France v Ireland

:01:01. > :01:08.14 matches gone, just want to go in this year's RBS Six Nations. The

:01:09. > :01:12.141st and very last international appearance for Brian O'Driscoll. If

:01:13. > :01:17.Ireland win tonight, the title will be theirs for the 12th time. But the

:01:18. > :01:21.omens are not encouraging. They have won here just once in 42 years, and

:01:22. > :01:23.that was in 2000, when the architect of their triumph was the very same

:01:24. > :02:08.Brian O'Driscoll. COMMENTATOR: Brian O'Driscoll,

:02:09. > :02:48.virtually under the posts! It is O'Driscoll again, and Ireland

:02:49. > :02:54.have done it at last, they have won in Paris!

:02:55. > :02:59.JOHN INVERDALE: And France, what to say? Is it the players, the

:03:00. > :03:04.coaches, the culture? How is this team so sublime on occasions, so

:03:05. > :03:08.lamentable on others? A landslide victory might give them the title.

:03:09. > :03:19.More likely, it would just spoil the O'Driscoll party. If you have been

:03:20. > :03:23.watching earlier, you will know that England won very convincingly in

:03:24. > :03:27.Rome, but not by a sufficient margin to overtake Ireland, should they win

:03:28. > :03:33.narrowly tonight. The extraordinary sending-off of Stuart Hogg sabotaged

:03:34. > :03:38.the hopes of Scotland in Cardiff, meanwhile. So, here we are in Paris.

:03:39. > :03:44.It is the last hurrah of this year's Championship. With me are,

:03:45. > :03:48.scattering yet, Jeremy Guscott and Keith Wood. How do you explain the

:03:49. > :03:53.fact that they have only won once here in four decades? I do not know.

:03:54. > :03:59.France have had some incredible players. The Irish had no confidence

:04:00. > :04:04.coming out here. It took an awful long time to get that changed, and

:04:05. > :04:09.it was that one time in 2000. But we were never comfortable coming over.

:04:10. > :04:13.There was a huge fear factor. I am hoping that has gone. If that is

:04:14. > :04:18.hard to explain, how do you explain France going from good to bad in the

:04:19. > :04:20.blink of an eye? It is very difficult to say, but the French

:04:21. > :04:25.team has a very talented individuals. We do not manage to

:04:26. > :04:29.play together. I think we deserved much better than what we got at the

:04:30. > :04:35.start of the tournament. I think the team is not playing well. Nine and

:04:36. > :04:38.ten, they need to take the lead. There is also concerns up front. We

:04:39. > :04:45.need to have more ball to create a threat. Even though a French victory

:04:46. > :04:48.would almost certainly give the title to England, as a warm,

:04:49. > :04:51.compassionate human being, is there a part of you which would like

:04:52. > :04:55.O'Driscoll to go out with a victory? Everyone I think would

:04:56. > :04:59.agree that it is something he deserves as a player. But we have to

:05:00. > :05:03.concentrate on the team performance, rather than his own performance. It

:05:04. > :05:06.would be great for him and Ireland if they get what they deserve. We

:05:07. > :05:11.have been trying to come up with a word to describe the performance of

:05:12. > :05:12.the French team in this year's Championship, and the one we came up

:05:13. > :06:03.with in the end was bonkers. Well, Philippe, at the start of the

:06:04. > :06:07.tournament, you said you wanted to see progress from this team. You

:06:08. > :06:10.have said that they have improved on last year performance, so do you

:06:11. > :06:16.think some of the criticism you have had has been unfair? I think it is a

:06:17. > :06:20.job in France, and after two years, it happens. But I think we have

:06:21. > :06:28.improved, with three victories already. The game against Scotland

:06:29. > :06:33.last week, we cannot say that it was a very good game. But we are just

:06:34. > :06:37.focused tonight to win this game. I know that all of the English people

:06:38. > :06:44.will be behind us! Just to play a good game of rugby, and to finish

:06:45. > :06:48.this Six Nations 2014 well. Of course, it is a big day for Ireland

:06:49. > :06:54.and for Brian O'Driscoll. What have you thought of him as a player? Oh,

:06:55. > :07:02.I think he has been a fantastic servant of world rugby. About his

:07:03. > :07:06.flair, his spirit in the game, his positivity, and also, he has scored

:07:07. > :07:11.some brilliant tries, in the Stade de France, amongst others. He

:07:12. > :07:16.creates space for people around him, and I think he is a fantastic

:07:17. > :07:23.player, because he is still very fit . just I hope today will not be a

:07:24. > :07:26.fantastic day for him! If it is a big day for Brian O'Driscoll, it is

:07:27. > :07:34.also a big day for the man opposite him today. Yes, Gael Fickou is

:07:35. > :07:40.facing maybe the biggest challenge in his life. He scored the last try

:07:41. > :07:44.against England, so we love him. He stopped England getting the Grand

:07:45. > :07:47.Slam. But he is very good technically. But today will be a big

:07:48. > :07:53.test for him. It is youth against experience, he has got nothing to

:07:54. > :07:57.lose? Yes, he has two show his abilities. He has done that at club

:07:58. > :08:01.level with Toulouse. Now, he has two show it at national level. It would

:08:02. > :08:06.be a fantastic opening salvo for the Irish, if their coach, Joe Schmidt,

:08:07. > :08:10.was to lead them to the title in his first season. Ireland had an

:08:11. > :08:18.emphatic win over the Italians last weekend in Dublin, which started and

:08:19. > :08:46.finished as a Brian O'Driscoll love-in.

:08:47. > :09:00.COMMENTATOR: The Leinster partnership works! And the great

:09:01. > :09:02.man's day is done. This crowd is showing its appreciation for

:09:03. > :09:08.religion. Well, the last game of the

:09:09. > :09:11.Championship, the tension has been building all day, but now you know

:09:12. > :09:17.that Ireland just need a win to take the Championship. Have the team been

:09:18. > :09:21.watching? Yes, a fair few of the team watched the game. To be honest,

:09:22. > :09:26.I leave them alone on the day pretty much. We get together at the ground,

:09:27. > :09:29.and I will have a couple of words, but most of the work really is done

:09:30. > :09:33.in the early part of the week. I hope they have not expended too much

:09:34. > :09:37.nervous energy watching those games. But they are big boys, they can look

:09:38. > :09:42.after themselves. Hopefully we are prepared for this evening. So much

:09:43. > :09:47.talk going into this game, so much emotion flying around, is it almost

:09:48. > :09:50.a relief to get to match day? Yes, it an even greater relief to get to

:09:51. > :09:55.kick off, and hopefully there will be a greater relief beyond that. But

:09:56. > :09:59.I think with the various things surrounding the French team, we have

:10:00. > :10:03.got our own special moment coming up for a player we all have an

:10:04. > :10:11.incredible amount of respect for. So, it is a game which is a final.

:10:12. > :10:20.Finals do not get any bigger. But this just adds a little bit of extra

:10:21. > :10:27.spice. Well, there he is. Even Barack Obama mentioned him in his

:10:28. > :10:31.presidential address for St Patrick's Day. So, just one last

:10:32. > :10:39.interview to give as a current international player...

:10:40. > :10:46.# We said we'd walk together. # Come what may.

:10:47. > :10:57.# I was a little oblivious to the

:10:58. > :11:01.years. It was a nice sunny afternoon. A young kid out to have

:11:02. > :11:06.fun. When you start well, early in a game, you get into it quickly. I got

:11:07. > :11:09.an early score. I think that I grew into the game.

:11:10. > :11:15.The hat-trick at the end and you were suddenly a star. Did it change

:11:16. > :11:19.your life? I think as a result, probably it was that I became a bit

:11:20. > :11:25.more recognisable as the guy that scored three tries in Paris. It just

:11:26. > :11:30.changed from an expectation level as well of Irish rugby as we were

:11:31. > :11:35.capable of winning in France and in other things too.

:11:36. > :11:40.And the first success, a Triple Crown in 2004. What was that like?

:11:41. > :11:46.It was important to win the silverware. And finally having

:11:47. > :11:50.something to show for our endeavours, for our work and for the

:11:51. > :11:56.quality of the side that we had. It was really important. But it was in

:11:57. > :12:03.2009 you got the Grand Slam? We were a team that were to have that year,

:12:04. > :12:08.to finally come good was a relief. The feeling in the country

:12:09. > :12:12.afterwards. The warmth of the public and the lift that I think that the

:12:13. > :12:16.country got in general. That was very, very special.

:12:17. > :12:23.# But you and I know what this world can do. Since then we have done next

:12:24. > :12:29.to nothing in the Six Nations. This is my last opportunity to try

:12:30. > :12:33.to win another medal. I haven't had that chance since 2009.

:12:34. > :12:39.Are you happy to be leaving Ireland in good hands? I think that Ireland

:12:40. > :12:45.are in good hands under Joe Schmidt. Now I think we have the depth of

:12:46. > :12:49.squad where guys can transition in and replayers -- replace others

:12:50. > :12:53.seamlessly. The competition for the places is hotter. Different to when

:12:54. > :12:57.I came in 2009. It is different in that view.

:12:58. > :13:07.Last weekend was emotional. I had a great day. I really didded.

:13:08. > :13:11.-- did. It was the ultimate semi-final and then the after math

:13:12. > :13:17.was fantastic. The way that the lads even clapped

:13:18. > :13:21.me off the pitch. The Italians staying around, my

:13:22. > :13:25.family being there. My little girl being out on the pitch with me. My

:13:26. > :13:29.wife, obviously, being there. It was a very special day for me, and for

:13:30. > :13:32.the extended O'Driscoll family as well.

:13:33. > :13:37.What about emotion for the match against France? This week is all

:13:38. > :13:42.last. This weekend will be the last time. Cleaning my boots, polishing

:13:43. > :13:46.my shoes. That is starting to hit home. Inside there will be more

:13:47. > :13:50.emotion this week, but hopefully I can keep it in check and project it

:13:51. > :13:54.in the most positive of ways into my performance.

:13:55. > :13:59.Will we see tears? I don't know. I don't know. I'm sure there will be

:14:00. > :14:05.tear, whether you see them or not, we will have to wait and see.

:14:06. > :14:14.Will you be a real man and cry on telly? No problem! Well, there he

:14:15. > :14:18.is. One last time. He seemed very calm and chilled when you spoke to

:14:19. > :14:23.him? Chilled and comfortable with his exit. He knows that his time is

:14:24. > :14:29.up. This is his last day. One more day on the stage. And I think nine

:14:30. > :14:35.months ago when he thought about stopping, he was not ready. He is

:14:36. > :14:40.totally ready now. I expect him to be phenomenal today.

:14:41. > :14:44.He is an icon at sport. In rugby. He is comfortable because he is at ease

:14:45. > :14:48.with everything. It shows in everything he is doing right now.

