France fired their first shot with a Gabrielle Vernier try in the first ten minutes, However, it was Ireland who went close to an early contender for Try of the Round minutes later with a fine break from fullback Stacey Flood – only to see a cross-field kick sail straight into the stands.
Les Bleuets were in full clinical mode going into the second quarter, putting the ball through the hands until it came to wing Marine Ménager, the co-captain who scored in this fixture last year, to cross. Fullback Morgane Bourgeois’ second conversion double the visitors’ lead.
Ireland came roaring back with a powerful surge from Aoife Wafer, the number eight dragging defenders over the line as she went. It was the seventh try in 12 internationals for the back rower from Leinster. 5-14.
Shortly before the end of the first half, Ireland conceded a scrum penalty, which Bourgeois punished with her third successful kick at goal: 5-17. Despite the scoreline, Ireland would have taken heart from their effectiveness in open play, their willingness to run the ball when the opportunities arose evidently pleasing the Belfast crowd.
Try-scorer Vernier, the inside centre, was shown a yellow card – which went to the bunker for review – for a dangerous tackle on opposite number Eve Higgins minutes into the second half. Buoyed by the numerical advantage, the hosts immediately got to driving their maul over the French line, from which hooker Neve Jones emerged as the scorer. Immediate impact.
Fly-half Dannah O’Brien was unable to convert for the second time, leaving a converted try as a buffer for France: 10-17.
Then came confirmation from the bunker that Vernier would not return to the field, which made France’s narrow lead all the more shaky.
With under 15 minutes left to play, the Irish opted once again for their tried-and-tested maul to provide them with their next try, and it was Wafer on the scoresheet again. O’Brien missed with the conversion, but Ireland were starting to get on top in the momentum stakes, if not yet the score: 15-17.
A monster penalty from Bourgeois gave France some blessed relief, but they would need more to quell an Irish team who’d had a sniff of a first victory against Les Bleues since 2017. 15-20.
It came a minute later as replacement centre Emilie Boulard finished off a mazey phase of French attack that felt like the truest action of French rugby we’d seen this afternoon. An on-song Bourgeois added the extras: 15-27.
It was France’s 20th victory of the 23 meetings between the sides in the Championship. Whether it was the sort of performance to scare pre-tournament favourites the Red Roses remains to be seen.
Player of the Match: Téani Feleu. The number eight, sister of co-captain Manaé, made 10 carries for 61 metres, and put in 16 successful tackles.
IRELAND: 15. Stacey Flood (Railway Union RFC); 14. Anna McGann (Railway Union RFC), 13. Aoife Dalton (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), 12. Eve Higgins (Railway Union RFC); 11. Amee-Leigh Costigan (Railway Union RFC/Munster)(13)(captain); 10. Dannah O’Brien (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), 9. Emily Lane (Blackrock College RFC); 1. Niamh O’Dowd (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), 2. Neve Jones (Gloucester-Hartpury) (vice-captain), 3. Linda Djougang (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster); 4. Ruth Campbell (Old Belvedere RFC/Leinster), 5. Dorothy Wall (Exeter Chiefs/Munster); 6. Brittany Hogan (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), 7. Erin King (Old Belvedere RFC), 8. Aoife Wafer (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster)
Replacements: 16. Cliodhna Moloney (Exeter Chiefs), 17. Siobhán McCarthy (Worcester Warriors/Munster), 18. Christy Haney (Blackrock College RFC/Leinster), 19. Grace Moore (Trailfinders Women/IQ Rugby), 20. Fiona Tuite (Old Belvedere RFC/Ulster), 21. Edel McMahon (Exeter Chiefs/Connacht), 22. Aoibheann Reilly (Blackrock College RFC/Connacht), 23. Enya Breen (Blackrock College RFC/Munster)
FRANCE: 15 Morgane Bourgeois (Stade Bordelais); 14 Mélissande Llorens Vignères (Blagnac RF); 13 Nassira Konde (Stade Bordelais) 12 Gabrielle Vernier (Blagnac RF); 11 Marine Ménager (Montpellier HR) (c); 10 Carla Arbez (Stade Bordelais), 9 Pauline Bourdon-Sansus (Stade Toulousain); 1 Yllana Brosseau (Stade Bordelais), 2 Agathe Sochat (Stade Bordelais), 3 Rose Bernadou (Montpellier HR); 4 Manaé Feleu (FC Grenoble Amazones) (c), 5 Madoussou Fall-Raclot (Stade Bordelais); 6 Charlotte Escudero (Stade Toulousain, 24), 7 Séraphine Okemba (LOU Rugby), 8 Téani Feleu (FC Grenoble Amazones)
Replacements: 16. Manon Bigot (Blagnac RF), 17. Ambre Mwayembe (FC Grenoble Amazones), 18. Clara Joyeux (Blagnac RF), 19. Axelle Berthoumieu (Blagnac RF), 20. Léa Champon (FC Grenoble Amazones), 21. Alexandra Chambon (FC Grenoble Amazones), 22. Lina Queyroi (Stade Toulousain), 23. Émilie Boulard (Blagnac RF)