Ireland no match for France's second-half surge

The wait for Ireland's first ever Women's Six Nations win in France will continue, as Ireland suffered more second-half pain against Les Bleues in Clermont-Ferrand.

Scott Bemand’s side were beaten 26-7 after their hosts recovered from yet another slow start to inflict yet another crushing, but thrilling defeat on Scott Bemand’s side.

Having come so close to winning in this fixture twice in the last year, Ireland had reason to be confident as they travelled to Stade Marcel-Michelin, and for a while they looked the dominant side.

Just as they were in last year’s World Cup quarter-final though, they were left to rue a number of missed chances in the first half, going into the half-time break level at 7-7, when in reality they should have been out of sight.

They had 61% possession and 73% territory in that opening half and crossed the line five times.

On three separate occasions they had scores correctly chalked off by the TMO, with Brittany Hogan, Fiona Tuite and Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald all having tries ruled out, while Hogan was also held up over the line in the opening minutes.

Moloney-MacDonald grabbed their only try of the game (above), which briefly had them 7-0 in front, before Ambre Mwayembe’s try, converted by the outstanding Carla Arbez, levelled it up with France’s only real chance of the first half.

Francois Ratier’s side had produced their best work in the second half in their first two games, and so it proved again at Stade Marcel-Michelin, as tries from Arbez, Anais Grando and Lea Chambon slowly wore Ireland down.

O’Brien missed touch with the penalty, but it wasn’t long before Ireland were on the attack once again, Tuite making the initial break, only for Hogan to be held up over the line.

France kept coughing up penalties, allowing Ireland access to the 22, and when Robyn O’Connor scampered down the left wing, Hogan crossed the line for a second time in the opening 10 minutes, although this time her potential try was ruled out for a double-movement.

Ireland had been playing with penalty advantage though, and when they kicked that to touch, they finally got their reward as Tuite claimed the lineout and they mauled their way over to score through Moloney-MacDonald, converted by O’Brien for a deserved 7-0 lead.

It was a score that woke France up, and a penalty against Ireland saw Pauline Bourdon-Sansus take a quick tap to bring her side up to the 22, and while Ireland dealt with the initial wave of the attack, a penalty allowed the hosts a second chance, as loosehead Ambre Mwayembe powered over the line, with Carla Arbez’s conversion levelling the game on 15 minutes.

More French pressure followed, but Moloney-MacDonald came up with a jackal turnover in her own 22, before Ireland should have extended their lead on 21 minutes, a second try ruled out by the TMO.

Ellena Perry had found Dorothy Wall running a sensational diagonal line at the edge of the 22, and she pierced the French defence before offloading to her second row partner Tuite, whose try was somehow held up by a miraculous last-ditch Arbez tackle.

The French penalties continued to rack up, conceding eight in the opening 28 minutes of the game, and from the latest of those Ireland went back to the corner and back to their maul, which was stopped just short of the line before Moloney-MacDonald appeared to burrow over and score – but for the third time Ireland saw a try chalked off by the TMO after an Emily Lane knock-on in the build-up, leaving the game level at 7-7 after a first half which had been dominated by the visitors.

France, though, had been a second half team in this championship, with 66 of their 78 points in the opening two rounds coming after the break, and they started the second half in ominous fashion as they ran at the Irish defence.

First, Arbez sliced into the 22, before Ireland won a turnover, but Lea Murie then broke through again, and it took an exceptional Dalton tackle to eventually force the French into touch, but it would only be a brief reprieve as a penalty against Ireland welcomed them back for a third effort, with Arbez eventually stepping inside King for a try, which she converted herself to make it 14-7.

Just before that try, Bemand went to his bench, making five changes at once, and among them was Eve Higgins, who made an instant impact with two powerful carries, the second of which earned Ireland a penalty on 58 minutes.

Eager to get points on the board, O’Brien called for the kicking tee, but her strike from a central position, 35 metres out, drifted to the left and wide.

As Ireland went looking for a score, their handling became loose, and on 62 minutes a Stacey Flood pass hit the deck at the edge of the French 22, before the visitors pounced to break, with a series of offloads getting them deep into Irish territory, but a crossfield kick from Bourdon-Sansus went just too far into touch, much to the relief of Anna McGann, who was covering back.

By now, Ireland were clinging on for dear life, and when France broke down the left wing on 67 minutes through Alexandra Chambon, they worked their way through the phases to suck in the defence, before quick hands out wide put Grando over in the corner, and although Arbez couldn’t maintain her 100% record off the tee, the 19-7 scoreline gave France a comfortable buffer.

And with two minutes left to play, they wrapped up their dominant second half display with the bonus-point score, Chambon crossing the line after a sustained period of pressure, and reminding Ireland they have a way to go before they break into the Six Nations’ top two.

France: Tries: Ambre Mwayembe, Carla Arbez, Anais Grando, Lea Chambon
Ireland: Tries: Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald
France: Pauline Barrat; Anais Grando, Aubane Rousset, Téani Feleu, Léa Murie; Carla Arbez, Pauline Bourdon-Sansus; Ambre Mwayembe, Mathilde Lazarko, Assia Khalfaoui; Kiara Zago, Madoussou Fall Raclot; Axelle Berthoumieu, Manaé Feleu (capt), Léa Champon.

Replacements: Élisa Riffonneau (for Lazarko, 60), Yllana Brosseau (for Mwayembe, 65), Rose Bernadou (for Khalfaoui, 65), Cloé Correa (for Fall-Raclot, 69), Siobhan Soqeta (for Berthoumieu, 49), Charlotte Escudero (for Zago, 40), Alexandra Chambon (for Bourdon-Sansus, 68), Lina Queyroi (for Barrat, 63).

Ireland: Stacey Flood; Béibhinn Parsons, Nancy McGillivray, Robyn O'Connor; Dannah O'Brien, Emily Lane; Ellena Perry, Clíodhna Moloney-MacDonald; Dorothy Wall, Fiona Tuite; Brittany Hogan, Erin King (capt), Aoife Wafer.

Replacements: Neve Jones (for Moloney-MacDonald, 48), Niamh O’Dowd (for Perry, 48), Eilís Cahill (for Djougang, 70), Sam Monaghan (for Hogan, 48), Ruth Campbell (for Wall, 59), Katie Whelan (for Lane, 79), Eve Higgins (for McGillivray, 48), Anna McGann (for O’Connor, 48).