Six Nations Review - Ireland 13 - 13 France

"Anti-Climatic" is unfortunately a phrase which is being used all too often to describe encounters in this year's Six Nations tournament.  Think of the French in general, Italy's performance in Murrayfield after their opening day performance and the standard of beer being sold at Twickenham which, for the price, you would expect to be liquid gold.  Expectations haven't always been met, and that unfortunately leaves an aftertaste of disappointment behind in most circumstances – and that was probably never more evident than at the Aviva Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

A draw is a really pants result.  Very rarely, in rugby, will anybody be happy with a draw – even if you reached it by staging a remarkable comeback, it's always tainted by the knowledge that if you'd scored just one more point, hit one more conversion or a drop goal, you'd be walking off with the win.  Nobody ever stands tall and says proudly "I play to draw" – the game is all about winning, and occasionally losing in the pursuit of winning.  A draw means you don't get any wild celebrations from fans storming out of the stadium, with the supporters instead shuffling off home thinking how annoying it is they couldn't nick a win.  And this is exactly what it was like in Dublin on Sunday – an intense but scrappy game that could only yield a result that effectively halved the expectant Landsdowne Landlords' takings on Saturday night.

With both sides on a bit of a low, the pressure was well and truly on for the win.  The French were still without a victory, despite an improved showing against England, and Ireland had failed to build on an impressive performance in Wales, losing their next two games including a staggering reverse at Murrayfield.  The pressure and the conditions, with swirling rain and wind, meant that this was never likely to be an exhibition of free-flowing rugby – but what the Dublin faithful were treated to, in the early stages, was a brutal display of driving power from the Irish forwards.  They first gave a warning sign of their intent with a 15 metre rumble into French territory, with Sean O'Brien at the rear, before they repeated the trick closer to Les Bleus line, this time with Captain Jamie Heaslip crashing over.  It looked very ominous for the French, especially when young fly-half Paddy Jackson converted the try with a sweetly struck kick that was nowhere to be seen against Scotland.

If the Irish were looking the more hungry in the loose, it was the French who were causing the damage in the set piece and, following penalty misses from Jackson and Frederic Michalak, the scrum – led by Nicholas Mas and Thomas Domingo – smashed the green jerseys backwards to give their mercurial 10 an easier chance to get 3 points on the board, which he duly took.  Despite the brief reprieve for the visitors, they were having no joy elsewhere and it was the hosts who were playing all the rugby through an impressive power game, with Cian Healy, Peter O'Mahony and Mike McCarthy all making significant indents.  The pressure was forcing the French into mistakes and Jackson took advantage with another two penalties from long range to put the Irish into a what-seemed-comfortable 13 – 3 halftime lead, after Michalak missed another kick.

Something needed to change for the French if they were to overcome this Irish onslaught, and the first thing to change was Morgan Parra stepping in for Michalak at the kicking tee, where he slotted a 3 pointer to bring the French within a score.  Despite the carrot of a first Six Nations win for over a year, Les Bleus were struggling to create anything in attack – but they were helped by a series of unforced errors that were creeping into the Irish game and an increasingly dominant scrum that was gifting them territory.  It paid off when, following a 5 minute encampment on the French line, giant number 8 Louis Picamoles, who had yet another outstanding game, smashed over the whitewash in the corner to give Parra a chance to level the scores.  But what was this?  Parra, who had missed his last kick, did not step up to the tee – instead, it was Michalak.  Whatever you say about this guy, let it not be said he doesn't have serious cajones, as he landed a difficult kick under immeasurable pressure to level the scores.

The game may not have been free-flowing but it was a brutal contest full of drama, and there were chances for both sides late on.  Firstly, Picamoles just grounded the ball ahead of Keith Earls after an Irish kick through – although the replay showed Vincent Debaty may have helped the situation by leaning his not inconsiderable frame into Earls' path – and the French had a late attack that was gathering momentum until Michalak inexplicably kicked the ball away.

As the French supporters sighed with disappointment at that poor decision, they were joined by the groans of their Irish counterparts, who were denied a first win at home in the Six Nations this year.  And as the increasingly maligned figures of Declan Kidney and Philippe Saint Andre will tell you – a draw is no good for anyone.

Ireland Player Ratings

 

Kearney – 7 – Was strong under the high ball in difficult conditions and showed off his tactical kicking nous with an assured display.  Will want to forget about his drop goal attempt though.

McFadden – 5 – Did nothing wrong but it wasn't a day for wingers.  Saw nothing of his attacking prowess but he did a lot of work sweeping up kicks.
O'Driscoll – 6 – Manfully continued playing despite a huge smack to the head.  He defended well and one well placed grubber had the French reeling.  Hopefully it won't be his last game in Dublin.
L. Marshall – 6 – Not quite the fireworks of last week but got stuck in in defence, but very little opportunity with the ball in hand to impress.
Earls – 5 – Like his fellow winger, he was pretty anonymous, although he went about his defensive duties with minimal fuss and nearly got on the end of a kick in the dying stages to win the game.

