Ireland suffer 50 point thrashing despite player advantage
IRELAND 3
FRANCE 53
Daire Walsh
Despite playing a large portion of the action with an extra player, Ireland ultimately suffered a chastening defeat at the hands of France in the Women’s Six Nations Championship at Musgrave Park yesterday.
The red card issued to Annaelle Deshayes in the 21st minute appeared on paper to be a significant boost, but the gulf in quality between these teams was evident either side of the French prop’s dismissal.
Roared on by a largely partisan crowd, Ireland began the game brightly with Dorothy Wall and Sam Monaghan carrying strongly into the French half. Teenage fly-half Dannah O’Brien also used her left boot to good effect during the early exchanges, but Les Bleus inevitably worked their way into the contest.
Following an extended spell inside the Irish ’22’, Pauline Bourdon moved the ball into a central area for team captain Audrey Forlani to crash over for a ninth-minute try. Although Bourdon was wide of the mark off the resulting conversion, France swiftly increased their advantage.
Fresh from scoring a crucial five-pointer against Italy in the opening round, Caroline Boujard capitalised on Irish hesitancy off an awkward bouncing ball to secure her side’s second try. It was beginning to look ominous for Greg McWilliams’ charges at this juncture, but there was a sudden lifeline for Ireland when opposition front-row Deshayes was given her marching orders for a high tackle on Deirbhile Nic a Bháird just the past first-quarter mark.
Ireland subsequently got points on the board when O’Brien slotted a 22-metre penalty between the uprights, but a numerical deficiency did little to curb France’s attacking threat. Bourdon got through under the posts for a superbly-worked try on 26 minutes and also blocked down O’Brien’s attempted clearance to cross over for a bonus score six minutes later.
The Toulouse scrum half could have grabbed a hat-trick towards the end of the opening period, but unselfishly picked out Gabrielle Vernier instead for a simple finish in the left corner.
The spirit of the home team couldn’t be questioned though and they initially dominated possession and territory on the restart. Yet whereas a clinical edge was lacking whenever Ireland ventured into the French ’22’, their opponents were ruthlessly efficient off their attacking opportunities.
Hooker Agathe Sochat broke free off a driving maul for France’s sixth try and Montpellier winger Cyrielle Banet also touched down in routine fashion on the right wing with just under an hour gone on the clock.
The sin-binning of full back Meabh Deely for a dangerous challenge on Banet meant the teams temporarily had 14 players each and France pounced with tries from Vernier and No 8 Charlotte Escudero to convincingly seal a 50-point triumph.
Scorers: Ireland: Pens D O’Brien (22 mins). France: Tries P Bourdon (26, 32), G Vernier (35, 71), A Forlani (9), C Boujard (13), A Sochat (55), C Banet (59), C Escudero (75). Cons M Bourgeois 2, J Trémoulière 2
Ireland M Deely; A Doyle (L Delany 73), A Dalton, V Irwin (A McGann 51), N Behan; D O’Brien, M Scuffil-McCabe (E Swords 51); L Djougang (K Buggy 73), N Jones (C Nielson 76), C Haney (S McGrath 56); N Fryday (H O’Connor 73), S Monaghan; D Wall, G Moore (B Hogan 56), D Nic a Bháird.
France M Bourgeois; C Banet, M Ménager (M Dupouy 60), G Vernier, C Boujard; C Armez (J Trémoulière 51), P Bourdon (A Chambon 58); A Deshayes, A Sochat (E Riffonneau 64), C Joyeux (A Khalfaoui 56); M Feleu, A Forlani (M Picut 67); A Berthoumieu (C Lindelauf 24), E Gros (G Hermet 51), C Escudero.
Referee H Davidson (Scotland).