Get Newsletter

Battered Ireland left licking their wounds

Already crippled by a raft of injuries which saw the Irish take to the field against Wales in their opening 16-all draw last week with just three starters from the World Cup quarterfinal defeat by Argentina, Schmidt could barely have believed his eyes as events unfolded at the Stade de France.

ADVERTISEMENT

First, the outcome of the match: despite leading 9-3 at half-time thanks to three Jonathan Sexton penalties to one from Jules Plisson, Ireland failed to convert their massive territorial and possession advantage into more points.

Some clever replacements and France came roaring back into the game, fullback Maxime Medard crossing for the decisive try converted by Plisson to seal a home win.

"We're hugely disappointed," Schmidt said of the result.

"To lead 9-3 for so long when we had a couple of opportunities in the first half in tough conditions to maintain possession. There were a high number of turnovers from both sides.

"It was very difficult to keep hold of a slippery ball.

"It was a very greasy surface, but at the same time you have to play those conditions."Battered Ireland left licking their wounds

ADVERTISEMENT

The team, Schmidt said, failed "to capitalise on what was a pretty strong kicking game early on".

And then came the injuries.

First up was openside flank Sean O'Brien, who was outstanding for the 20 minutes he was on the pitch before suffering an upper hamstring injury.

New Zealand-born centre Jared Payne played the final 30 minutes with a dead leg, while lock Mike McCarthy suffered concussion and wing Dave Kearney suffered a shoulder injury in a huge tackle by France skipper Guilhem Guirado.

ADVERTISEMENT

Flyhalf Sexton also had to come off late on in what turned into a war of attrition played out under heavy rain.

"He was pretty knocked around by the end of the match," Schmidt said of the former Racing 92 playmaker.

"He knows what he's going to get when he comes here."

Schmidt hinted that the match's citing commissioner might be busy assessing a couple of instances where foul play may be suspected, but was not acted upon by referee Jaco Peyper.

"We had some very clear indications coming into the Six Nations about what would be tolerated and what would not be and what sanctions would follow," the New Zealander said.

"There's a fair degree of frustration, but some of that reflects the frustration at ourselves for not taking the opportunity."

Schmidt insisted he did not want to use the six-day turnover between matches as an excuse.

"We don't want to be making excuses," he said.

"France came out in that second half and played very strongly.

"On the back of that we were starting to lose our legs a little bit and that's unfortunate."

Agence France-Presse

Battered Ireland left licking their wounds

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Write A Comment