. They dug in hard. It meant a lot to them today and they certainly showed that.”

Ireland had their squad depth tested by the need for their bench to bring the win home and it left Farrell recalling a conversation he had with skipper Johnny Sexton in Portugal when they were preparing for last weekend’s round one win over Wales. “I remember Johnny in Portugal, we got up to speed after a week and we had a training session, 15-on-15.

“The team was already picked and he got the lads in after the session and said, ‘You wouldn’t know which is the first team, the Irish team that is playing at the weekend’. That is where we are at, so therefore the belief is real and you actually get to a point where you are pleased that people are able to get an opportunity to see whether they can take it or not.

ADVERTISEMENT

“That is the stage we are at, we’re trying to find out about each other. So in that regard, there are a few injuries and a few people pulled out. But at the same time look at the strength of the bench coming on today. It’s a mark of where we are as a group.”

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 4 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 7 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.

30 Go to comments
A
Adrian 8 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

30 Go to comments
T
Trevor 11 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
FEATURE
FEATURE Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out Storm clouds gather over Biarritz with owner poised to bail out
Search