Ireland’s Six Nations championship challenge looks all but over after they were narrowly defeated by France at the Stade De France in Paris this afternoon.
Ireland’s day looked all so different in the first half as they led 9-3 going into the break after Johnathan Sexton slotted over three penalties with ease, with Plisson putting the French on the board mid-way through the half.
In treacherous conditions ball handling became an issue for both teams throughout the game with both set of players giving away cheap turnovers. The second half was more evenly contested with neither team able to take advantage, however the decisive moment came in the 70th minute when Medard got over the whitewash to score a try for the French after a succession of scrums. With a tired Ireland team dead on their feet France managed to hold out for a 10-9 win.
The result now means Ireland have a mammoth task in order to win the championship with only three games remaining, they would also have to rely on results elsewhere to achieve three back to back Six Nations titles.