As the Six Nations rolled on into round two on Valentine’s weekend, of course it was an evening in French capital Paris that stole the show.
France and Ireland served up an absolute peach of a Test match which provided the 80,000 onlookers at the Stade de France a showcase of skill, power, perseverance and, ultimately, a 30-24 win for Les Bleus.
The upshot? With Scotland’s 20-17 loss in Cardiff, France are now the only side remaining in the race for the Grand Slam.
The opening five minutes told us everything we needed to know about what was in store.
A silky France move down the right wing gave the home side the opening score within two minutes before Australian-born Mack Hansen scored directly from the restart for Ireland.
It set the tone for a Test match which ebbed and flowed late into the Parisian evening.
France went into the half-time break 19-7 ahead but 10 minutes into the second half it was 25-21.
The intensity came in swathes from both sides and small decisions, mostly in and around the ruck, were decisive in the result.
Petit General
The shining light for the French was their Petit General in Antoine Dupont. A role once held by the great Morgan Parra, 37-cap scrum-half Dupont plays with the nous and experience of a man with double, maybe triple, that number of international appearances.
His range of passing, the trouble he causes at the breakdown, the instinctive partnership with fly-half Ntamack and of course the try in the opening minutes – all with a little smirk on his face – oozed class and made him look as if this is his bread and butter rugby, despite his recent lack of game time. It is.
French ooh la la moment
But there was more to this Saturday evening in the French capital than just the result; there was also a sense that the fans had fallen back in love with their team again.
For long periods the national team came second to club rugby. Fans wouldn’t rush to snap up tickets and pack out the cafes on a match day.
Now, though, there’s barely a spare seat in the house and images of the fans doing the thunderclap made famous by Iceland at football’s 2016 European Championship were warming to see.
The sea of blue, white and red enveloping the lower tier of the Stade de France really is a great advert for the international game.
A dominant France brings so much to world rugby – after all, they’re the only northern hemisphere side, besides England, to make a World Cup final.
And now they’re becoming a team with high expectations. Being hosts of next year’s World Cup has left little room for poor performances, and as long as they continue to impress in these championships there will be few complaints.
Coming into the weekend, three sides could still secure the coveted Grand Slam, but as the Valentine’s candles went out in the suburbs of Paris that number fell to one.
Of course they are not nailed on Six Nations winners, but in France rugby has a rediscovered gem of a side who are so hard not to love.
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