Ireland propelled themselves into pole place for Six Nations glory with a gripping 32-19 bonus-point victory over reigning grand slam champions France in Dublin.
Tries from Hugo Keenan, James Lowe, Andrew Porter and Garry Ringrose helped the Irish register a file thirteenth successive dwelling victory to maintain them on the high of the world rankings forward of Les Bleus.
Damian Penaud’s sensational rating plus 14 factors from the boot of full-back Thomas Ramos ensured the guests remained in competition for many of a tense encounter at a raucous Aviva Stadium.
But Fabien Galthie’s aspect in the end suffered a serious dent of their championship title defence as their phenomenal successful run relationship again to the summer time of 2021 was halted at 14 matches.
Andy Farrell has now crushed every of rugby’s main nations as Ireland head coach, with fly-halves Johnny Sexton and Ross Byrne contributing seven and 5 factors respectively on one other landmark day within the workforce’s current historical past.
His aspect go right into a two-week break within the event forward of a visit to Italy with most factors, having begun with final week’s bonus-point dismantling of Wales.
Scores of followers had been desperately searching for spare tickets forward of kick-off, underlining the importance of the primary time the world’s high two nations had met in a Six Nations fixture.
France arrived as the one visiting aspect to have received on the floor in the course of the Farrell period however having survived a serious scare in final weekend’s unconvincing success in Rome.
This 12 months’s World Cup hosts had been on the again foot for giant elements of a breathless and bruising first half of rugby which ebbed and flowed.
A pair of Ramos penalties stored them in competition within the early phases, coming both aspect of Keenan racing clear to say the opening strive courtesy of a effective Finlay Bealham offload.
The vigorous capability crowd contained a sizeable French contingent and so they had been quickly saluting a shocking breakaway rating from Penaud.
The Clermont wing collected the ball deep inside his personal 22, burst clear to alternate passes with flanker, earlier than holding off Conor Murray and Mack Hansen to finish a sensational diagonal dart to the left nook.
The helter-skelter motion continued and residential followers erupted minutes later when a prolonged evaluation concluded Lowe had grounded the ball with an outrageous dive for the left nook earlier than Penaud might propel him into contact.
Momentum was effectively and actually with Ireland when prop Porter marked his fiftieth Test cap by bulldozing his nation’s third strive of the afternoon, simply after France tighthead Uini Atonio was sin-binned for a excessive deal with which pressured Ireland hooker Rob Herring off for a head harm evaluation from which he didn’t return.
But the hosts couldn’t totally capitalise on their non permanent numerical benefit.
Gael Fickou and Antoine Dupont denied Keenan and Hansen what seemed to be a sure rating, leaving the house aspect simply 22-16 forward on the interval after Ramos and Sexton exchanged penalties.
France flew out of the blocks within the second half, but didn’t make additional inroads on the scoreboard.
Ramos missed a long-range kick for the posts, whereas Ireland’s dogged defence eased mounting stress by forcing a turnover near their very own try-line.
Byrne, on for influential captain Sexton, briefly stretched Ireland’s lead earlier than Ramos rapidly decreased his aspect’s deficit again to 6 factors with a drop purpose to go away a pulsating encounter delicately poised.
But French resistance was fatally damaged 9 minutes from time when Ringrose wriggled by means of three French tackles on the left to dot down on the finish of sustained stress.