:14:49. > :14:53.For him to win, for Ireland to win, for him to go out on a victorious

:14:54. > :14:57.day, it will require the French to play better than they have done over

:14:58. > :15:01.the past few weeks. You feel that the match is almost there for France

:15:02. > :15:05.to lose. If they keep making the mistakes that they have been making

:15:06. > :15:10.through the championship. It has been hard to fathom a style

:15:11. > :15:15.and a game plan for France. Whatever they are trying to do. Whatever they

:15:16. > :15:19.are, they are making too many mistakes. This are trying to play a

:15:20. > :15:23.little bit, but they have turned the ball over, 68 times in the four

:15:24. > :15:28.rounds so far. That is more than any other team. And when they are in

:15:29. > :15:34.good positions to make the scores, they make those mistakes. They are

:15:35. > :15:39.trying, off loading, making the line breaks as much as everybody else but

:15:40. > :15:44.they are not as effective and as clinical as Ireland. That is painful

:15:45. > :15:48.but it is the truth. We don't have so many balls, and when we have

:15:49. > :15:53.them, we don't know what to do with them. If we play like the beginning

:15:54. > :15:57.of the tournament, no chances. If we play as we did against New Zealand

:15:58. > :16:01.in November, we can do something. There were moments in the first

:16:02. > :16:06.weekend of the championship. It was like someone had flipped a switch

:16:07. > :16:11.and it was the old France? In the last five minutes, we decided to

:16:12. > :16:16.pass the ball, move it forward. To create things, we made things but

:16:17. > :16:20.apart from that we were average. It is amazing how France are fored

:16:21. > :16:24.into playing the way that we like and the way you know feels natural

:16:25. > :16:28.to them. Whatever Philippe Saint-Andre is asking them to do,

:16:29. > :16:32.they are not comfortable with it. And the question is if they ignore

:16:33. > :16:41.their coach and do what they want. It is almost a take-two of the World

:16:42. > :16:48.Cup final in 2011, when the French coach then Levermon and the team

:16:49. > :16:54.said that they would play their way. It is like that with the French team

:16:55. > :16:58.sometimes. We don't always listen. The first exist ten shallist rugby

:16:59. > :17:05.team to play in the championship. The tenseness, you can see it in the

:17:06. > :17:11.eyes of everybody. It has been an average day, here in Paris, the

:17:12. > :17:14.weather but it has turned out to the most perfect evening. And a penny

:17:15. > :17:19.for the thoughts of Brian O'Driscoll. As he comes out here for

:17:20. > :17:26.the very last time. It is a great atmosphere in the Stade de France.

:17:27. > :17:31.For a fine throw of of the dice in the R BS Six Nations championship.

:17:32. > :17:37.Are you nervous, Keith. It is odd to say that this could be a banana skin

:17:38. > :17:42.for France or Ireland? I am not nervous.

:17:43. > :17:47.There is no overconfidence. Ireland have to play at their best to win.

:17:48. > :17:51.They know what to do. If they do it they deserve it, if they don't, they

:17:52. > :17:57.have thrown away a championship. Well put the flights of French fancy

:17:58. > :18:00.to one side. If Ireland win, they are the champions and Brian

:18:01. > :18:06.O'Driscoll will leave on the highest of highs. If France win, England

:18:07. > :18:10.will be the champions and the Six Nations celebrations will be in Rome

:18:11. > :18:15.in a hotel where the England team are watching. So after 14 matches

:18:16. > :18:20.and more than 1,000 minutes of angst that began at the Millennium Stadium

:18:21. > :18:26.in Wales, this year's championship all comes down the next and the

:18:27. > :18:30.final 80 minutes. Commentary after the anthems is to

:18:31. > :18:43.come from Phillip Matthews, Brian Moore and Eddie Butler.

:18:44. > :19:06.Irish National anthem: $$NEWLINE # Come the day and come the hour.

:19:07. > :19:09.$$NEWLINE # Come the power and the glory. $$NEWLINE # We have come to

:19:10. > :19:12.answer our country's call. $$NEWLINE # From the four proud provinces of

:19:13. > :19:24.Ireland. $$NEWLINE # Ireland, Ireland. Together standing tall.

:19:25. > :19:36.Shoulder to shoulder. We'll answer Ireland's call. Ireland, Ireland.

:19:37. > :20:13.Together standing tall. Shoulder to shoulder. We'll answer Ireland's

:20:14. > :20:21.call. We'll answer Ireland's call #. Allons enfants de la Patrie. Le jour

:20:22. > :20:30.de gloire est arrive! Contre nous de la tyrannie. L'etendard sanglant est

:20:31. > :20:42.leve. L'etendard sanglant est leve! Entendez-vous dans les campagnes.

:20:43. > :20:51.Mugir ces feroces soldats. Ils viennent jusque dans vos bras.

:20:52. > :21:01.Egorger vos fils et vos compagnes! Aux armes, citoyens. Formez vos

:21:02. > :21:07.bataillons. Marchons, marchons! Qu'un sang impur.

:21:08. > :21:23.CHEERING AND APPLAUSE. It's a beautiful evening at the

:21:24. > :21:25.Stade de France in Paris. It is a heavyweight pack that France have

:21:26. > :21:28.gone for. Pablo Picasso is back, but on the

:21:29. > :21:38.blind side. It is huge that pack. Behind, well,

:21:39. > :21:47.it is the teenage teenager Fickou against the Wrecking Ball. Such a

:21:48. > :21:54.familiar pack the Irish one. O'Connor leading from the second

:21:55. > :22:00.row. And O'Mahoney on the blind side. And it is all about Brian

:22:01. > :22:04.O'Driscoll. His farewell appearance for Ireland. Can they go out with a

:22:05. > :22:09.championship? Ireland simply have to win. France can win the championship

:22:10. > :22:14.by score scoring and maintaining points. It is more realistic should

:22:15. > :22:20.France win, England would be the champions of this year's Six

:22:21. > :22:24.Nations. Good evening, Brian.

:22:25. > :22:40.There is a bit of a mix-up about who is kicking which end.

:22:41. > :22:46.Well. Off to a great start. Steve Walsh into the action early.

:22:47. > :22:52.And there is a man. Some are born great. Some achieve greatness. Some,

:22:53. > :22:55.like Brian O'Driscoll, will be remembered for being great.

:22:56. > :23:00.It was here 14 years ago we realised we were in the presence of somebody

:23:01. > :23:04.a bit special. He scored a hat-trick. Can he go out in style?

:23:05. > :23:05.France against Ireland for the title.

:23:06. > :23:31.Andrew Trimble catches. Brice Dulin, the fallback. A

:23:32. > :23:37.dangerous runner. Pascal Pape is the captain in the

:23:38. > :23:41.centre. Gordon D' Arcy comes in. It takes

:23:42. > :23:52.three green shirts to bring down Bastareaud.

:23:53. > :23:56.A penalty to France. Phillip Matthews? Well, France

:23:57. > :24:02.playing with intent. We were talking to the French journalists, they were

:24:03. > :24:08.saying that France have picked a very aggressive eight. So maybe

:24:09. > :24:14.playing more instinctively. Not overcomplicated things but imposing

:24:15. > :24:19.their size on the Irish eight. Irish teams have struggle struggled

:24:20. > :24:27.physically. And that is what this French team will want to do.

:24:28. > :24:32.He seemed to be on his feet, Iain Henderson. He was given a long time

:24:33. > :24:34.to keep hold of the ball. It shows if you go forward, you get the

:24:35. > :24:52.50/50s. France take the lead, 3-0.

:24:53. > :24:58.Well, Ireland have to hold their heads. They will want to be patient

:24:59. > :25:03.and not try to force things. To play a more territorial game than they

:25:04. > :25:06.played against Italy. So Joe Schmidt must be tactical now. Given or

:25:07. > :25:14.assuming that Ireland get the possession to start to dictate.

:25:15. > :25:19.It does depend how Jonathan Sexton kicks. Against Wales, imperious.

:25:20. > :25:21.Against England too far. You don't want to give the French a lot of

:25:22. > :25:44.space. Defensively, Ireland will want to

:25:45. > :25:45.put pressure on the French line-up. It has stuttered throughout the

:25:46. > :26:08.championship. Danger here. Has it gone forward?

:26:09. > :26:14.Yes. BRIAN MOORE: Well, Bastareud, if you

:26:15. > :26:22.do not catch him first time, he will do that. But then again, that was a

:26:23. > :26:31.relatively simple pass. You cannot go in high on him. Woeful.

:26:32. > :26:38.PHILLIP MATTHEWS: Gordon d'Arcy goes very high, he is shoved off. Draws

:26:39. > :26:46.Brian O'Driscoll in, creating the overlap, and he can't take him.

:26:47. > :26:57.It is a dangerous first scrum for Ireland, that is their 22 metre

:26:58. > :27:10.line. Rory Best strikes, Ireland and advanced to the 22.

:27:11. > :27:16.Well, that was very solid from Ireland. It does show that if you

:27:17. > :27:24.have someone like Rory Best who can hook the ball, it creates quick

:27:25. > :27:27.ball, saves publicans... But Joe Schmidt will be worried about that

:27:28. > :27:37.first contribution from Bastareud. -- saves problems.

:27:38. > :28:22.I cannot see the point in Ireland trying to take France on man for man

:28:23. > :28:25.up front. They do not want an arm wrestle, they want to run them about

:28:26. > :28:47.side to side. They want to play more of the game in the French half.

:28:48. > :29:12.A real purpose to the French game in these opening exchanges. Devin Toner

:29:13. > :29:31.comes through. Well, I am not sure that ball was on

:29:32. > :29:37.the floor, either. I think that was held up. Yes, a couple of decisions

:29:38. > :29:40.going against Ireland at the breakdown. This is not the French

:29:41. > :29:45.team we have seen so far in the Championships. There is a lot more

:29:46. > :29:51.purpose and direction, isn't there? Varies. From the Irish point of

:29:52. > :29:56.view, what will be worrying is that they are making more yardage. They

:29:57. > :29:56.are giving ground because of not stopping the French on the

:29:57. > :30:12.gain-line. Maxime Machenaud just having a word

:30:13. > :30:16.with his open side flanker. Or, right-hand side flanker, because

:30:17. > :30:21.France play left and right rather than open and blind.

:30:22. > :30:40.Now, that is unacceptable. It was not straight, for starters. But to

:30:41. > :30:42.have a big dividend like that on an international surface, it is not

:30:43. > :31:04.good enough. Nicolas Mas, who stormed out of a

:31:05. > :31:05.press conference in the week of the questions came in about the French

:31:06. > :31:22.scrummaging. But that is all right. Remi Tales. Pascal Pape eight, the

:31:23. > :31:37.captain. That is a good pass, but it has gone forward.

:31:38. > :31:44.The crowd is reacting warmly to what France are doing. Believe me, they

:31:45. > :31:50.are quite capable of not doing so, if the team are not doing well. But

:31:51. > :31:54.at the moment, they will be happy. Yes, psychologically, they have got

:31:55. > :31:58.a bit on top of this Irish side at the moment. Ireland will have to

:31:59. > :32:01.regroup. Paul O'Connell using the opportunity to talk to his men. They

:32:02. > :32:05.are going to have to withstand this pressure, get some field position

:32:06. > :32:12.and start getting some momentum and going forward themselves.

:32:13. > :32:17.EDDIE BUTLER: Philippe Saint-Andre who has face-to-face bit of flak

:32:18. > :32:22.himself. But you know when there is a genuine campaign building to oust

:32:23. > :32:28.the coach, and that has not started yet. There seems no pressure yet in

:32:29. > :32:32.France to ditch the coach! They have won three games, Brian! They have.

:32:33. > :32:41.Not well, having said that. There is a man they have missed, do

:32:42. > :33:09.so too. Now, he is having a chat with the

:33:10. > :33:14.Irish front row. It is a scrum. Yoann Maestri, a giant of a man.

:33:15. > :33:48.Devin Toner, taller, but more slender.

:33:49. > :33:55.Both sides driving early. It looked to me as though Domingo was

:33:56. > :34:12.whingeing there. -- hingeing. Foot up by Rory Best,

:34:13. > :34:25.but on we go. The Irish scrummage going well. Steve Walsh is being

:34:26. > :34:37.very patient. Mike Ross did come up first, but I would not give a

:34:38. > :34:45.penalty for that. If you are going backwards and you stand up, that is

:34:46. > :34:48.a completely different matter. But whatever the discussions are

:34:49. > :34:52.between the referee and the front row, it is their responsibility to

:34:53. > :34:57.play within the law, it is his responsibility to referee. Let's

:34:58. > :35:03.just get on with it. If they do not do it right, penalise them.

:35:04. > :35:16.Penalty to Ireland. Thomas Domingo is the man singled out. The way back

:35:17. > :35:20.into this match may well be through the set pieces for Ireland. They may

:35:21. > :35:23.have an edge on the scrummage. They will be delighted to see that Steve

:35:24. > :35:32.Walsh has seen it that way. In the line-outs, they should be stronger.

