World Cup quarter-final: Ireland 13 France 18
So much effort for so much frustration. Ireland achieved their primary goal of a quarter-final place and there was no shame in this defeat. Indeed, you could only admire their collective guts and character, yet regrets, they’ll have plenty, for Ireland had enough of this game to beat a fitful, if resilient, French side.
So, no second semi-final for Ireland, rather a seventh for the French, which perhaps gave them the inner belief to prevail.
Ireland had 65 per cent territory, 66 per cent possession and made a dozen visits to the French 22, as opposed to just two by Les Bleus. The French also had that fraction more X factor, as evidence by their stunning 90-metre match-winning try by winger Joanna Grissez, and they also extracted more from the bench.
In truth, despite the stronger scrum, a productive lineout and maul, and a stunning return by Aoife Wafer, who gave Ireland the kind of go-forward ball which they had notably lacked against New Zealand, their attack again looked a tad too predictable and repetitive.
RM Block
Sam Monaghan had a big game and the midfield of Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton also carried very well, but Ireland’s pacy wingers remained stationed outside and largely went underused.
It was clear literally from the French kick-off into a stiff wind just how much of a bearing the conditions would have on the game. From Monaghan’s take and just one recycle Dannah O’Brien dropped into the pocket to take Aoibheann Reilly’s pass, slide onto her left and hammer the ball downfield to the acres of space between the two French defenders in the back field.
And so the pattern was set. O’Brien’s left boot and the wind firmly pinning France in their own half, ultimately claiming 81 per cent of the territory by the interval.
France weren’t helped by their poor catching in the backfield and this quickly manifested itself when number eight Charlotte Escudero failed to catch the first O’Brien punt and touching down after clearly tipping the ball en route to the in-goal area.
They even lined up for a goal line restart before South African referee Aimee Barrett-Theron belatedly signalled a five-metre Irish scrum. The ball was turned over by both sides in turn and O’Brien had converted Monaghan’s finish before the TMO Ian Tempest alerted the referee to an apparent fumble by Wafer in winning the loose ball.
In any event, the Irish scrum and mauls both earned penalties. This led to a trick play off a tap penalty five metres out, Niamh O’Dowd taking before Linda Djougang plunged through the tackle of Lina Queyroi to score, the only disappointment being that O’Brien’s conversion was blown off course.
Although one of Hogan’s kicks drifted over the endline, the French looked shaky in the conditions, as evidenced by Queyroi’s unsure catching in the backfield and three basic handling errors. Aoife Dalton, quietly effective as ever, ripped the ball back after an O’Brien grubber before French tighthead Rose Bernadou suffered the double blow of a yellow card and a failed HIA for a high hit on Brittany Hogan.
Helpfully for Ireland, Gaby Vernier fumbled an overthrow from Neve Jones. From the ensuing five-metre scrum, Eve Higgins carried strongly before Wafer charged onto Reilly’s pass and burst through one tackle in carrying to within a metre of the line.
The halves then shifted quick ruck ball on for Stacey Flood to take Queyroi’s tackle and finish. Although this narrowed the conversion angle a little, O’Brien’s kick was still blown off course.
The outhalf extended Ireland’s lead to 13-0 with a 35-metre scrum penalty, but this didn’t seem an adequate lead into the second-half, particularly after France repelled a 35-phase attack with the clock in the red despite Manae Feleu’s yellow card for pulling down a maul.
After the restart, Morgane Bourgeois, whose goal-kicking had been critical in France’s Six Nations win over Ireland in Belfast in March, opened the French account from 40 metres after another Irish scrum penalty was overturned for Reilly tackling a player off the ball.
Ireland retained their 10-point lead until nearing the hour mark, when the newly introduced Grace Moore was yellow-carded for a high hit on Vernier. After Madoussou Fall Raclot carried hard off the tap penalty, Sansus switched direction off the recycle for Escudero to score with a strong out and in line. Bourgeois also landed a fine conversion.
Ireland still seemed well set, and were attacking deep inside the French 22 when replacement hooker Manon Bigot stole turnover ball on the ground under France’s posts. In a flash, she fed Escudero, and Marine Ménager broke out and released Joanna Grisez.
There was no player Les Bleus would rather on the end of the counter, and the pacy winger sped up the touchline on the outside from her own half, keeping Amee-Leigh Costigan at just enough of a distance before stepping inside Béibhinn Parsons to score her 12th try in as many Tests.
Bourgeois added a 76th-minute penalty and although French ill-discipline saw Alexandra Chambon incur their third yellow card, and afforded Ireland two more attacking penalties to the corner, Maneu Feleu did enough to deflect an Irish throw and force the game’s final turnover.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 6 mins: Djougang try 5-0; 24: Flood try 10-0; 37: O’Brien pen 13-0; Half-time 13-0; 48: Bourgeois pen 13-3; 59: Escudero try, Bourgeois con 13-10; 67: Grisez try 13-15; 76: Bourgeois pen 13-18
IRELAND: S Flood; B Parsons, A Dalton, E Higgins, A Leigh Costigan; D O’Brien, A Reilly; N O’Dowd, N Jones, L Djougang; R Campbell, S Monaghan (capt); F Tuite, A Wafer, B Hogan.
Replacements: G Moore for Hogan, E Perry for O’Dowd (both 58 mins), C Moloney MacDonald for Jones, E Corri-Fallon for Monaghan (both 66).
YC: Moore (59 mins).
FRANCE: M Bourgeois; J Grisez, M Menager, G Vernier, K Arbey, Kelly Arbey; L Queyroi, P Bourdon Sansus; Y Brosseau, A Gerin, R Bernadou; M Feleu (capt), M Fall Raclot; A Berthoumieu, L Champon, C Escudero.
Replacements: A Khalfaoui for Berthoumieu (21-29 mins, HIA) and Bernadou (29), A Deshaye for Brosseau (46), S Okemba for Berthoumieu (52), M Bigot for Gerin (66), T Feleu for Berthoumieu, A Chambon for Bourdon Sansus (both 76), E Boulard for Queyroi (78).
YC: Bernadou (18 mins), Feleu (41), Chambon (79).
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (SA).
