France 33 Ireland 10

The Six Nations game between France and Ireland at Stade de France, Paris, on Saturday Feb 13 2010.

A performance of blazing power from France, one to strike fear into the hearts of opponents still to face this formidable outfit.

This was several steps up from their game against Scotland because there was more variety, more physicality and more accuracy to their play, and because they were up against an Ireland team who had gone 12 successive games without a defeat.

At the end of this wonderful match, the French players declined to return to the sanctuary of their changing room, choosing instead to take a celebratory walk around the perimeter of the freezing stadium.

While their delight might be a touch overdone, given that this Six Nations is only two rounds down, if France play the way they did against Ireland in their remaining matches there is every chance that they will take over their mantle as Grand Slam champions.

It wasn’t that Ireland were off colour. Jamie Heaslip, Tommy Bowe, even Brian O‘Driscoll had their moments. It was just that France did not allow Ireland out of their box.

French discipline was good, their defence uncompromising, and they batted Ireland into submission in an opening quarter as physical and intense as I’ve witnessed in a long while.

That was not the whole story either. With Ireland punch drunk, France then decided to run at them, to play with width, to take risks and have fun. It was rugby as it should be played and it was bloody fantastic.

Any number of French players stood out. Imanol Harinordoquy was colossal in everything he did, the half backs controlled affairs with precision and poise, both props subdued the Irish front row, Mathieu Bastareaud and Yannick Jauzion made Brian O’Driscoll look ordinary, but it was the collective effort which took the breath away.

Apart from an indifferent line-out early in the first half, France were nigh on perfect in everything they did, including banging over some outrageous drop goals.

Quite where this defeat leaves Ireland is anyone’s guess. This was a big test for them.

Earlier in the week Paul O’Connell, captain of the Lions and a Grand Slam winner, said a victory in Paris would be a career highlight. Yet when the questions were asked, O’Connell, like the majority of his colleagues, could not deliver.

Beaten badly in the scrum, and unable to contain the power of France in contact, Ireland ran out of steam and ideas, and it will be interesting to see if they can bounce back against England at Twickenham on Saturday week.

My impression from this match is that Ireland are far from finished, that few teams could have coped with France on this form. England could get the backlash.

The first quarter was fascinating as the two big beasts of the championship sized each other up.

From very early on it was clear that this was not going to be a pretty spectacle. With both sides unbeaten in their opening encounters, there was plenty at stake. Yet the action was nothing less than compelling. Even from high up in the stand you could feel the crunches as the big men from both sides collided with sickening ferocity.

It was this area of the match, the control of the gain line, that France eventually dominated to close out the first half with a lead of 17-3.

France had their difficulties, notably when Gordon D’Arcy was unlucky with a bounce as he chased after a clever kick, but apart from the odd lapse, it was France who threatened more with their driving maul and superiority in the tackle.

And guess what? It was the French scrum, fast becoming a subject of national pride once again, which undermined Ireland. It was there that France had Ireland by the throat, there where they squeezed the life out of Ireland’s front five.

Cian Healey’s yellow card didn’t help Ireland’s cause much. Healey was sent to the bin for a trip on Morgan Parra as the French scrum-half tried to break free, but even with Healey on the field Ireland looked uncomfortable whenever the front rows clashed.

Healey was in the cooler when France opened their account. Four times Ireland had folded under scrum pressure, bringing the prospect of a penalty try ever closer, but from the fifth Harinordoquy found Julien Malzieu and the wing unloaded to hooker William Servat who crashed over for the sore.

That set up a rampant period for France because minutes later Yannick Jauzion squeezed over for France’s second try to put them 15-3 in front after half an hour.

Again, it was spawned in the cauldron of physicality when Bastareaud blasted through and over the first line of Ireland’s defence.

Ireland were on the rack after that and, though they did well to end the half camped on France’s line, a Paul O’Connell fumble meant that they ended the half with a solitary Ronan O’Gara penalty on the scoreboard.

Ireland did eventually claim that try when David Wallace went over late in the second period, after a break by O’Driscoll, but France were out of sight at that stage.

Clement Poitrenaud had added a third try and Parra and Frederic Michalak were banging over drop goals for fun.

And maybe that is the most disturbing aspect of this match for the rest of the Six Nations. It is years since France have played with this power and panache, years since they have had players in key position to give full expression to their talent.

Walking out into an icy Paris, it was impossible not to suspect that this French team can kick on to greatness. They were that special.