:35:33. > :35:33.And also, expect Ireland is to start to try to maul these French

:35:34. > :35:55.forwards. Devin Toner has gone to the tail.

:35:56. > :36:02.Paul O'Connell is in the middle. And it goes to him. Heaslip. Sexton.

:36:03. > :36:04.Dave Kearney, in from the left wing! This is working well for Ireland.

:36:05. > :36:08.Kimi, still going. Cian Healy drops it. Advantage,

:36:09. > :36:23.France. REFEREE: Advantage over. The

:36:24. > :36:36.strength and power of Louis Picamoles.

:36:37. > :36:42.Rob Kearney has the safest pair of hands. Lord D'Arcy. He heads back

:36:43. > :36:54.into the heavyweights. Paul O'Connell. Good presentation

:36:55. > :37:03.for Ireland. Andrew Trimble comes off the right

:37:04. > :37:31.wing. Toner. D'Arcy. That was a good tackle. I

:37:32. > :37:36.thought there was a knock on there. Machenaud kicks it, but only as far

:37:37. > :37:43.as Dave Kearney. Good tackle by Machenaud. Aggressive follow-up by

:37:44. > :37:51.the scrum-half, and that is the reward. Well, Steve Walsh is right

:37:52. > :37:55.about that, because his knee went down, although it was done so

:37:56. > :38:08.quickly, it looked as though he had done nothing wrong. That is down.

:38:09. > :38:13.Playing into French hands. The French defence is good. Ireland are

:38:14. > :38:18.conceding turnovers. They are playing a lot of rugby just inside

:38:19. > :38:22.their own half, and not gaining a huge amount of ground. They need to

:38:23. > :38:27.play more territory. I am surprised Sexton is turning down the

:38:28. > :38:32.opportunity to turn this French side around. Nicolas Mas having some

:38:33. > :39:04.attention. Three more points for the

:39:05. > :39:08.scrum-half. I was speaking to a respected French

:39:09. > :39:11.journalist before the kick-off, and he was saying the French were very

:39:12. > :39:15.angry as a team. They have been receiving abuse from the media are

:39:16. > :39:17.all week. He said they were sick and tired of it and they were determined

:39:18. > :39:30.to do something about it. One for the forwards to chase. Paul

:39:31. > :39:37.O'Connell catches brilliantly. Sexton.

:39:38. > :39:53.Dave Kearney. I should out by Brice Dulin. -- that was ushered out by

:39:54. > :39:56.Brice Dulin. It is really important that they put pressure on this

:39:57. > :40:03.line-out. Even if they do not win it, they need to put the French

:40:04. > :40:12.under pressure. Quite wisely I think, the French have decided to

:40:13. > :40:15.cut the line-out. Paul O'Connell penalised for taking his opposite

:40:16. > :40:17.number while he was in the air. Well, that is not what they wanted

:40:18. > :40:31.to do. I think that is a harsh call. That is very well played by Rob

:40:32. > :40:53.Kearney. He tries to go past Huget. He does.

:40:54. > :41:07.Heaslip drifts across. Oh, or again. Oh, dear. That has gone up in the

:41:08. > :41:17.air! Gordon D'Arcy is the first Irish tackle.

:41:18. > :41:32.This is Mathieu Bastareaud. Steve wash is groaning in pain if

:41:33. > :41:35.you can hear that. And Gael Fickou, the danger man and

:41:36. > :41:52.Louis Picamoles just as dangerous! Short to Szarzewski. That looked

:41:53. > :41:57.forward to me. It was. Now, then, is Steve wash

:41:58. > :42:05.injured? Well, he is certainly making a lot of noise if isn't.

:42:06. > :42:11.Well again, Bastareaud is letting him down.

:42:12. > :42:23.Well done, Steve, well done. Brave man.

:42:24. > :42:32.I think he will take some shifting today.

:42:33. > :42:36.Who, Walsh or O'Driscoll? Brian O'Driscoll! I'm not sure we are

:42:37. > :42:41.going to see the incident. There was a man outside of him. That

:42:42. > :42:46.ball could have gone wide. It would have put Ireland in trouble.

:42:47. > :42:50.It would have been better had Bastareaud passed it straight, first

:42:51. > :42:55.off. Can I make the point. We are not in charge of the pictures, we

:42:56. > :42:59.cannot show what we want. We are in the hands of the French director.

:43:00. > :43:12.Unfortunately, we cannot bring you the pleasure of the Steve wash

:43:13. > :43:16.incident! Already France are ahead in the statistics.

:43:17. > :43:23.There is no real pace to this game, though. The theory is that frants

:43:24. > :43:28.can't do 80 at full pelt. -- France.

:43:29. > :43:34.With the regular stoppages, it helps them.

:43:35. > :43:39.We saw a couple of kicks from Jonathan Sexton. The last high kick,

:43:40. > :43:42.only a fraction, two metres long. It gave the catcher enough time to be

:43:43. > :43:52.secure. And another scrum goes down.

:43:53. > :43:54.Unlike the one before when Domingo went before. It was an Irish take

:43:55. > :44:17.down from a bad strike. It was going back through to the

:44:18. > :44:28.French side. It was so crooked it bounced off a knee. Another penalty

:44:29. > :44:33.for Ireland. A set piece. That's what they want to see. They really

:44:34. > :44:40.are starting to get a psychological edge. They want to get Steve wash on

:44:41. > :44:48.this French eight's back, especially at scrum time. Now coming up, a bit

:44:49. > :44:53.of territory and a decent line-out. Jonathan Sexton judged that well.

:44:54. > :44:58.Now surely this is the time for the Irish catch and drive. They have

:44:59. > :45:03.done it so well. And I don't understand why but maybe you can

:45:04. > :45:07.tell me but for large parts of the Six Nations, when it is one of their

:45:08. > :45:10.prime attacking weapons. They do it so well.

:45:11. > :45:14.Absolutely. They have done it well in the

:45:15. > :45:23.campaign. Joe Schmidt may not be wanting to show his hand too much.

:45:24. > :45:26.Well taken. They have gone for it. Connor Murray almost through.

:45:27. > :45:58.A great tackle by Szarzewski. N Jamie Heaslop up to the five-metre

:45:59. > :46:23.line. Around that, they can go backwards now.

:46:24. > :46:33.It's still there for Ireland. Sexton for the line! A brilliant off-load.

:46:34. > :46:37.A great try for Ireland. They've opened their account.

:46:38. > :46:42.That was fantastic pace for Ireland. They didn't panic. A couple of times

:46:43. > :46:47.you thought they would be turned over. They had faith. Ireland are on

:46:48. > :46:52.the way. It should help. It is a big

:46:53. > :46:58.psychological positive for them. I was surprised, I'm not saying it was

:46:59. > :47:02.easy but they opened up the French defence by going blind and around

:47:03. > :47:07.the corner. I thought that the French defence would have stuck up a

:47:08. > :47:13.little more to that, but that has switched the momentum completely.

:47:14. > :47:21.There is a contrast. Nicolas Mas and Jonathan Sexton.

:47:22. > :47:26.Well what that has shown is that Ireland has come here with real

:47:27. > :47:29.confidence with the ball in hand. They have rejected opportunities to

:47:30. > :47:36.kick and play for territory. They have come here with a confident game

:47:37. > :47:38.of taking the ball forward. They are attacking this French

:47:39. > :47:59.defence. Oh, no, Jonathan Sexton. They do not

:48:00. > :48:07.take the lead but they have scored a try.

:48:08. > :48:11.A superb read by the Number 10. It is early.

:48:12. > :48:15.But Ireland will hope that relatively easy kick as a conversion

:48:16. > :48:33.won't count against them at the end. The pace of Brice Dulin. Ireland are

:48:34. > :48:58.forcing him out of play. Spot anything? Yes, a philosophical

:48:59. > :49:09.discussion going on. It is probably about he disagreed with Sartre!

:49:10. > :49:16.Rory Best to throw into the line out.

:49:17. > :49:23.Paul O'Connell brings it down safely.

:49:24. > :49:30.Iain Henderson... He has his hands on the ball and Ireland maul their

:49:31. > :49:39.way away from their 22. Murray to put a boot to it. You

:49:40. > :50:01.don't want that out. Well caught. Caught by Picamoles.

:50:02. > :50:16.A French player went down. , but oh, dear. Not so well taken by Louis

:50:17. > :50:23.Picamoles. There is a better percentage in that

:50:24. > :50:30.kick from Murray. Normally so good under the highball, Picasso. It

:50:31. > :50:37.worked out for Ireland, but pushing France back and forcing them to

:50:38. > :50:41.counter deep it is much better play. Unusual for Picasso he caught the

:50:42. > :50:47.ball without a problem. But he dropped the back lift to the

:50:48. > :50:53.pass. The French were booing earlier on.

:50:54. > :50:55.They thought that a French player had been booked.

:50:56. > :51:18.He went down. Murray, there is space here for

:51:19. > :51:25.Murray. And Andrew Trimble is in! A second try! Two in succession! Not

:51:26. > :51:29.only did O'Driscoll make, the important thing, once he had made

:51:30. > :51:36.the half break, the ball came back so quickly, the French had no time.

:51:37. > :51:40.The scrambled defence was shredded. France's defence does not have the

:51:41. > :51:45.organisation. The big question was if they could get their passion up.

:51:46. > :51:48.They have done that but they have not made up the gap in the

:51:49. > :51:52.organisation. It has left big holes in the defence and huge holes for

:51:53. > :51:57.Andrew Trimble's try. And the problem for France, after

:51:58. > :52:00.the scrum they did not get up quick enough.

:52:01. > :52:06.It is a much simpler conversion for Jonathan Sexton. They are in the

:52:07. > :52:15.lead now. This is to double France's total of six, he has. France, six,

:52:16. > :52:21.Ireland, 12. Now questions with respect to how France can respond.

:52:22. > :52:30.Can they respond with patience? Keep a cool blue head rather than the

:52:31. > :52:34.norm? The red Gaelic head? Phil, if Ireland score the next one and

:52:35. > :52:41.another try, this crowd is going to make their feeling well known.

:52:42. > :52:44.It has never happened to me here, Brian, you are dead right.

:52:45. > :52:57.Andrew Trimble has made ground again.

:52:58. > :53:04.Gordon D' Arcy to O'Driscoll. That could have been dangerous. Fickou so

:53:05. > :53:09.nearly away. A moment of panic there from those of us wearing the green

:53:10. > :53:13.today. Little moments like that can shift

:53:14. > :53:18.the momentum in games. If that ball had stayed in touch.

:53:19. > :53:37.The 19-year-old up against the 35-year-old.

:53:38. > :53:50.Peter O'Mahoney and a mauling. Twice now in their own half.

:53:51. > :53:57.Chris Henry has it, now it is for Connor Murray. Not far enough. There

:53:58. > :53:59.is a bit of a queue. Dave Kearney got his hands there and Jamie

:54:00. > :54:17.Heaslop has done well. Well taken by Dulin.

:54:18. > :54:27.This time Gordon D' Arcy does get him down.

:54:28. > :54:36.It's a penalty to France. Well that is one of the things that

:54:37. > :54:41.Bastareaud does well. When he gets his body over the ball he is very,

:54:42. > :54:49.very strong. Machenaud is weighing up the

:54:50. > :54:58.distance. Or measuring the distance. Ireland have to be more accurate

:54:59. > :55:06.with the Gary owns. They need to get a lot more depths on the kicks.

:55:07. > :55:21.Remi Tales. He is invited to take the kick. Very well played. Crucial

:55:22. > :55:27.time for both sides. If Ireland can keep France out, it would be a huge

:55:28. > :55:40.psychological blow in their favour, and obviously, converse.

