by And people said Ireland would never win a final. The 2024 Six Nations, and indeed the 2027 World Cup, began and ended on a glorious night in Marseille when Ireland helped themselves to a bonus-point win against France, dismantled the heads of the competition, wrote the blueprint for the first chapter another of the Andy Farrell era. and established lasting peace in the Middle East.
Too much? Too early? Well, why not? Sport has always been about the dream as well as the doing, and for the thousands of Irish fans huddled together in a small corner of the Stade Vélodrome it was a night to call out the noise, to stand up to the hostility, to torment that had been spent aside. It was an examination and exhibition, to be sure, but also a form of confirmation. A night, in short, to pencil in Joe McCarthy for the next two Lions squads, climbing back on the hype board and trying to get hurt again.
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And yes, France were extremely poor, strangely poor, especially in a first half that could be one of the worst of the Fabien Galthié era. They were missing a great player in Antoine Dupont, still had plenty of injuries and were reduced to 14 in the first half after the brainless dismissal of Paul Willemse.
All in all, there was something vaguely exciting about the way Ireland stopped them in their tracks, violence met violence, they greeted the rolling wave of noise that came their way with patience, craft and pure, unrequited excellence.
Perhaps this was not surprising when you took into account the wider context: a Six Nations curtain call that also felt like a palate cleanser, a game played at the foot of a big and terrible pine, worked on Final nights September in Paris in a row. . No grand slam can truly make up for what was taken from Ireland and France at last year’s World Cup, but the rebirth of the new cycle can be particularly comforting. Rugby is the wound, and rugby is also the bandage.
However, they seemed to do it in slightly different ways. Galthié had spoken in this game about “the intensity of the fight”, about “Ireland pushing us to make 200 tackles, 200 rucks without possession”, the balance between victory and opponents was going towards opponents. The selection of Yoram Moefana on the wing and Paul Gabrillagues in the pack suggested that the French coach was willing to back up his words with actions.
And this may be a completely natural response to trauma, something you thought was within your grasp to be ripped away from you. You choose physically in part because it is known to be known, something you can control. But also in part because you are still hurting and brute force feels like the appropriate response.
While France were combative and pressing here, it felt unfocused and uneven, aggressive in the wrong places and passive in the wrong places, a departure from what they always do best. Their scrum was solid and their boot was stirring. But it’s largely irrelevant if you’re going to let Tadhg Beirne run straight through.
Willemse’s yellow card came at the right time for Ireland, just as they were starting to settle into the game. The red – for the second equal offense – accounted for France’s poor judgment throughout the night. The TV cameras caught him sitting solemnly on the bench, head down, shoulders hunched and withdrawn, which you could argue is what they should have been doing in the first place.
On the other hand, the Irish leagues were outstanding all night. In McCarthy’s devastating double metre, Ireland has the kind of imposing physical specimen it has traditionally had, like avocados. But here, as he interfered and led, as he formed an ominous partnership with Beirne, it was possible to catch a glimpse of a sparkling future. Yes: he will make a cracking NFL player one day.
And in a way Ireland provided a fresh answer to an age-old question about how a team recovers from sporting trauma. Do you start fresh, clean slate? Or do you continue to do the same things that brought you to the brink of glory?
You do both. You live and evolve at the same time. You find new challenges, new boundaries to overcome.
It had been more than 50 years since Ireland had beaten France away from home by more than a few points. No Irish team has ever won in this stadium. There were thirteen of this Ireland squad in the Leinster final that was so heartbreaking in the final minutes of the Champions Cup final against La Rochelle a couple of years ago.
So, even amidst the familiar triumph of the Six Nations, Ireland are still breaking new ground in finding their outer borders. The next World Cup is almost four years away and the last one is not even four months away. And yes, hope is what kills you. But also, hopefully you feel alive.
