Three and a half months after the terrible disappointment in the quarter-finals of the World Cup at home against South Africa, the French XV returned to competition on Friday February 2. Opposed to Ireland, the Blues never saw the light of day, and conceded five tries to lose heavily 17-38. The XV of Clover leaves with the offensive bonus point before hosting Italy on February 11. France will travel to Scotland on February 10 (3:15 p.m.).
A messy and outdated XV of France
Taken by the entry throat by a very disciplined Clover XV, the Blues only existed in sequences for their entry into the Tournament. Imprecise in transmissions, clumsy in touch and hesitant on high balls, the French were dominated in the engagement by the Irish.
Damian Penaud and Paul Gabrillagues had their try, but the Irish each time put out the fire with a try straight away, notably with very good Gibson-Park and McCarthy.
Willem sees red
He had already received a reprieve a few minutes earlier when his yellow card for a facial tackle had not been transformed into a red. It didn’t last long. Repeat offender for a similar foul, Paul Willemse was sent off in the 32nd minute, leaving his teammates at 14 for 45 minutes.
The second row, who missed the World Cup due to injury, condemned the Blues’ chances with his excessive commitment. At 14, Fabien Galthié’s men were not unworthy but they logically gave in at the end of the match.
Antoine Dupont, an absence already visible
There is a French XV with and without Antoine Dupont. If his replacement Maxime Lucu has a CV that speaks in his favor, Dupont’s ability to play under pressure and his vision of the game were sorely lacking on Friday.
Opposite, the young Jack Crowley, who was supposed to try to forget Jonathan Sexton, who had retired, produced a rather clean score in the perfectly coordinated concert of the Irish.