:55:41. > :55:49.Szarzewski trying to get the maul going forward. Looking for the weak

:55:50. > :55:56.spot. O'Connell is up in the air. Nicolas Mas comes away with it!

:55:57. > :56:05.Chouly. Pascal Pape digs in for it with his hands, leaves it. Domingo,

:56:06. > :56:26.as I'd advantage. France have the penalty. -- offside advantage.

:56:27. > :56:33.Try for France. UTV played! A bit of volleyball, and a rugby try, which

:56:34. > :56:51.puts France right back in the mix. REFEREE: Try, no try? If it is no

:56:52. > :56:52.try, we will go to the advantage. That means France will at least get

:56:53. > :57:13.a penalty. The television match official,

:57:14. > :57:20.Gareth Simmons, of Wales. REFEREE: We are talking about six

:57:21. > :57:28.Green taking out a support lifter. That is a catch. And that is a try.

:57:29. > :57:36.That was a very smart play by Huget. They knew they would have the

:57:37. > :57:53.advantage anyway. We have to have official

:57:54. > :58:04.confirmation. BRIAN MOORE: Come on, get on with

:58:05. > :58:13.it! Steve, can you hear me? You may award the try. It looked like Rob

:58:14. > :58:17.Kearney had covered that well, but... It was absolutely key for

:58:18. > :58:22.France to get themselves back into this. The momentum was with Ireland,

:58:23. > :58:28.and now, it is on a knife edge again.

:58:29. > :58:37.A successful kick here would take France one point in front. Jonny

:58:38. > :58:46.Sexton having missed one from almost in front of the posts. Machenaud,

:58:47. > :59:04.for the lead. And France are in front.

:59:05. > :59:10.There was organisation in that, so, some signs that France have brought

:59:11. > :59:16.something to the party, in terms of organisation, which they have not

:59:17. > :59:18.had so far this Championship. You have to give credit for the

:59:19. > :59:37.execution of the kick. Ireland will have the throw. Rob

:59:38. > :59:45.Kearney keeping a close eye on the ball. That has brought the crowd to

:59:46. > :59:55.live, Brian. From the point of view of the no,, that is exactly what you

:59:56. > :00:08.would want, for the game to continue to be close. -- of the neutral.

:00:09. > :00:12.Brian O'Driscoll, out to Andrew Trimble. Still in Irish hands. Paul

:00:13. > :00:37.O'Connell. Play on. Sexton. O'Driscoll, inside

:00:38. > :00:46.to Rob Kearney. Very aggressive line speed from the defenders.

:00:47. > :00:54.Ireland have done very well to get up to the halfway line again.

:00:55. > :01:10.Sexton, this one does go further. Too far. There was a huge amount of

:01:11. > :01:14.space there. There is an awful lot of space behind the French back

:01:15. > :01:18.three for him to be putting diagonal kicks into the corner. But so far,

:01:19. > :01:23.he is not looking up and seeing that, unless that is the preferred

:01:24. > :01:29.option, to keep it high. But I am not so sure they are getting any

:01:30. > :01:32.return on it. If it is, you have got to have someone contesting it. You

:01:33. > :01:50.cannot give people a free catch when they are in their 22.

:01:51. > :02:03.It has come back on the French side. Mike Ross goes through on Machenaud.

:02:04. > :02:18.The power of these huge French forwards. Picamoles. Rory Best does

:02:19. > :02:23.well to stop the number six. Tales going on his own, finds Machenaud

:02:24. > :02:40.with the pass. Ireland hold things up. It is therefore Machenaud.

:02:41. > :02:51.Tales, for three points! He has missed it. Well wide. Wider than it

:02:52. > :02:58.should be. He had enough time. French player down here. He was

:02:59. > :03:11.miles away. Some panic there are, there was no

:03:12. > :03:17.real reason to be taking that option, unless he was 100% confident

:03:18. > :03:23.of getting it over. They had Ireland under pressure. Nicolas Mas is the

:03:24. > :03:29.injured man. They will not want him to go off. They were signalling for

:03:30. > :03:47.a replacement very early. And he is already on.

:03:48. > :04:01.Hyperextension of the elbow. That is something I HAVE experienced. Did

:04:02. > :04:09.you come off? Element it was playing for all-star.

:04:10. > :04:43.EDDIE BUTLER: Well, we have all winced up here.

:04:44. > :04:53.Ireland have got the put in at the scrum. That is the new prop. One of

:04:54. > :04:58.the Irish players expressing his admiration for the effort there are,

:04:59. > :05:14.in a rather prosaic way! We are at that lovely time in the evening,

:05:15. > :05:19.just at dusk, it is ethereal almost. Goodness me! It inspires you when

:05:20. > :05:38.you are in Paris, doesn't it?! It is another good Irish scrum.

:05:39. > :05:42.Jonny Sexton on the loop. Dave Kearney, was he taken early? It is a

:05:43. > :05:49.forward pass, advantage being played, as Dulin comes away.

:05:50. > :05:58.O'Driscoll had to roll back the years, and go at full pace, to save

:05:59. > :06:03.Ireland there. REFEREE: It was a forward pass, and

:06:04. > :06:08.then a forward pass. We had one each way.

:06:09. > :06:10.PHILLIP MATTHEWS: Well, that has got to be the first one. And that is the

:06:11. > :06:24.second one. We have now had four forward passes

:06:25. > :06:26.in the game! Ireland still playing a lot of rugby in the middle of the

:06:27. > :06:38.park. He certainly made the tackle on the

:06:39. > :06:43.man without the ball, but the passwords forward. You know the law

:06:44. > :06:52.book, Brian? Once it is forward, that is it, isn't it? Does an early

:06:53. > :07:08.tackle count as foul play? Possibly, but they did not give it, so...

:07:09. > :07:16.Steve Walsh, a study in patience. Ireland do not want to give a

:07:17. > :07:19.penalty away which is kickable just before half-time. Whatever happens

:07:20. > :08:25.here, they do not want to do that. And there is Thomas Domingo, the

:08:26. > :08:43.prop in question. What was he referring to, he goes

:08:44. > :08:47.down, he goes like this... ? BRIAN MOORE: He is saying, he is

:08:48. > :08:56.hingeing, and then trying to drive up. He is really trying to get in

:08:57. > :08:59.underneath Mike Ross. First of all, Mike Ross should not be binding on

:09:00. > :09:06.the arm, actually. That is illegal binding. And why the touch judge is

:09:07. > :09:12.not pointing that out, I do not know. So, instead of having a

:09:13. > :09:20.dangerous scrum, Ireland now have an attacking line-out. Rory Best. He

:09:21. > :09:36.finds Peter O'Mahony. And he's it finds some space! Briefly.

:09:37. > :09:44.Penalty, and it is Thomas Domingo again, I think.

:09:45. > :09:52.Well, I would like to see that one again. He is saying, don't play the

:09:53. > :10:00.number nine. I am not sure that he did. For me, whoever it was looked

:10:01. > :10:11.like they were trying to play the ball. That's fair enough, isn't it?

:10:12. > :10:23.Yes, he is still the receiver. This, to take the lead and go into

:10:24. > :10:44.the dressing rooms at half-time. This will be perfect for Ireland to

:10:45. > :11:02.go in, if it goes over, just before half-time.

:11:03. > :11:11.Ireland do not take the lead. A second simple miss for Jonny Sexton.

:11:12. > :11:13.It is Pascal Pape's team who go in at half-time with their noses in

:11:14. > :11:24.front. Well, this can be a bit of a

:11:25. > :11:31.soulless, concrete bowl on occasions, but the Stade de France

:11:32. > :11:35.is working tonight. It is a spine tingling atmosphere. This is a

:11:36. > :11:41.brilliant and brutal Test match. Early points for Machenaud, to put

:11:42. > :11:47.France into a 6-0 lead. Jonny Sexton replying for the Irish with a try.

:11:48. > :11:50.But he missed that conversion, and he missed another penalty, on the

:11:51. > :11:55.stroke of half-time. How key might those five points the, in the final

:11:56. > :12:02.analysis? This was a magnificent try, orchestrated by Huget, and

:12:03. > :12:02.converted by Dulin. That was converted from the touchline as

:12:03. > :12:17.well, which could be crucial. This is a real contest.

:12:18. > :12:20.It an amazing contest. As good a game and a perfect final for this

:12:21. > :12:27.fantastic tournament. France turned up. We were saying in the first five

:12:28. > :12:32.minutes, are they turning up? You feel we were going to give you the

:12:33. > :12:36.game? The manner that they played is so different from anything that they

:12:37. > :12:39.have done. It is because we love the Irish. We want to show you how good

:12:40. > :12:44.we are. Absolutely.

:12:45. > :12:48.Let's talk about the match. The first ten minutes was the French

:12:49. > :12:52.playing with dash and passion. Was that to spite the critics? We are

:12:53. > :12:57.scare bad Ireland. We know how good they are. If we did not turn up, we

:12:58. > :13:02.could have lost the game by 40 points. In the first 20 minutes, we

:13:03. > :13:07.showed the desire, the commitment. Bastareaud, Hakkinen -- Picasso made

:13:08. > :13:12.the difference and Ireland came back. They managed to play the game.

:13:13. > :13:15.We were slow. The defence was poor. And they took the score.

:13:16. > :13:23.But France had opportunities to score? It shows how prescriptive

:13:24. > :13:28.that rugby is. You have Remi Tales. He is calling for the ball, they

:13:29. > :13:32.don't get it. I think if only you can listen. The game is about the

:13:33. > :13:36.communication. You will make the right decisions then. They have

:13:37. > :13:41.decided to go the same way, but look at this opportunity. Talles is

:13:42. > :13:48.shouting for it. Look at the overlap. The numbers. Given the

:13:49. > :13:53.ability of the French team, that is bang on a try. It is about

:13:54. > :13:56.decision-making. We have to improve. We create the opportunities be don't

:13:57. > :14:04.take them. Here is the Bastareaud break.

:14:05. > :14:07.On a one on one you would fancy him? It is unusual for D'Arcy and

:14:08. > :14:13.O'Driscoll to be so far away from one another. That was the space to

:14:14. > :14:18.attack. You have a guy at 18. 5 stone, conservatively, I am

:14:19. > :14:24.guessing, and any gap he is going to smash through.

:14:25. > :14:29.But you were screaming at the pass? Yes, but because they have to the

:14:30. > :14:34.action better. Dulin should have come closer.

:14:35. > :14:39.But there was no-one there. Then suddenly, a great chance.

:14:40. > :14:45.So, 6-0, it is all France, but when Ireland are back on the board, the

:14:46. > :14:50.momentum shifts. It was a good line by Jonathan Sexton? It was good play

:14:51. > :14:54.by Ireland. They have been efficient. You can see what they are

:14:55. > :14:58.trying to do. There is a strategy to how this are playing. They are

:14:59. > :15:04.trying to suck in the French defence but going the same way. Attacking,

:15:05. > :15:08.close to the break down to break the defence in. It is the same. Then you

:15:09. > :15:13.rely on the good players to spot the opportunities. Machenaud is shouting

:15:14. > :15:19.for defence to come over but Ireland are going the same way. Ireland have

:15:20. > :15:24.a huge amount of patience. And Murray snapping on the heels here.

:15:25. > :15:27.The delivery fantastic. You see it very well, when Henry gets the ball

:15:28. > :15:35.out for Jonathan Sexton. It is highlighted there. That came

:15:36. > :15:40.after ten phases, a very good scrum from Ireland. We can build on that.

:15:41. > :15:45.I am a bit scared of the second half. The Irish are dominant.

:15:46. > :15:50.It is great to see the patience. Normally a side can get whitelined

:15:51. > :15:56.fooer, but they are structured comfortable with the playing.

:15:57. > :15:59.Connor Murray has been a stand-out player during the course of the

:16:00. > :16:03.championship, but during the second score, it came from an extraordinary

:16:04. > :16:11.error that Louis Picamoles made. He has been so, a bit like Pirese, when

:16:12. > :16:15.a highball goes up, every time he catches it.

