Still a Step too far
The first game of the tournament could hardly have been better chosen: a chance for one of ‘The Four’ to take on and beat one of ‘The Two’ (England and France).
Gabrielle Vernier led the way out to celebrate her 50th. Not a game she will recall with pleasure though.
Ireland showed frailties at the start: Stacey Flood let a kick bounce twice before claiming it, then kicked it straight out; her side conceded a penalty. That isn’t how you defeat a higher-ranked opponent.
Madoussou Fall Raclot was prominent with three big carries. From behind a ruck Pauline Bourdon Sansus made the first of several lateral moves to the left to disrupt the defence. Vernier took an acute line on to her pass and was over at full stretch. Morgane Bourgeois was entrusted with the place-kicks. 0-7
The crowd cheered up as Aoife Wafer made her first drive to win a penalty. Even better, Aoife Dalton made a big break; quick support brought them inside the 5-metre line, but Dannah O’Brien’s cross-kick flew straight into touch. Was it the right call and would it prove expensive?
Ah, but Charlotte Escudero had swung an arm around Emily Lane’s neck. Holly Davidson was clear: the penalty advantage was over, so it was a French line-out to follow. (Would it have been the same decision in Edinburgh a few hours later?)
A spell of kick-tennis ended with a second kick straight into touch by Flood.
It was noticeable how the French were better able to ride tackles and gain more metres. Quick hands, especially by PBS on the floor, moved the ball right for Marine Ménager to add to her try-harvest. By contrast, Irish raids were spoilt by untidy links. 0-14
Yet they reacted well, winning two penalties to reach the French 22. Their policy was Attack! O’Brien aimed for the corner; it paid off. A clean line-out saw Wafer peel infield and drive straight through her opposing No.8, Teani Feleu. 5-14
An Irish advance from their 5-metre line to the French 22 was dramatic, but they couldn’t complete. Handling errors were mounting up. The French took over again, only to be thwarted by the Irish holding a drive up and winning a put-in in deep defence. They achieved two turnovers to allow Flood at last to clear their lines.
On the half-hour there was more panic defence by the hosts. They got away with a 5-metre scrum, but Bourgeois potted a penalty to extend the lead. 5-17
Just before the break O’Brien conjured her best kick of the match, rolling it into touch where it almost kissed the flagpole.
I’m afraid it all ended in frustration. The Irish battered at the line, but the pack couldn’t find a way through, then, when the ball was spread, Neve Jones dropped a likely pass.
Half-time 5-17
The good news for Ireland was France’s inability to stamp their authority on the game. A 12-point gap is chicken-feed these days.
But a prime chance went begging. Dalton won another fine turnover, Anna McGann escaped, but an inside pass to Eve Higgins didn’t find its target.
We were now treated to an extended show of kicking, from Flood, O’Brien, Bourgeois and Carla Arbez, who was obviously under orders to hoof the ball as far and as often as possible.
A promising spell from Ireland led to the biggest drama of the day thus far (there was to be plenty more in Edinburgh). Vernier was found guilty of a head-on-head contact with Higgins. Davidson awarded a yellow and crossed her arms above her head. Vernier knew at once she was at fault and at once made a gesture of contrition. Higgins left for an HIA, but returned later.
An almighty drive by the Irish pack (with help from their sisters) brought a try to Neve Jones.
They were full of confidence now, the ball really buzzing. 10-17
The bunker review decided RED! So Vernier will likely miss a chunk of the series. Ireland spoiled another big move with a final dropped pass. As Higgins returned, PBS went off, also for an HIA which she survived.
Both sides went on making unforced errors. More kick-tennis saw the point won by les Bleues, but the next moment Ambre Mwayembe, only just on, lifted a leg dangerously high to concede a penalty and waste another chance.
Though Ireland were attacking with vim, the handling errors mounted up, reaching ten by the three-quarter mark.
More good aggression did bring its reward. Wafer scored her second try from an attacking line-out, and the crowd roared. 15-17
From here the game slipped away. Bourgeois took another penalty (15-20), then a kick straight out by Enya Breen proved costly. A beautifully conceived move, full of links and jinks, gave Emilie Boulard a try, and a win was beyond reach.
In the long run, that final score may prove significant: France gained a bonus, Ireland missed a loser’s bonus.
Result: Ireland 15 France 27
Player of the Match: Teani Feleu
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Attendance: 6.976
Teams:
Ireland
1 O’Dowd 2 N. Jones 3 Djougang 4 Campbell 5 Wall 6 Hogan 7 King 8 Wafer 9 Lane 10 O’Brien 11 Costigan (captain) 12 Higgins 13 Dalton 14 McGann 15 Flood
16 Moloney 17 McCarthy, 18 Haney, 19 Moore, 20 Tuite, 21 McMahon, 22 Reilly, 23 Breen
France
1 Brosseau 2 Sochat 3 Bernadou 4 M. Feleu (co-captain) 5 Fall Raclot 6 Escudero 7 Okemba 8 T. Feleu 9 Bourdon Sansus 10 Arbez 11 Llorens Vignères 12 Vernier 13 Konde 14 M. Ménager (co-captain) 15 Bourgeois
16 Bigot 17 Mwayembe 18 Joyeux 19 Berthoumieu 20 Champon 21 Chambon 22 Queyroi 23 Boulard
Note: 11 and 14 switched positions from the original list.
Afterthoughts
Once again Ireland proved how much they have improved, closing the gap on the top two. But victory remains elusive. Their linking let them down at crucial moments; they scored from excellent driving mauls, but failed with others.
Les Bleues had a lot to prove; they did gain their win, but once more couldn’t put the opposition away with a flourish. The red made a difference, but only for 20 minutes.
