6N '25 Ireland v France Match Thread: Sat8th Mar 2:15 Farewell & Adieu to you POMs, Murrays & Healys

Because it's like 10th on the list of problems from today.

Except he didn't catch the guys he was chasing. So I'm not sure your point

I've actually been quite complimentary about him while also trusting what the coaches were seeing and giving him the benefit of the doubt. France today were putting half backs under the kind of pressure I'd expect from NZ and SA, and SP doesn't have the speed to deal with it. One criticism I have made about his is his pace, at the start of the tournament he was beaten in a foot race by a forward to concede a try. On the evidence of today he is not quick enough to make the half breaks that Irelands game sometimes opens up, his grubbers weren't on point, his chips didn't work, etc. France recover 40%+ of those low kicks, I'm not sure what our numbers are but Id be surprised if they are in double figures. SP wasn't alone in playing poorly, very few Irish players did anything to put their hands up for the Lions beyond Doris, RH, Keenan and Conan, maybe JGP. Aki was anonymous, we missed Lowe really badly, Joe played ok but really should be fired for that yellow card.

The pack were quiet and buried by France's maul. That makes things hard for any ten, but other than place kicking Sam was not bringing anything today, and many of his decisions were just poor. That said, in terms of much of his kicking I assume it was starters orders from the coaches and tactically it played into French hands, partly because they are so good on the counterattack and partly because the several kicks weren't accurate enough, and that goes for JGP too.

Does that mean we move on from SP and bring Crowley back to the ten slot, not necessarily. SP is still the player he was last week and the things coaches see in him haven't dissapeared, but it is obvious from today that he is not a world talent that some have talked him up as being.

Nice to see Healy bag one on the way out the door, but Connor's glory hunting was insane. POM reminded us why everyone hates him as an opponent.

One to forget from an Irish POV, this French team really are brilliant, they didn't miss a beat losing Dupont even if we played into their hands. Seeing the wing forward who came on as a centre bag a try was the icing on the cake for them. Everything worked.

Potentially in a few years he might have.

Is that a no on the analysis clegg? I'm shocked

He was chasing one of the fastest lads in the game. He looked plenty fast

Shhhhhh.

Don't deny the man his hard-on for Prendergast not having a good game.

Didn't tackle with his head and get sin binned, leading to trys raining down his channel.

We won a 6 nations last year! and Crowley never had a bad game the whole tournament!

Listening to French coach there...

How are the French players allowed to interrupt game to tell the ref that DuPont has an ACL five minutes after the event, trying to influence ref, and ref talks to both captains? And coach comes out and says there not sure?

Maybe coach is being cautious, but still try to influence ref with dressing room info should not be allowed?

I mean it's unlikely but France being France and Scotland being Scotland.....they could turn them over.

He was poor I thought, the clear out on POM and the lack of warning to France in the opening 20 were frustrating. I feel he's not a ref that's particularly favorable towards us.

Irish rugby during this successful era has been the worst I have personally seen. Most of the other 6 Nations countries still manage to get an atmosphere and the Irish soccer team get a good atmosphere at Lansdowne for instance.

Think it must be just the Irish team because the Leinster fans create a great atmosphere at the Aviva...

Agreed entirely. The clear out should have been a foul all-day-long. The deliberate knock on near the end should have been a yellow. No French warning for constant infringements at the start. Telling Ireland he was playing on with a man down at a line-out but then stopping the game for France when they had a man down.

He was utterly shocking.

But France deserved the win so I don't blame him for the result. Those issues really don't help momentum all the same.