:16:16. > :16:20.It is a bit of a shame. He is a top player. He was last season. France

:16:21. > :16:25.bases a lot of how they play around him. This is a basic error. He

:16:26. > :16:29.catches it and looks up, and it has gone. As a result Ireland get the

:16:30. > :16:33.scrum. It is fascinating how much space there is for Ireland to

:16:34. > :16:39.attack, but look at the quickness of Paul. Where are the French defence?

:16:40. > :16:43.It is nowhere. Murray and Andrew Trimble link up. Murray is

:16:44. > :16:48.brilliant. Andrew Trimble follows him. That is the key. He is not on

:16:49. > :16:52.his own. There is support. I think it comes down to poor

:16:53. > :16:57.defence. It was a good ball.

:16:58. > :17:03.And Connor Murray is playing heads up. It was a beautiful hard pass, a

:17:04. > :17:08.difficult pass. It came from your dominance in the scrum. You turn in

:17:09. > :17:15.the proper way, the French forwards were late into the defence.

:17:16. > :17:24.You can't defend quick ball. The Irish went up from the scrum, the

:17:25. > :17:28.French did, you talk about the skripsive rugby, Connor looks up,

:17:29. > :17:33.Andrew Trimble sees it, they capitalise on that.

:17:34. > :17:38.In rugby, the spatial awareness, the French try was magnificent. A

:17:39. > :17:43.perfect kick. Yoann Huget and the Dulin line. It was fantastic.

:17:44. > :17:48.We see the kick going over and an overhand slam. It was magnificent.

:17:49. > :17:52.It is a French try. I am cheering, jumping about a bit.

:17:53. > :17:56.It is magnificent. You laughed at the start of the game. You said we

:17:57. > :18:02.did not have a game plan. That was in the game plan.

:18:03. > :18:06.They had rehearsed that. It is great to see as it is reading

:18:07. > :18:11.the game. Huget is up there. He knows he will get the support. He

:18:12. > :18:18.knocks it down. Brilliantly read by Dulin. We thought we would score the

:18:19. > :18:25.drive but we didn't. Then we scored, found the right option for the try.

:18:26. > :18:30.You talk about being dominant in the forwards but at scrum time it has

:18:31. > :18:35.been Ireland in the ascendency. In many ways, the game has change

:18:36. > :18:40.because of Steve wash's treatment of the scrum. He is penalising France.

:18:41. > :18:46.They are hinging. The shoulders dropping below the hips. They are

:18:47. > :18:52.giving away penalty after penalty. As it goes, a think that is yellow

:18:53. > :18:56.card could be in the offing. There is something for Philippe

:18:57. > :19:01.Saint-Andre to work on. They are struggling. At half-time they are

:19:02. > :19:05.going to have a talking point, are you getting on Steve wash's side?

:19:06. > :19:11.But the French players are the same for many years. The scrum is

:19:12. > :19:15.struggling now, is it the new rules? That is taking the pressure off

:19:16. > :19:19.them. They are not used to striking. Walking over the ball. They can't do

:19:20. > :19:24.it. They are fishing for the ball. They are uncomfortable.

:19:25. > :19:28.But like Gethin Jenkins last week, he knew that they had it in for him

:19:29. > :19:33.he had to get on. Philippe Saint-Andre has to decide whether

:19:34. > :19:38.the props are to get hammered. Is it me, or is it loud in here?

:19:39. > :19:45.Magic. A great atmosphere. Well, there is enormous interest in

:19:46. > :19:49.a hotel in Rome. If the scores stay like this, England will be the

:19:50. > :19:55.champions of the R BS Six Nations champions. That is because earlier

:19:56. > :20:01.in Rome, they won like this. Burrell from Brown and he takes it.

:20:02. > :20:08.And Mike Brown scores his third try of this Six Nations championship.

:20:09. > :20:20.In short, and over they go. Own farl is right there. He touches down --

:20:21. > :20:25.Owen Farrell touches down. Now to Brown. Here he goes for the line.

:20:26. > :20:36.The second try for Mike Brown. And here they come. Farrell to

:20:37. > :20:39.Brown. And to Knowle! Over the line. And suddenly it opens up for

:20:40. > :20:51.Twelvetrees here. Here comes Manu Tuilagi. Three goes.

:20:52. > :20:57.That is exactly what England expected from their supersub.

:20:58. > :21:04.And they are on their way again. Interception here. Sarto to beat

:21:05. > :21:07.Robshaw. He heads for the line. Sarto in for his second try of the

:21:08. > :21:14.championship. Ford. A lovely break Ford. He plays

:21:15. > :21:18.the inside ball and England captain, Chris Robshaw is over! So this is

:21:19. > :21:25.how the table is looking at the moment.

:21:26. > :21:29.You will not be surprised to hear that Mike Brown was Man of the

:21:30. > :21:34.Match. That is how the table is looking.

:21:35. > :21:43.England could be the R BS Six Nations champions.

:21:44. > :21:47.Snrfrjts we have a forum later on this evening, we would love to hear

:21:48. > :21:53.from you, e-mail, tweet us. However, but the emphatic win for Wales, was

:21:54. > :21:59.largely predicated on Stuart hog being sent off for Scotland after a

:22:00. > :22:04.tackle with an elbow in the face for Dan Biggar. After that, there was

:22:05. > :22:08.only ever one winner. And one thing to mention before we

:22:09. > :22:12.start the second half, unlike Jonathan Sexton to miss two

:22:13. > :22:16.straightforward kicks. That is five points thrown away.

:22:17. > :22:20.He must get his act together. He also had three loopy inside

:22:21. > :22:24.passes going forward. His attention is not exactly accurate enough at

:22:25. > :22:28.the moment. It could be a big call as he deliver delivers in the next

:22:29. > :22:32.20 minutes. You were cool, calm and collected

:22:33. > :22:39.before the game. Are you slightly more on the cusp now? I am loving

:22:40. > :22:42.it. Still calm and comfortable. I am hoping in five minutes going into

:22:43. > :22:48.the game that Ireland will be in a position to win it.

:22:49. > :22:52.Well, as we go in to the second half, as things stand, England are

:22:53. > :22:55.the champions. That Ireland team will be doing all in their power

:22:56. > :23:00.during the course of the last half of the championship to ensure that

:23:01. > :23:05.the trophy goes to dub lained to the rest of Ireland.

:23:06. > :23:09.-- goes to Dublin and to the rest of Ireland.

:23:10. > :23:36.So, here we go. It looks like France are taking

:23:37. > :23:38.positive action against Thomas Domingo, given that Steve wash

:23:39. > :24:11.doesn't like him in the first half. sn't Jonathan Sexton, can he put

:24:12. > :24:16.behind him the two missed kicks? And will Joe Schmidt's team change the

:24:17. > :24:19.tactics? Will Jonathan Sexton start looking for more territory in the

:24:20. > :25:08.second half? Rory Best to throw. Connor Murray. Up ended with the

:25:09. > :25:21.balls, it is there for Paul O'Connell. Sexton, change of

:25:22. > :25:26.tactics, well read by Gael Fickou, who then slips.

:25:27. > :25:38.Tales. Very interesting, because Maxime Medard is in hot pursuit, and

:25:39. > :25:45.he has picked it up! He kicks ahead, which may not have been the best

:25:46. > :25:58.option. Pascal Pape leaves it for Dulin.

:25:59. > :26:03.This is the number eight, Razia Iqbal Szarzewski. He fires it out,

:26:04. > :26:20.and it bounces for Pascal Pape. Penalty to Ireland. Relief for

:26:21. > :26:31.Ireland. It is Rob Kearney who is down, and it does not look good.

:26:32. > :26:52.BRIAN MOORE: Good work by Paul O'Connell there.

:26:53. > :27:21.Rob Kearney is back on his feet, but limping. This is Maxime Medard.

:27:22. > :27:31.Ireland's first line-out of the second half. And they have won it.

:27:32. > :27:44.Murray does well to scoop it up. Mike Ross.

:27:45. > :27:54.Advantage from, after the tighthead prop, loitering out there, knocked

:27:55. > :27:57.on. That is one of the problems, if you are going to be playing that

:27:58. > :28:05.outside channel to give yourself wet, -- width, you have got to have

:28:06. > :28:12.someone who can get the ball out, and Heaslip is not the right person.

:28:13. > :28:21.PHILLIP MATTHEWS: It all gets very lateral. Not one of Mike Ross's

:28:22. > :28:25.strengths. Again, Ireland playing an awful lot of rugby with ball in

:28:26. > :28:29.hand. There is space behind this French back three, but they are

:28:30. > :28:34.determined to carry on where they left off against Italy, which is in

:28:35. > :28:39.really trying to stretch the French defence and tie them out. But so

:28:40. > :28:42.far, I am not sure they are getting any return from it. They may need to

:28:43. > :28:52.start to think about getting more territory. The thing is, if they

:28:53. > :28:55.catch, drive and kick off an advancing maul, there will be more

:28:56. > :29:03.players taken in from the defensive side, there will be more room to

:29:04. > :29:06.either run or kick. Just looking at Rob Kearney, he seems all right now.

:29:07. > :29:15.Machenaud feeds this scrum. It is another little nudge forward

:29:16. > :29:25.by the Irish forwards, but France have it. Bastareud.

:29:26. > :29:33.Szarzewski presents the ball for Machenaud.

:29:34. > :29:49.Clever footwork by Slimani. And Kylie comes away with it. And that

:29:50. > :30:03.could be an interesting kick. That is a great kick.

:30:04. > :30:16.One thing you can say, Eddie, this is a full on Test match. Good

:30:17. > :30:24.footwork by the replacement prop. And Kearney did well to pick up and

:30:25. > :30:26.clear. France have the putting. -- have the throw in. Off the top,

:30:27. > :30:41.Tales. Pascal Pape, the captain. Devin

:30:42. > :30:49.Toner tries to hold him up. France get the ball to ground. They make a

:30:50. > :30:58.couple of metres. Clive Byrne, the footballer.

:30:59. > :31:05.Bastareud tries to free his hands, and does well! Knock-on. Now,

:31:06. > :31:14.Ireland have a chance. Rob Kearney goes down.

:31:15. > :31:23.It is a game of swaying fortunes. Andrew Trimble. O'Driscoll outside

:31:24. > :31:30.him! Can it be the perfect finish for Brian O'Driscoll! Still going!

:31:31. > :31:37.Two metres short! , picks up. Has to be! Jonny Sexton! What great play

:31:38. > :31:45.from Ireland. From defence into attack. They are in the lead again.

:31:46. > :31:56.I thought for just a moment that they had messed it up. Jonny Sexton

:31:57. > :32:01.running a good line again. He has stuttered with his boot today, but

:32:02. > :32:07.he is bang on form with his hands, and his running. That is what you

:32:08. > :32:15.want. It was a mismatch, but against Pascal Pape, exposed by Andrew

:32:16. > :32:25.Trimble. Yes, Andrew Trimble really just needed to force the tackle.

:32:26. > :32:33.Brice Dulin did really well not to commit himself. You can see the line

:32:34. > :32:34.run by Sexton, coming back in, catching the defenders on the inside

:32:35. > :32:44.shoulder. Here is the try. He is doing this

:32:45. > :32:50.part of the game all right. His second try. His kicking, I mean,

:32:51. > :32:59.that one went over, but it is squeaky! It may well be. But what

:33:00. > :33:05.you cannot appreciate, I do not think, from the pictures, is the

:33:06. > :33:11.commitment from both sides, which is huge. The collisions are monstrous.

:33:12. > :33:27.Jamie Heaslip catches, under pressure from Medard.

