Ireland left the Stade Aimé Giral bruised, battered and with a nagging disappointment that they contributed to their downfall to a far greater extent that would be acceptable. France were worthy winners, scoring eight tries, possessing a surfeit of power, pace and guile that enabled them to play some cracking rugby.
However, they would not have anticipated Ireland’s largesse, dispensed in the form of 19 penalties conceded, one free kick and two yellow cards. It proved an insurmountable handicap. There were times when the transgressions came on foot of pressure, but there were more than half a dozen for sloppy offsides, which is eminently controllable.
It was a pity because there were times when Andrew Browne’s side put together some fine passages of play, led by the hard-charging Dylan McNeice and flanker Josh Neill in a pack that generally excelled individually and collectively. Especially in the set piece, a highlight of which was sending the French scrum backwards at a rate of knots.
Further out, centre Johnny O’Sullivan and the excellent Derry Moloney showed off good footwork on the sporadic occasions the ball came their way. Scrumhalf Christopher Barrett crossed for two tries, Neill Ireland’s other try scorer, as he burrowed over from close range.
At 48 minutes Ireland trailed 31-21, had momentum but their chances unravelled as they continued to succumb to bouts of indiscipline. The visitors handed over access to their 22, which they could ill afford as the French maul was utterly dominant and a conduit for over half their tries.
All the French side has played in either the Top 14 of Pro D2 and that physical hardness, allied to the speed of thought and deed, was appreciable. Ireland leaked five first-half tries, two after losing number eight Diarmuid O’Connell to a yellow card; a marginal call.
The other bugbear for the visitors was their inability to deal with high balls, a weakness that caused them all manner of problems from handing the home side possession, or worse, on a couple of occasions, penalties.
Ireland scrumhalf Christopher Barrett scores one of his two tries in Perpignan. Photograph: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho
When they did manage to get into their flow, the young Irish side demonstrated the quality that lies within, crossing for two tries, the first created by Neill after regathering his block down, and the second he scored from close range.
But that lack of control and game management surfaced again in first-half injury time when they conceded a fifth try in the opening 40 minutes, gift-wrapped by error and yet another transgression, which handed France the field position to launch a successful power surge for the try line.
The discipline continued to be a real issue on the restart, and South African referee Christopher Allison gave Irish captain Sami Bishti a final warning. To their credit, when the visitors brought direction and composure to their patterns, they did string together some decent passages of play, one of which led to a second try for scrumhalf Barrett. Tom Wood tagged on his third conversion.
That proved to be a tipping point. The remainder of the contest largely belonged to the home side in terms of territory and possession. France summoned the bench and the energy and dynamism they provided, particularly La Rochelle’s Lucas Andjissermatchi, re-established the home side’s stranglehold on the game. Ireland continued to concede penalties in clusters and as a result rarely escaped their 22, as French outhalf Luka Keletoana drilled the ball into the corners.
Wing Melvyn Rates, Andjissermatchi and Baptiste Veschambre scored a try apiece as the defending Six Nations champions reached a half century of points.
Ireland have players to come back from injury later in the tournament, a couple who would be starters, but until then there are things that they can work on and improve the collective. There is potential in the group but only if they absorb the lessons from Perpignan.
SCORING SEQUENCE – 11 mins: Drault try, 5-0; 13: Barrett try, Wood con, 5-7; 24: Pargade try, 10-7; 26: Bonnard Martin try, L Keletaona con, 17-7; 30: Latrasse try, L Keletaona con, 24-7; 36: Neill try, Wood con, 24-14; 40 (+1): Frisach try, L Keletaona con, 31-14. Half-time: 31-14. 48: Barrett try, Wood con, 31-21; 51: Rates try, L Keletaona con, 38-21; 62: Andjissermatchi try, L Keletaona con, 45-21; 80 (+1): Veschambre try, 50-21.
FRANCE: A Guillaud; D Cazemajou, A Drault, Q Valentino, M Rates; L Keletaona, N Couillaud; M Frisach, Y Basse, R Pargade; B Veschambre, N Punti; M Marzullo (capt), R Bonnard Martin, T Keletaona.
Replacements: A Latrasse for Couillaud (15 mins); A Portat for Punti (blood, 38-40 & 63); M Turpin for Pargade (50); L Couturier for Frisach (51); L Andjissermatchi for T Keletaona, G Kretchmann for Guillaud (both 56); L Gil for Basse (58); J Sengo Kouo for L Keletaona (71).
IRELAND: N Byrne (Dublin University); D Moloney (Blackrock College), J O’Sullivan (Dublin University), J O’Leary (UCC), D Ryan (Galway Corinthians); T Wood (Garryowen), C Barrett (UCC); M Doyle (UCD), R Handley (Old Wesley), S Bishti (UCD, capt); D McNeice (UCD), D McGuire (UCD); J Neill (Old Wesley), B Hayes (Garryowen), D O’Connell (Galway Corinthians).
Replacements: D Maguire (UCD) for Handley, J Finn (Garryowen) for McGuire (both 54 mins); C Foley (Young Munster) for Doyle, B McClean (Instonians) for Bishti (both 56); B Blaney (Terenure College) for Hayes (58); C O’Shea (UCC) for Wood (63); F Callington (Durham University) for Barrett (73); E Black (Old Wesley) for O’Leary (79).
Yellow cards: D O’Connell (26 mins, J O’Leary (69).
Referee: C Allison (South Africa).