France v Ireland result: Jack Crowley hits a decent ball to get Andy Farrell’s side back on track in Six Nations opener

Get the latest news on everything from cycling to boxing by signing up for our free sports newsletter

For all the latest news, sign up for our free sports email

Everyone involved in Irish rugby can finally smile again. It’s been a long four months since their heartbreaking defeat in the World Cup quarter-finals, but this victory marks a near-perfect return to French soil and sees them take charge of the Six Nations, where they are now favorites to win the title. It became.

Familiar faces from the Ireland squad secured a convincing win against 14-man France. Bundy Aki was great, and so was Caelan Doris, but it was the performances of the two rookies that pleased Andy Farrell the most as he made great strides toward defending his Grand Slam title. Ireland’s head coach had great confidence in lock-half Joe McCarthy and fly-half Jack Crowley. The pair rewarded Farrell with two great performances.

For Crowley, it was arguably the biggest day of his Test career to date. He stepped into the shoes of one of Ireland’s greats as his first Six Nations started under Friday night lights against the title favorites.

But there was no ghost of Johnny Sexton in the Irish car, with Crowley slotting in seamlessly to keep the engine firing. It will take time for the 24-year-old to have the same impact as his late predecessor, but here he is, with Ireland controlling the kicking contest and Crowley orchestrating the attack superbly. There were signs of rich potential. Important messages from fly-halfs may be conveyed in a Limerick lilt rather than a Dublin drawl, but it seems, at least on this evidence, to be just as effective.

It may have been a tough night for the young No. 10 at a ground considered one of the great sporting amphitheatres by even the most passionate French fans. A rare Six Nations visit to the Cote d’Azur brought a lot of promise in terms of atmosphere, but the hosts were slow to come out of the blocks and failed to deliver in the early going. Crowley’s first punt was charged down, but otherwise the Irish played smartly, pushing France back into their own territory.

An early penalty was awarded in the 7th minute from Crowley’s boot, and it wasn’t long before France were punished for a more serious offence. Paul Willemse’s misjudged clear-out resulted in his shoulder coming into direct contact with Andrew Porter’s head, but bunker officials said the change in height was sufficient reason not to increase the sanction. It felt like maybe a little bit of luck.

Confirmation that the card would remain yellow came just before Ireland made their first crucial mistake of the match. As was often the case during the World Cup, it came from Aki and he combined well with Robbie Henshaw to open the door. Jamison Gibson-Park arrived sharply in the left lane and took Aki’s pass to score.

Crowley’s mistakes threatened to stall Ireland’s momentum, especially when Thomas Ramos put the hosts on board from the tee. However, the Greenhorn fly-half quickly rectified the mistake and produced a second try with some delightful deception. He brought the ball to the line, a nice delay brought out Pete Maubaka, and a flicker of an eye brought out Jonathan Danti. Tajig Beirun had the long stride needed to take advantage of the gaps created.

The French gathered under the post, searching for their leader, who did not immediately appear, and for the guns they had not yet fired. Willemse got the wrong message and made contact with Doris’ head and a strikingly similar shoulder mistake. This time there was a flash of red – the former Bull played no further role, the banker upgraded his second yellow purely administratively, and Willemse’s permanent dismissal was already confirmed.

Already the velodrome was restless and their grand return turned into a disaster. A goal before half-time was essential, but France belatedly found purpose. After scoring a series of penalties inside Ireland’s 22, Pete Mauvaca tapped in to score himself. Wini Atonio follows his front-row partner and provides the punchy carry needed to open up the corner that Mathieu Jalibert and Damien Penault can turn, while the winger is the French try scorer for Serge Blanco. He came within two points of the record.

Ireland dared not allow France to counterattack and found themselves on the ground just before the end of the interval. Momentum gathered inside the home 22, with the impressive Lock McCarthy leading a strong front five. Doris, a very smart operator, made picks and passes to ensure continued momentum, leaving Calvin Nash with the simple task of catching and grounding out.

Paul Gavlyag’s sharp attack from close range gave France new hope, especially as Peter O’Mahony was sent to the sin bin after collapsing a lineout drive. But even without their captain, Ireland rallied and Dan Sheehan’s maul scored the decisive fourth goal, meaning they were handed a bonus point with 20 minutes remaining.

Ronan Kelleher was the second beneficiary of the late burial, and it was the Irish fans who provided full-time aural accompaniment. Thanks to new choir director Crowley’s perfect pitch, Farrell’s men are definitely back on form.