:33:28. > :33:35.Knocked on by Picamoles, under pressure. Good chase by Andrew

:33:36. > :33:41.Trimble. That was a better kick bike Colin Murray. In the first half, his

:33:42. > :33:47.kicking was too high, not enough distance. That was much better. It

:33:48. > :33:50.is another key time, we ended and divided in the first half, Howard

:33:51. > :33:59.France we act just after Ireland scored? -- we identified it. Have

:34:00. > :34:08.Ireland got the ability to kick on from here? Picamoles has gone to

:34:09. > :34:15.number eight on this Irish putting. -- Irish put-in.

:34:16. > :34:35.That is good work, picked up by Peter O'Mahony.

:34:36. > :34:44.Penalty advantage to Ireland. Chris Henry takes it up.

:34:45. > :34:51.REFEREE: Hands off. Now, what do you do here, with Jonny Sexton's kicking

:34:52. > :34:55.form? I would say go for the corner. I would say it has to depend

:34:56. > :35:01.on him, if he is confident, give him his head. The head says Warner. --

:35:02. > :35:15.corner. Driving maul? I think it would be

:35:16. > :35:22.wise. And I just give credit to Steve Walsh, only a fraction of a

:35:23. > :35:29.delay, with the hand on, but that is all it requires for international

:35:30. > :35:31.defences to reorganise. He tried to play on, but came back. Very good

:35:32. > :35:46.refereeing. Toner is taken out, and that is a

:35:47. > :35:51.penalty advantage being played. Yoann Maestri gives away the

:35:52. > :35:57.penalty. REFEREE: Number five, in the maul.

:35:58. > :36:01.Number five. That is what I expected Ireland to

:36:02. > :36:05.do more of in the first half, use the maul. France have been giving

:36:06. > :36:11.away a lot of penalties so far in this Championship. Can Jonny Sexton

:36:12. > :36:28.put the Demons of the first half out of his mind?

:36:29. > :36:33.I am thinking of kicks Jonny Sexton has missed. I am thinking back to

:36:34. > :36:36.New Zealand in November. It was this very spot. On the right-hand side,

:36:37. > :36:51.but not difficult. A similar spot. When he takes too long, that is when

:36:52. > :37:34.it seems to get to him. There is now a 9-point gap. That is

:37:35. > :37:43.important, more than a converted try.

:37:44. > :37:49.Yoann Maestri is off the field... There were about six French chasers

:37:50. > :38:01.in front of the ball there. Flanquart has come on. That is an

:38:02. > :38:08.excellent kick by Murray. The challenge was good on Picamoles.

:38:09. > :38:11.Chance here for Ireland. Gordon d'Arcy kicks downfield. It comes to

:38:12. > :38:23.Brice Dulin, who returns it. Andrew Trimble. Excellent pastor

:38:24. > :38:26.Sexton. Was he taken late? Play on, says the referee. He has a chat with

:38:27. > :38:42.the touch judge... I think the idea was right from

:38:43. > :38:48.Gordon D'Arcy, but the execution was not up to it. There was a lot of

:38:49. > :38:52.space behind that French back three. Jonathan Sexton will probably regret

:38:53. > :38:56.going to ground there. He may well have been able to stay on his feet.

:38:57. > :39:02.He did not get the penalty he was looking for.

:39:03. > :39:12.Ireland just need to keep their nerve now, to have confidence in

:39:13. > :39:15.their ability on the ball. We are still in the third quarter, plenty

:39:16. > :39:24.of time left. Devin Toner wins the line-out.

:39:25. > :39:28.Conor Murray takes it off him, and hits the blindside! Gets the pass

:39:29. > :39:52.away to Dave Kearney. Brice Dulin catches. Bastareud fix

:39:53. > :39:56.up. He finds the new player, Flanquart. Pulled down by Jamie

:39:57. > :40:06.Heaslip. Player down for France and that

:40:07. > :40:10.player is Brice Dulin. In possession, Maxime Medard. Rory

:40:11. > :40:17.Best, what a good tackle by the hooker. There is a scrum advantage

:40:18. > :40:26.being played for Ireland. That is an excellent kick by Conor Murray.

:40:27. > :40:33.We will pause, because there is an injury to Brice Dulin.

:40:34. > :40:38.BRIAN MOORE: I know everyone wants to see the game continue, and it is

:40:39. > :40:46.right that the physio can come on and treat players, but that got

:40:47. > :40:56.dangerously close. That is a tremendous catch. I love Brice Dulin

:40:57. > :41:02.as a player. He has been one of France's few successes in the Six

:41:03. > :41:08.Nations. Yes, and was from there that Maxime Medard nearly got away.

:41:09. > :41:13.Rory Best is in the form of his life again. The addition of Devin Toner

:41:14. > :41:17.has taken a huge amount of pressure away from Rory Best in the line-out,

:41:18. > :41:20.and the rest of his game has improved. Brice Dulin is ready to

:41:21. > :41:32.continue. That is a tricky little kick by

:41:33. > :41:39.Tales. Murray says chase that, everybody.

:41:40. > :41:42.The Irish kicking game, has been recalibrated. It is a real

:41:43. > :41:47.challenge. It is better in the second half.

:41:48. > :41:54.They are getting good returns. That is three knock ones in the second

:41:55. > :42:02.half alone. I don't know how much Irish fans have start started to get

:42:03. > :42:06.into the ground, but there is a lot of support here.

:42:07. > :42:12.This is a key period of the game. They really need to stay here.

:42:13. > :42:22.The possession statistics are up. They really need to stay.

:42:23. > :42:29.Jamie Heaslop brings it over to his right-hand side. Connor with a

:42:30. > :42:35.little kick-through. Dulin blasts it.

:42:36. > :42:39.Oh, out of play. That is a very good kick.

:42:40. > :42:43.It is from almost no angle. However, Ireland have the throw. They have

:42:44. > :42:51.been very goon on their own. Because they have that lead, provided they

:42:52. > :43:08.keep doing this, then France have to do something special.

:43:09. > :43:11.Alexandre Flanquart coming back into the line up after having some

:43:12. > :43:15.attention. And Jamie Heaslop is out on the

:43:16. > :43:23.three-quarters and Devon Toner delivers to Chris Henry.

:43:24. > :43:29.Jamie Heaslop coming in to join the maul.

:43:30. > :43:37.It will be a teaser from Connor Murray. That may be a little too

:43:38. > :43:42.far. Medard to Huget.

:43:43. > :43:47.And that leaves Brian O'Driscoll behind. Here come France through

:43:48. > :43:55.Medard again. Medard has some tricky footwork. A penalty. An early

:43:56. > :44:00.tackle. Just from that loose kick. That ball

:44:01. > :44:06.gave the French too much time to counter.

:44:07. > :44:11.I don't know if we will see that footwork again but it was something

:44:12. > :44:20.special. It remains one of the mysteries why

:44:21. > :44:24.we don't see more of it! In and out. He stood him up well, Huget. He has

:44:25. > :44:37.been great with the ball in hand. France win the line-out and enter

:44:38. > :45:06.the Irish 22. Chris Henry is on the floor. There

:45:07. > :45:22.is back up now, but France are looking menacing.

:45:23. > :45:40.That's a good tackle by Jonathan Sexton.

:45:41. > :45:51.Alexandre Flanquart to Debaty over the ball.

:45:52. > :46:05.Machenaud calls the players to the right. He goes that way.

:46:06. > :46:09.Damien Chouly to Machenaud. Debaty on the far side.

:46:10. > :46:16.There is a penalty advantage being played.

:46:17. > :46:28.This is Picamoles. That's got to be a penalty. That

:46:29. > :46:35.could be a yellow. What that will do, it will prolong

:46:36. > :46:40.the advantage it gives France. They are going for the cross-field

:46:41. > :46:46.again, but that is over done. And it is back for the penalty. Is there

:46:47. > :46:49.trouble for Cian Healy? He is in the red zone. He will get a warning at

:46:50. > :47:20.least. Head-to-head as well.

:47:21. > :47:24.Louis Picamoles is the victim. That is Picamoles.

:47:25. > :47:32.He is keeping his hands to himself today. Not applauding anybody. If I

:47:33. > :47:42.was going to hit somebody head-to-head, it would not be him. I

:47:43. > :47:46.wouldn't think that was intentional. A little reckless.

:47:47. > :47:51.The problem is that there is no attempt to use the arms. You cannot

:47:52. > :47:59.say he was trying to ruck the player off.

:48:00. > :48:06.So, Cian Healy stays put. France is up for the penalty

:48:07. > :48:11.line-out as it were. Pascal Pape wins the ball and Ireland get the

:48:12. > :48:16.initial drive-on. Szarzewski spins out.

:48:17. > :48:22.Henry tackles him. Bastareaud, they have to put him down early. That's

:48:23. > :48:27.the try line. And it is in Debaty's reach but he

:48:28. > :48:30.cannot quite reach for it. There are so many men on the left

:48:31. > :48:35.for France. The ball goes in. The power of

:48:36. > :48:39.Picamoles! Gordon D' Arcy part of the hold-up operation.

:48:40. > :48:44.There is a penalty coming as well. Machenaud! It must be. If they get

:48:45. > :48:51.the ball down against the post it is a try. They can't. Have they now?

:48:52. > :48:58.Yes! Against the post. It is a try. Well, that is a very, very spirited

:48:59. > :49:04.response from France. The game is on again.

:49:05. > :49:10.Well it's game on as when Ireland have the set Pete deepen, the French

:49:11. > :49:16.half were unable to do that. They have allowed France to play out and

:49:17. > :49:21.they have a paid the price. Clarify this, the base of the

:49:22. > :49:23.padding counts as a goal line. If you get it against that, that is a

:49:24. > :49:33.try. Oh, I think he has dropped.

:49:34. > :49:39.Oh! Was there a little knock-on there? I bet there definitely was.

:49:40. > :49:44.Steve Walsh was certain at the time, but in the days when referees tend

:49:45. > :49:48.to go upstairs for most things, he decided not to. Machenaud adds to

:49:49. > :49:54.the two points. Although that may well not have been

:49:55. > :49:59.awarded as a try. There was a penalty coming. He was still playing

:50:00. > :50:08.advantage. That is definitely a knock-on.

:50:09. > :50:15.Changing all round for Ireland. Mike Ross has gone off. Martin Moore

:50:16. > :50:26.comes on. Peter O'Mahoney comes off. So into

:50:27. > :50:34.the back row. That is Martin Moore. Eoin Reddan.

:50:35. > :51:24.It's a good tackle by Iain Henderson.

:51:25. > :51:35.Tales. The first of the replacements, Flanquart.

:51:36. > :52:15.Number 21 for Ireland is Eoin Reddan at scrum-half.

:52:16. > :52:26.Dulin goes for spiral length. That's a brilliant kick.

:52:27. > :52:35.Kearney goes for the spiral kick. That does find touch.

:52:36. > :52:40.Just a point here, Phil, Ireland chipped seven points when there was

:52:41. > :52:44.a knock-on there, however, there were three offences within five

:52:45. > :52:48.metres. Had it gone on, I wonder if there had been a man in the bin and

:52:49. > :52:53.if you would have swapped one for the other. I don't know? It is a

:52:54. > :52:58.fair point it looked like a try was coming. Ireland are luck you enough

:52:59. > :53:04.not to have got a yellow card there. They really is have to play more in

:53:05. > :53:07.opposition territory. Jonathan Sexton saw the space, but

:53:08. > :53:24.was not able to execute. Unusually, Louis Picamoles has not

:53:25. > :53:31.been one of the top French players tonight.

:53:32. > :53:50.And Vahaamahina is going on for Louis Picamoles.

:53:51. > :53:59.When all is said and done, Ireland are still in the lead.

:54:00. > :54:04.Well, if anybody in this game thinks that a two-point advantage is enough

:54:05. > :54:06.to do it, they have to think again. There will be more points in this

:54:07. > :54:11.game. Rory Best is looking a little worn.

