Anyone who has ever been to Ireland can confirm this. Green Erin is an unpredictable land. Just like its climate, which legend has it that you are entitled to all the facets in one day. In Dublin, the XV of France experienced it at its expense, Saturday February 11. If the sky remained mild above the Aviva Stadium, the French thought they had touched a corner of blue sky, before seeing it swept away by an Irish downpour. At the end of the shock at the top of the Six Nations Tournament, which kept all its promises, Ireland won at home against France (32-19).
Until the 71e minute, when center Garry Ringrose scored the fourth Irish try, synonymous with an offensive bonus for the Clover XV, the outcome of the game remained uncertain. “Until then, there [avait] match “, insisted the tricolor coach, Fabien Galthié, after the game. And what a game. Opposition between the two first nations in the world – a first in the Six Nations -, the meeting was high-flying, offering the spectators of the Aviva Stadium a breathtaking spectacle, especially in the first period. With its element of unpredictability, as in the first Irish clearance, which finds the “spidercam” (camera in the air) suspended above the stadium.
After less than half an hour of play, four tries had been scored, including a daring raise in the 22 blue meters of Damian Penaud, at the origin and at the conclusion of the action. Even in the stands, we began to catch our breath, as the meeting, feverish, kept its promises. Those of a permanent confrontation punctuated by brilliant actions – like the first Irish try, signed by the back Hugo Keenan, who took advantage of a subtle feint of his right pillar to rush into a breach of the defense French. “We won a titanic match”, recognized the coach of the XV of Clover, Andy Farrell. The British technician wanted to send a message, insisting on “strength of character” of his troops: “We wanted to show it to everyone in rugby. »
Irish exploit French mistakes
In the front rows, the Blues have “seen”. “It was very hard, it’s a very high level teamobserved Gaël Fickou, the captain of the French defense. We took up the challenge in the fight, but we played a little too much on our side, we exposed ourselves a little too much. » And Ireland, led by the metronome Johnny Sexton, perfectly exploited the opposing errors, which the XV of Clover largely contributed to cause. “We make three mistakes, and they score three triesregretted the third line Gregory Alldritt. To beat this kind of teams, you have to be very precise and rigorous for eighty minutes. »
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