The tournament saved the best for last as Ireland took home the trophy in a nail-biting match that had all the tension and drama we had hoped for. France displayed far more urgency on attack and smashed forward through Mathieu Bastareaud time and again, and though the Irish defense creaked and cracked, they scrambled well and in the end did just enough to hold out. Jonny Sexton missed two relatively straightforward shots at goal but redeemed himself with two tries before going off concussed.
Brian O’Driscoll must have been counting the minutes to his international retirement as he and Gordon D’Arcy were given the unenviable task of containing the rampaging Bastareaud. They didn’t really manage, getting bounced off on numerous occasions, but they did slow him down enough for the cavalry to arrive. Still, it was heavy treading and Ireland needed more than a little luck to make it through to the end.
Jean-Marc Doussain could have won it for France with a penalty goal only a few minutes from time, a kick Maxime Machenaud, had he been left on, would surely have made. He missed, much to the chagrin of Philippe Saint-André, and then a forward pass from Pascal Papé to Damien Chouly with a certain try on offer exacerbated French frustration. Just when it seemed another penalty was on the cards from the final scrum, the ball miraculously came out and giant Sebastien Vaha’amahina was met by Devin Toner and Chris Henry, with Paul O’Connell arriving quickly to seal off the ball and with it the championship.
With that O’Driscoll has what has eluded so many others, a fairy tale finish, though his personal performance on the day probably wasn’t quite what he had envisioned. He and D’Arcy have been an institution in the midfield for a decade but the time is now for Joe Schmidt to find an entirely new midfield pairing. Replacing their talismanic presence will not be as easy, but he can at least lean on Paul O’Connell for the time being.
France have finished where they were expected to, mid-table, though their mid-tourney showings were confounding. Saint-André seems no closer to settling on his best side than when it began, and as a result the team lacks a sense of identity. The proposition of a three-match series against a surging Wallabies side is not an inviting one. For fans of Les Bleus, the troubled times are set to continue.
FRANCE 20 vs 22 IRELAND
Saturday, March 15, 17:00 GMT, Paris
SCORING
02 mins – M. Machenaud pen 3-0
14 mins – M. Machenaud pen 6-0
21 mins – J. Sexton try 6-5
25 mins – A. Trimble try 6-10
26 mins – J. Sexton con 6-12
31 mins – B. Dulin try 11-12
32 mins – M. Machenaud con 13-12
47 mins – J. Sexton try 13-17
48 mins – J. Sexton con 13-19
52 mins – J. Sexton pen 13-22
63 mins – D. Szarzewski try 18-22
64 mins – M. Machenaud con 20-22
FRANCE
B. Dulin; Y. Huget, M. Bastareaud, G. Fickou (M. Mermoz 76), M. Médard; R. Talès, M. Machenaud (J.M. Doussain 67); T. Domingo (V. Debaty HT), D. Szarzewski (G. Guirado 68), N. Mas (R. Slimani 36); P. Papé (capt.), Y. Maestri (A. Flanquart 53); L. Picamoles (S. Vaha’amahina 66), A. Lapandry (W. Lauret 76), D. Chouly.
IRELAND
R. Kearney; A. Trimble, B. O’Driscoll, G. D’Arcy (F. McFadden 67), D. Kearney; J. Sexton (I. Madigan 68), C. Murray (E. Reddan 64); C. Healy (J. McGrath 70), R. Best (S. Cronin 70), M. Ross (M. Moore 64); D. Toner, P. O’Connell (capt.); P. O’Mahony (I. Henderson 64), C. Henry, J. Heaslip.
Referee: S. Walsh (ARU)
Assistants: W. Barnes (RFU) & M. Mitrea (FIR)
TMO: G. Simmonds (WRU)