:54:12. > :54:24.This is Rory Best taking it nice and slowly. I wonder if Cronin is

:54:25. > :54:38.warming up On goes Fergus McFadden and Gordon D' Arcy is going off.

:54:39. > :54:44.Give credit to Gordon D' Arcy. Often overlooked in the centre

:54:45. > :54:50.partnership, but he has been around for a long time. He has been a very

:54:51. > :54:56.effective foil for Brian O'Driscoll. He deserves a lot of credit as well.

:54:57. > :55:09.A new scrum-half for France. It is Jean Marc Doussain.

:55:10. > :55:20.Oh, and France get the penalty! Walking around the corner will give

:55:21. > :55:24.it away. With so little separating the sides,

:55:25. > :55:27.penalties are going to become all-important. You sense that the

:55:28. > :55:32.match is going it hang in the balance. It will be decided by

:55:33. > :55:40.little things like this in the last 13 or 10 minutes.

:55:41. > :55:49.That's as it stands. Ireland leading by 22-20. A simple victory will do

:55:50. > :55:54.it for Ireland. A simple French victory and England are the

:55:55. > :56:00.champions. 67. 5 minutes gone. France with an

:56:01. > :56:03.attacking line-out. Trailing by two points.

:56:04. > :56:08.The crowd has gone quiet. It is not because they are not interested, but

:56:09. > :56:13.they are all tense. Tales to Bastareaud.

:56:14. > :56:16.That was brought down early. Jean Marc Doussain changes

:56:17. > :56:21.direction. Fickou and then to Paul O'Connell.

:56:22. > :56:39.Gael Fickou tries to get the pass away. It has gone forward. Sexton is

:56:40. > :56:46.down, and he does not look good. No, and Bastareud looked concerned for

:56:47. > :56:49.him, which says something. I do not know if that happened in the

:56:50. > :56:53.contact, or the impact on the ground. His head did not seem to me

:56:54. > :57:03.to be in a bad position, upon impact with Bastareud.

:57:04. > :57:07.REFEREE: That collision with the ball carrier for blue...

:57:08. > :57:12.EDDIE BUTLER: Just listening to Steve Walsh their...

:57:13. > :57:18.BRIAN MOORE: Well, initially, I heard the comment elbow. If he is

:57:19. > :57:23.looking for a reverse angle, I can only think that he is saying there

:57:24. > :57:31.was something intentional. Yes, he starts low, but he does not go in

:57:32. > :57:35.with the forearm. It was not the contact with the ground. Jonathan

:57:36. > :57:40.Sexton is out as he is hitting the ground. It was the contact with his

:57:41. > :57:41.lower arm or his elbow. REFEREE: Have you got anything for

:57:42. > :58:00.me, mate? In the middle of that group is Jonny

:58:01. > :58:06.Sexton, who is out. Well, if he does come off, you can expect Bastareud

:58:07. > :58:14.to be running that channel a lot more. The difference is, if you go

:58:15. > :58:19.in with your arm tucked in and you push up with your elbow, you are

:58:20. > :58:22.perfectly entitled to do that. Nearly all players do that. The

:58:23. > :58:28.difference is, if you lead with the elbow, it is entirely different.

:58:29. > :58:32.Jonny Sexton has been replaced, and France have also made a replacement

:58:33. > :58:40.at hooker. Szarzewski has been replaced. Here we go, look. No, that

:58:41. > :58:43.is the former come for me, not the latter.

:58:44. > :58:48.PHILLIP MATTHEWS: Yes, I would have to agree with that. Another thing I

:58:49. > :58:53.would say, I made this comment earlier, about how enormous the

:58:54. > :58:54.collisions have been. You look at the number of players who have got

:58:55. > :59:06.cuts everywhere. APPLAUSE

:59:07. > :59:13.Let's hope Jonny Sexton is OK. If you lose your playmaker, the

:59:14. > :59:16.scorer of two tries, it places a lot of responsible at the on the

:59:17. > :59:22.shoulders of the substitute fly half. It certainly does, and he has

:59:23. > :59:31.not had a lot of game time at this level. Joe Schmidt has had his

:59:32. > :59:36.reasons, but I suppose, at least he is slipping into what is essentially

:59:37. > :59:44.a Leinster backline. It is not as if he will not be familiar with his

:59:45. > :59:53.midfield. There is the replacement, Ian Madigan, now playing fly half.

:59:54. > :00:06.Problem with the bind there. The Irish tighthead, binding on the arm.

:00:07. > :00:13.With great care, Jonathan Sexton is taken to the medical room.

:00:14. > :00:24.Rory Best and Cian Healy, the only two that remain of the starting

:00:25. > :00:30.front rows. Sean Cronin and Jack McGrath are poised to come on.

:00:31. > :00:40.Eoin Reddan feeds. France tried hard. France get the penalty, with

:00:41. > :00:55.that drive on the scrum. You could see the difference there.

:00:56. > :01:02.The prop gets caught square on, and goes backwards. Job well done by the

:01:03. > :01:19.big prop from Belgium. Change of kicker for France, because

:01:20. > :01:35.Jean-Marc Doussain has come on for Maxime Machenaud.

:01:36. > :01:48.Oh, dear. He has missed it, and Ireland's slim lead remains. There

:01:49. > :01:53.is a long ten minutes coming up. Here we go, changes in the front

:01:54. > :02:02.row. Jack McGrath comes on the Cian Healy. And Sean Cronin comes on in

:02:03. > :02:11.the middle of the front row. Ten minutes to go. Ten minutes for

:02:12. > :02:12.Ireland to win the Six Nations, to give Brian O'Driscoll a wonderful

:02:13. > :02:22.sendoff. Doussain, the replacement

:02:23. > :02:35.scrum-half, catches that kick-off. Chouly. Tales. Too far. Safe mark by

:02:36. > :02:39.Rob Kearney. That is a gift. Yes, it is a gift, but it is territory, and

:02:40. > :02:44.it is going to force Rob Kearney to give France... He has kept it in,

:02:45. > :03:06.presumably that was intentional. Good tackling by Ireland, forcing

:03:07. > :03:19.France back into their own half. Tales. Bastareud. Maxime Medard,

:03:20. > :03:24.foot in touch. That was absolutely key. The whole dynamic and momentum

:03:25. > :03:28.of this game has been with France. It is all about possession and

:03:29. > :03:32.territory. Ireland have somehow got to turn that around. They have got

:03:33. > :03:36.to get territory. They have got to spend as much of this remaining nine

:03:37. > :03:42.minutes or so as possible deep in French territory. Ian Madigan was

:03:43. > :03:45.the player who made the tackle. Chris Henry is receiving attention.

:03:46. > :04:10.This is the new hooker, Sean Cronin. It is therefore Eoin Reddan. Andrew

:04:11. > :04:24.Trimble sets off. Maxime Medard with the catch.

:04:25. > :04:36.Madigan. Rob Kearney giving him the instructions - put it in the air.

:04:37. > :05:05.Brice Dulin, he will be tempted to run.

:05:06. > :05:12.That is a great catch by Bastareud. It was a terrible pass to him.

:05:13. > :05:20.How many does it take to bring down Mathieu Bastareaud?

:05:21. > :05:30.Advantage being played. REFEREE: Advantage over.

:05:31. > :05:36.Rob Kearney again issues the instruction, let's get down into the

:05:37. > :05:43.French are. Madigan kicks well. Bastareud is down. And both teams

:05:44. > :05:46.will be desperate to make sure they play just within, or just outside,

:05:47. > :05:51.goal-kicking range in their own half. Because one mistake, one

:05:52. > :06:03.penalty either way, could well decide this now. Referee wants

:06:04. > :06:14.France to get on with it. Well, they need to, because they are losing.

:06:15. > :06:29.Five minutes plus half a minute to go.

:06:30. > :06:37.France try and burst out. Iain Henderson did well to stop it. That

:06:38. > :06:49.is a great tackle by Cronin. Doussain. Penalty to Ireland.

:06:50. > :06:50.Absolutely key. This game is going to rest on little moments like that,

:06:51. > :07:01.turnovers like that. The break was made by Jean-Marc

:07:02. > :07:16.Doussain, on his own. And here is Ian Madigan. How brave can he be? He

:07:17. > :07:19.made sure. Well, he did the right thing. If that had not made touch,

:07:20. > :07:25.it really would have compounded things, and Ireland would have had

:07:26. > :07:35.to defend the counterattack, I am quite sure. Number 21 on for France,

:07:36. > :07:43.Wenceslas Lauret. And also, Gael Fickou is off, and Mermoz comes on

:07:44. > :08:00.in the centre. Fergus McFadden took it to ground.

:08:01. > :08:08.Heaslip. Jack McGrath. Good clearing out work

:08:09. > :08:54.by Ireland. Eoin Reddan. The crowd get behind France, as

:08:55. > :09:02.Brian O'Driscoll rolls out of a pair of tackles. Devin Toner.

:09:03. > :09:51.France have been awarded a penalty. 2.5 minutes to go. Oh, Ian Madison

:09:52. > :09:55.was -- Ian Madigan was trying to get a vital, what he thought was a vital

:09:56. > :10:03.extra couple of yards, but he left himself exposed there. That is a

:10:04. > :10:06.really bad miss. Rob Kearney, that has not gone far enough forward,

:10:07. > :10:14.either. Bastareud catches. Is this France's chance? Tales cannot take

:10:15. > :10:20.it. Taken on by the prop, Debaty. Doussain again. Tales.

:10:21. > :10:31.The captain, Pascal Pape. It comes out to Mermoz. Maxime Medard!

:10:32. > :10:39.Tackled by Andrew Trimble, but they are within ten metres of the Irish

:10:40. > :10:47.line! Dulin long to Tales. Has it gone forward?

:10:48. > :10:56.It is Dulin who touches down, but Steve Walsh, on the advice of the

:10:57. > :10:57.touch judge, is going to have a look at this.

:10:58. > :11:10.REFEREE: Time off. REFEREE: Gareth, we are in the frame

:11:11. > :11:14.for a forward pass, otherwise it is a try. Let's get this right, it is

:11:15. > :11:19.not whether the ball travels towards the opposition line, it is whether

:11:20. > :11:21.the hands were going backwards. I do not think they were, I think that is

:11:22. > :11:43.a forward pass. Phillip Matthews can't speak! . The

:11:44. > :11:53.hands were going forward! Gareth Simmons is watching keenly.

:11:54. > :12:00.What are we saying here? Does it leave his hands forward? Can you

:12:01. > :12:06.give me clarity, please. They are having another look.

:12:07. > :12:09.Well, whichever way this decision goes. It will be very, very

:12:10. > :12:13.unpopular with one side or the other.

:12:14. > :12:22.Forward pass, mate. I have it. A forward pass.

:12:23. > :12:32.80,000 people do not agree that is a forward pass.

:12:33. > :12:36.We have one minute and 10 seconds to go.

:12:37. > :12:46.The Irish management team think it is a forward pass.

:12:47. > :12:54.And Rob Kearney had a chance to clear his lines there. If they don't

:12:55. > :12:58.see this through, they will feel they have thrown this away.

:12:59. > :13:02.And this is the fifth one that they have had. Whilst it was tight.

:13:03. > :13:07.International professional players should be able to make that pass.

:13:08. > :13:11.Ireland have to be careful now. We have had penalties at the scrum.

:13:12. > :13:16.France have applied the squeeze. Eoin Reddan to feed.

:13:17. > :13:27.This is in a very kickable position. It goes straight to ground.

:13:28. > :13:30.Well, they have to be careful here. He is binding on the arm. He is

:13:31. > :13:58.right in front of Steve Walsh. One last scrum.

:13:59. > :14:01.He is under pressure again. France steal the ball! Iain

:14:02. > :14:15.Henderson makes the tackle. That's not a bad result for Ireland.

:14:16. > :14:19.They will take that, if they can defend it.

