Women’s Six Nations: France 26 Ireland 7
Ireland were up for this. How could they not be, with talk of revenge for last year’s World Cup defeat front and centre all week.
Physicality and heart were not lacking from this group. Instead, they failed to display a clinical edge, an ability to take opportunities that presented. Combine that with France’s superior depth and the home side ended up with a comfortable enough victory.
A narky, just about legally violent affair started with a brute of an Aoife Wafer carry. It was the first of many shuddering collisions.
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Off the ball, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Emily Lane and Anna McGann all were involved in, not quite skirmishes, but opposition interactions that showed there is no love lost between two sides.
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Last year, the rain ensured whichever team won more collisions would take the spoils. Saturday brought a dry evening to Clermont’s Stade Marcel Michelin, but the outcome was markedly similar. Led by the power of Madoussou Fall Raclot, Ambre Mwayebe and co, France were too strong, won too many collisions, threw too many offloads and played with too much speed.
Ireland were more than competitive. Still, a lack of deception in their attack was noticeable. The creativity required once route one failed never materialised.
Moloney-MacDonald’s first-half maul score saw Ireland take the lead. That would be that as far as troubling the scorers was concerned. Mwayebe levelled when powering over before half-time. After the break, Carla Arbez, Anais Grando and Lea Champon cashed in on the pack dominance to add a sheen of comfort to the final scoreline.
Not that Ireland failed to trouble their hosts. Far from it. An early yellow card for wing Grando came in a moment of panic, quick ball and powerful carries from Wafer and Moloney-MacDonald creating an overlap that saw the French wing illegally slap down a Dannah O’Brien pass.
Attacking against 14, Ireland kept things narrow. Brittany Hogan was held up before seeing a try ruled out for double movement. Moloney-MacDonald ultimately made the numerical advantage account as a slow, rumbling maul fell over the line.
If it weren’t for further TMO interventions – correct ones, it should be said – maybe the post-match tone would be altogether different. Fiona Tuite thought she had scored after a lovely Dorothy Wall offload, only for the officials to spot that, somehow, Grando had managed to hold the ball up. Moloney-MacDonald had what she thought was her second try chalked off, a spill from Emily Lane spotted at the base of the previous ruck.
The end result was a inefficiency inside the 22 that, ultimately, was in stark contrast to a ruthless French edge. Despite the number of Irish opportunities, France were level at the break. Mwayebe barged over from close range on one of the few occasions the home attack entered its flow state. Fall Raclot dominated collisions. As did Axelle Berthoumieu – hungry for impact after seeking a different type of nourishment the last time these sides met.
In truth, France’s forays into the 22 looked more threatening, such was the speed of ball and superior athleticism in the collision. Erin King, alongside Moloney-MacDonald, put up a strong defensive breakdown rearguard.
If France initially struggled for regular ball inside Irish territory, the second half quickly rectified that. Arbez could well have scored if not for a last-ditch Stacey Flood tackle. The fullback was called into action again with a shot that brought play into touch. These interventions bordered on heroic but the speed of France’s play combined with their offload ability was starting to look ominous.
So it proved. Ten minutes after the break, Arbez danced her way over after her forwards softened up the Irish defence. It was a crippling blow, a psychological one as much as physical, the score coming just seconds after Scott Bemand made five changes in one go in a bid to control momentum. France saw the raise and still played a strong hand.
The squeeze never let up, the power of the French replacement pack proving mighty effective. Grando capitalised with a straightforward wide finish as the clock ticked towards 70, before number eight Champon secured a bonus point as the game came to its conclusion.
Ireland may well feel that they weren’t three scores worse than France on the night. Yet the manner in which the hosts absorbed Ireland’s best punches before half-time before bending the game to their will may suggest otherwise.
There is still a gap between these two sides. Albeit it has shrunk to the point that this is now a proper rivalry.
Scoring sequence – 11 mins: Moloney-MacDonald try, O’Brien con 0-7; 16: Mwayebe try, Arbez con 7-7; Half-time 7-7; 51: Arbez try, con 14-7; 68: Grando try, 19-7; 79: Champon try, Arbez con 26-7.
FRANCE: Pauline Barrat; Anais Grando, Aubane Rousset, Téani Fealu, Léa Muri; Carla Arbez, Pauline Bourdon Sansus; Ambre Mwayebe, Mathilde Lazarko, Assia Khalfaoui; Kiara Zago, Madoussou Fall Raclot; Axelle Berthoumieu, Manae Feleu (capt), Léa Champon. Replacements: Charlotte Escudero for Zago (half-time), Siobhan Soqeta for Berthoumieu (50), Elisa Riffoneau for Lazaro (60), Lina Queyroi for Barrat (64), Yilana Brosseau for Mqayembe, Rose Bernadou for Khalfaoui (both 66), Alexandra Chambon for Bourdon Sansus, Cloé Correa for Fall Raclot (both 69).
Yellow card: Pauline Barrat (3 mins)
IRELAND: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Aoife Dalton, Nancy McGillivray, Robyn O’Connor; Dannah O’Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald, Linda Djougang; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer. Replacements: Neve Jones for Moloney MacDonald, Niamh O’Dowd for Perry, Sam Monaghan for Hogan, Eve Higgins for McGillivray, Anna McGann for O’Connor (all 49 mins), Ruth Campbell for Wall (59), Eilís Cahill for Djougang (71), Katie Whelan for Lane (80).
Referee: Clara Munarini (Italy)
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