Jackson – 7 – A much improved performance.  Looked calm and assured with the ball in hand and his two long range penalties were absolutely crucial.

Murray – 8 – A day where speed of thought was more important than the speed of pass, Murray gave his most mature display in an Ireland shirt, probing the corners and relieving a lot of the pressure off his young half-back partner
Healy – 6 – Very prominent in the loose with some thunderous carries but came off second best in the scrum – although he won't be the first one to lose out against a French scrum
Best – 6 – Decent showing from the Ulsterman, marshalling a solid lineout and getting through a decent amount of work in the loose.
Ross – 5 – Like Healy, struggled at scrum time but he lacked his fellow prop's punch and mobility around the park.  Ireland need to find some genuine competition for his spot
McCarthy – 8 – A couple of monster charges made a big difference in the rain and the lock was everywhere against France, putting in a punishing shift that was part of a pretty dominant Irish effort.  Man of the match.
Ryan – 7 – Like his second row partner, he had a brilliantly industrious game, but nearly ruined it with a stupid trip on Louis Picamoles, for which he was lucky not to get carded.
O'Mahony – 7 – A dynamic and aggressive performance that was a key factor in frightening the French backwards early on.  Faded as the game went on but a good all-round contribution.
O'Brien – Fantastically busy as always, some strong carries were key for his side getting over the gainline.  An absolute workhorse who is guaranteed a Lions spot.
Heaslip – 7 – The captain had his best game of the tournament, making useful yards on the carry and getting on the score sheet in the process.  He has a lot of ground to make up so he will have to prove this was not a one off.

Subs

Cronin – Not enough time to make an impact

O'Callaghan – Not enough time to make an impact
Henderson – Not enough time to make an impact
Reddan – 6 – Was brought on surprisingly for the excellent Connor Murray and looked to continue the good work before he suffered a serious injury
Madigan – Not enough time to make an impact
Fitzgerald – 5 – Not a game for the fleet footed winger, and could not make the difference he would have wanted to.

 

France Player Ratings

Huget – 8 – A fantastically composed performance at the back.  Took high ball after high ball with some spectacular takes and looked by far the most threatening of the Frence backs

Clerc – 5 – Utterly anonymous unfortunately, although, like his Irish counterparts, this wasn't his fault as he saw so little of the ball
Fritz – 6 – Got through his defensive duties with relish and was an aggressive presence to oppose the mighty O'Driscoll.  Saw next to nothing of the pill though.
Fofana – 6 – No magic this time round unfortunately.  Was well shackled by the Irish defence and the weather, but was a solid presence defensively in the midfield.
Medard – 5 – Not a happy return to the French side.  Isolated from the action and left to sweep up some good tactical kicking from the Irish half backs.
Michalak – 5 – Gets an extra point for his superb conversion late on, but was as tactically dumbstruck as ever with the ball in hand.  A game like this was never a time to be playing an instinctive player like Michalak.
Parra – 6 – Marshalled his troops well and led a recovery, with some good tactical kicking and an important penalty – why wasn't he kicking to start with?
Domingo – 7 – Some strong work in the scrum got the French field possession, and set off on a couple of decent rumbles as well.
Kayser – 7 – Another fine performance from the hooker, looking after a solid lineout and smashing into the contact whenever he had a chance.  A strong, abrasive figure.
Mas – 6 – The scrum went well but he was difficult to spot in other facets of play.  He needs to add to his all round game.  
Samson – 7 – Impressively combative performance without setting off any fireworks, the big lock showed off his workrate by making a massive 14 tackles.
Maestri – 6 – Not quite as prolific as his partner in defence, Maestri was still a solid presence in the set piece and contributed to a strong rear-guard effort.
Nyanga – 6 – Got around the park superbly well as always and threw himself into the breakdown, but didn't get his hands on the ball anywhere near enough times.
Dusautoir – 6 – The big flanker put in an improved display with a strong defensive effort, but it still seems like he isn't leading the side at times – especially when the going gets tough.
Picamoles – 8 – Yet another storming performance from the big number 8, never failing to make yards on the carry, which is what's key in games like this.  Saved a try as well.

Subs

Guirado – Not enough time to make an impact
Debaty – 6 – Perhaps not legally, but helped prevent a certain try.
Vahaamahina for Maestri – 6 – an improved impact by the massive lock, although I still feel he could throw his weight around even more.  May need to look at his body angles.
Claassen – Not enough time to make an impact
Bastareaud – Not enough time to make an impact