:14:20. > :14:25.Last chance for Republic of Ireland. Paul O'Connell is holding them up.

:14:26. > :14:30.It's a man down. Penalty! Whatever it is, it doesn't matter. The

:14:31. > :14:37.whistle has gone. That is Steve Walsh... Is it the final whistle? It

:14:38. > :14:42.is! Brian O'Driscoll, in his very last game for Ireland can celebrate.

:14:43. > :14:52.Ireland are the Six Nations champions! They have won here in

:14:53. > :14:59.Paris. There is it, France, 20, Ireland, 22. Ireland are the

:15:00. > :15:04.champions! And so they celebrate from the Giant's Causeway in the

:15:05. > :15:08.north to the south. The whole of Ireland can celebrate. That man,

:15:09. > :15:15.that result and whoever did the fixtures for the Six Nations

:15:16. > :15:21.campaign, he is a genius, or she is a genius. We have had the most

:15:22. > :15:26.dramatic finale. It culminating in an agonising, almost unbearable last

:15:27. > :15:32.couple of minutes. Here is confirmation of the table that

:15:33. > :15:36.Ireland are victorious. Ireland with the better points difference. Keith

:15:37. > :15:41.Wood? Absolutely. My voice has gone from screaming at the end. We are

:15:42. > :15:48.down here on the side of the pitch. It was gulch-wrenching. Incredible

:15:49. > :15:52.scenes, incredible nervousness and incredibly braery from all of the

:15:53. > :15:59.players. You can see that they are happy but shattered.

:16:00. > :16:02.It takes two to Tango. The most fantastic Test Match. That is France

:16:03. > :16:07.like they should have been all of the time? I thought we could come

:16:08. > :16:12.back in the last five minutes. Jean Marc Doussain missed the penalty.

:16:13. > :16:25.Then in the last move, the forward pass, that wasn't a forward pass!

:16:26. > :16:29.But if you go through the match, there was so many moments when it

:16:30. > :16:35.twisted and turned. Jonathan Sexton missing the points in the first

:16:36. > :16:40.half. Szarzewski's try. The one and only occasion where the referee did

:16:41. > :16:45.not go to the video referee. That was seven points to France that

:16:46. > :16:49.should not have been given. Rob Kearney not clearing his lines. It

:16:50. > :16:52.was a game with everything. We were saying it halfway through

:16:53. > :16:57.the game. This is the reason that we love the sport. When you have a game

:16:58. > :17:02.like that. Two teams that put everything into it. We are looking

:17:03. > :17:08.at the scenes of the pure unbridled joy. I disagree in some ways, it is

:17:09. > :17:13.not about Brian O'Driscoll. It was beforehand but this is about a team

:17:14. > :17:17.delivering on their promise. Of winning a trophy that they

:17:18. > :17:21.desperately needed to back up between. It can be the start of a

:17:22. > :17:25.new era. Ireland have promised for so long.

:17:26. > :17:30.You look at the provincial play, what they win, what they have

:17:31. > :17:34.achieved. Now it has been transformed by making this team come

:17:35. > :17:40.together by Joe Schmidt. It is aen old team but they are consistent.

:17:41. > :17:45.I'm sure England were thinking at various points, that it could be

:17:46. > :17:48.theirs but it was not to be. In the last five seconds it could

:17:49. > :17:52.have been theirs. What a fitting end to such a

:17:53. > :17:57.fantastic tournament, that it was still hanging in the balance.

:17:58. > :18:02.They are erecting the podium for the presentation of the R BS Six Nations

:18:03. > :18:06.championship. We will see endless pictures of Brian O'Driscoll but we

:18:07. > :18:10.may not have an opportunity to hear from him before going off air on BBC

:18:11. > :18:13.One, but let's hear from Paul O'Connell. I think that we can hear

:18:14. > :18:18.from him now. Many, many congratulations, Paul. I

:18:19. > :18:23.know you are apologising as you have left your teeth in the changing room

:18:24. > :18:28.but I am sure we can understand you. What was it like to play in the last

:18:29. > :18:33.few minutes? It was frustrating. We scored three tries. I thought that

:18:34. > :18:37.we were playing good rugbiment, but we went into ourselves and stopped

:18:38. > :18:41.playing, stopped trying to win the game. That is a dangerous game to

:18:42. > :18:47.play, but luckily we held out. Lucky with the forward pass at the end,

:18:48. > :18:51.but we did score three tries. What was going through your mind

:18:52. > :18:56.when the decision was coming for the pass? I saw it coming against the

:18:57. > :19:01.pitch. I saw it forward. Sometimes the decisions go against you, but I

:19:02. > :19:06.was happy enough it was forward. An amazing week, the build-up, of

:19:07. > :19:10.course with the attention on Brian O'Driscoll, how much did it mean to

:19:11. > :19:14.you to get this today? It is fantastic for the people at home.

:19:15. > :19:18.Fantastic for the team. And for Brian O'Driscoll and his family, to

:19:19. > :19:22.be part of the team. To have a great finish to his career. It was great

:19:23. > :19:25.for everyone involved. Congratulations, I think you have a

:19:26. > :19:30.trophy to collect. Well done. I am not sure that we have told you

:19:31. > :19:35.but Brian O'Driscoll has been made Man of the Match. How could they

:19:36. > :19:39.give it to anyone else? Well, that was just brilliant. You can see it.

:19:40. > :19:45.You know, I still expect him to cry in a few minutes. The second thatten

:19:46. > :19:50.somebody talks to him, it sings in, the elation, the win is there, and

:19:51. > :19:53.then the recognition, that is the last time he dons an international

:19:54. > :19:57.jersey. We have the French team applauding

:19:58. > :20:03.the fans. There has been a lot of respect between the players and the

:20:04. > :20:07.spectators. Is as if the French team reengaged with their supporters this

:20:08. > :20:13.evening? I am proud of the team today. I think that we did

:20:14. > :20:17.everything. We started strongly. We showed the desire. The platform, in

:20:18. > :20:21.the line-outs and the scrum that cost us points in the first half,

:20:22. > :20:26.but then we managed to move the ball from one side to the other to create

:20:27. > :20:29.opportunities. We were close against a very good team of Ireland. I am

:20:30. > :20:36.proud of them. We have a forum coming up on the red

:20:37. > :20:39.button. Any thoughts on an Irish championship or the other sides

:20:40. > :20:43.playing in the championship in the review of what has happened over the

:20:44. > :20:48.course of the last seven weekends, give us a shout by e-mail, tweet,

:20:49. > :20:53.however you choose. In general terms, what have you made of the

:20:54. > :20:57.events of the last month-and-a-half? I have thoroughly enjoyed it. The

:20:58. > :21:03.top teams, Ireland and England played well. Not just in defence,

:21:04. > :21:07.that is a given but in the attack. I like the way with what Joe Schmidt

:21:08. > :21:13.has done with the team. Brought them together. The line-out is great. The

:21:14. > :21:16.scrum is good. I think that England have been ambitious and struck a

:21:17. > :21:21.chord and connected with their public. France, finally, have come

:21:22. > :21:27.back to play well. Scotland ra nowhere. It is sad to say. They

:21:28. > :21:33.should have beaten France last weekend? A poor French side turned

:21:34. > :21:37.out. People can say that Scotland did not allow them in but that is

:21:38. > :21:40.the argument but they have not progressed this year.

:21:41. > :21:50.The gather we can hear from Brian O'Driscoll in a few minute's time.

:21:51. > :21:55.Offer a final eulogy on the most capped international player, in

:21:56. > :22:00.fact, don't do that just now... Brian, how are you feeling at the

:22:01. > :22:07.moment? It is starting to kick in now. It is great to be a two-times

:22:08. > :22:11.nation's winner. There have been so many successes, so many

:22:12. > :22:17.disappointments, it is great to finish on a high. When I hang up the

:22:18. > :22:22.jersey on the inside, it will be with very fond memories. How did you

:22:23. > :22:28.manage the last few moments? It was the last leg stuff. I know now why I

:22:29. > :22:34.am packing it in. 08 minutes is a long bloody time at international

:22:35. > :22:39.level! Especially with men like Mathieu Bastareaud running at you. I

:22:40. > :22:42.am delighted. It was a huge Irish contingent here today, I am glad

:22:43. > :22:46.that we gave them something to shout about.

:22:47. > :22:52.Many congratulations. So Ireland's second victory in 42

:22:53. > :22:55.years. The second this century and Brian O'Driscoll has been an

:22:56. > :23:00.integral part on both. Your thoughts on him? He has delivered on his

:23:01. > :23:03.country for 15 years. An icon for children throughout the country.

:23:04. > :23:09.They have seen that things are possible. That magic is possible.

:23:10. > :23:14.That winning is possible. If every winner, there is, there is

:23:15. > :23:20.also a loser but I suspect that Philippe Saint-Andre is proud of

:23:21. > :23:23.that team this evening. Philippe Saint-Andre, how proud are

:23:24. > :23:27.you of the team's performance today? Sometimes, I don't know. To have

:23:28. > :23:31.lost like this, congratulations to Ireland, they played well but I

:23:32. > :23:36.think that our young team did very well. It was a shame in the end of

:23:37. > :23:41.the game. If we had a little more of the control. , but, it is an Ireland

:23:42. > :23:45.game. There was so little between the

:23:46. > :23:51.teams, a shade of a forward pass made the difference? Yes, we don't

:23:52. > :23:56.know with the new rules, when you pass behind if it is forward. It is

:23:57. > :24:02.more on the last scrum it is a lot to take in. It is like this, one day

:24:03. > :24:07.we will turn in our side. France looked like a team with

:24:08. > :24:12.something to prove today? I think we know, the guys were criticised all

:24:13. > :24:17.of the way. I think that we showed a lot of things after we took two

:24:18. > :24:20.tries. But Ireland played well. I think

:24:21. > :24:24.that they played well in the tournaments. So I think that on the

:24:25. > :24:32.tournament they deserve it. Thank you very much.

:24:33. > :24:36.You can see the presentations have again started to the Ireland team.

:24:37. > :24:43.And perhaps thinking of the weeks that have gone by. Losing to England

:24:44. > :24:47.in the Titanic match and then coming down to the points difference. After

:24:48. > :24:50.England won in Rome so well today but not well enough to make the

:24:51. > :24:56.points difference a factor. Tonight it came down to just winning or

:24:57. > :25:10.losing. The margins were fine, as they always are on great sporting

:25:11. > :25:15.occasions. For me, Andrew Trimble, a guy who is unheralded for the most

:25:16. > :25:23.part, was truly magnificent. He forced knock-on after nor can. Brian

:25:24. > :25:28.O'Driscoll, from the start, he was a threat. He played his first game in

:25:29. > :25:33.the Stade de France, and he scored three tries against us, and we knew

:25:34. > :25:41.from the start that he was going to be a legend. Game after game, match

:25:42. > :25:50.after match, he has shown so many times what he is. He is such a

:25:51. > :25:54.modest man. On the TV, he never takes the lead. Amazing player.

:25:55. > :25:59.Well, all the Ireland players bar one have been up to shake the hands

:26:00. > :26:03.of the presentation party. But the most important man tonight, in a

:26:04. > :26:07.way, is the man who is going to lift the trophy. When he finally hangs up

:26:08. > :26:12.his boots, Ireland will miss him almost as much as Brian O'Driscoll

:26:13. > :26:23.will miss them. Paul O'Connell holds up the trophy! And Ireland are

:26:24. > :26:26.victorious here in Paris. And it has been a terrific Championship,

:26:27. > :26:31.starting with that first weekend here in Paris, with a titanic battle

:26:32. > :26:36.between France and England. Some great matches along the way. Italy

:26:37. > :26:40.against Scotland in Rome, what an extraordinary match that was. But it

:26:41. > :26:46.finishes with a really outstanding Test match. Ireland's latest rugby

:26:47. > :26:50.magician disappears from the stage victorious.