Ireland continued to stutter in the Six Nations, now going three matches without a win.
However there were some promising performances in this match, with Paddy Jackson restoring his reputation from the tee and the pack made an attempt to front up against their opponents. Id had Ireland to go down by a margin in this one so in that light the draw has to be seen as a good result.
The conditions proved to be the leveller in this game with both teams playing for territory early on. Ireland came out top in the kicking game, with Murray showing good form with his box kicks and ten minutes in a sliding grubber from O’Driscoll pinned France back on their own 5 meter line.
The Irish pack had been mauling well and the resulting lineout and maul led to Heaslip going over for the opening score after good work from McCarthy. Jackson added the extras and Ireland led 7 -0.
That was about it though as the game degenerated into a kicking competition as both teams kicked for territory looking to pick up scraps from mistakes. Ireland dominated the lineouts and France got the calls at the scrums and it . . .
You will need to log in or register to read the rest of this article. If you have not already registered you can click here to register.
In 2022 we added 102,631 new images in 510 galleries with a gallery breakdown of 263 Rugby, 217 Hockey and 30 Athletics. Your registration and subscription will help us to continue.
Thanks.
Corrections, comments or questions?