Two bonus-point wins from two. Ireland march on in their quest for a Grand Slam:
THE FINAL BLOW was stunning, just like pretty much everything that preceded it.
Andy Farrell’s men played some sublime rugby. There was a contentious try for James Lowe but even that effort was memorable. Andrew Porter smashed over from close-range, while fullback Hugo Keenan finished a stunning set-piece strike from a first-half goal-line drop-out. It could even have been a bigger Irish win as Farrell’s side were held up over the tryline no less than four times. But France played their part in this absorbing battle, with Damien Penaud producing a stunning first-half try.
But Ireland finished off the goal-line drop-off as Farrell’s men rolled out an old Joe Schmidt dummy loop play close to the ruck, Finlay Bealham showing deft skills to feint a return pass to Murray before popping back inside to the late-arriving Keenan. Ireland’s 15 had support but finished pacily between Ntamack and Ramos.
The French could have called foul there, but they should have been down to 14 men when Atonio’s high tackle made contact with Herring’s head. It was a truly thunderous hit but Barnes somehow opted for only yellow, feeling that the contact had been with the chest too. It was a questionable call. Herring was forced off for a HIA he didn’t return from.
Ireland had a frustrating turnover in the French 22 early in the second half, with France soon earning another penalty through jackal extraordinaire Julien Marchand. This time, Ramos’ long-range effort dropped under the crossbar.
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