FRANCE WOMEN 19 IRELAND WOMEN 9, Stade des Allees, Blois
Scorers: France: Tries: Fanny Horta 2, Stéphanie Loyer; Cons: Aurélie Bailon 2
Ireland: Pens: Niamh Briggs 3
Winger Fanny Horta touched down twice as France opened their win account in this year's RBS Women's 6 Nations, getting the better of a determined Ireland side on a snow-speckled pitch in Blois.
In freezing temperatures, Ireland lined out with a starting line-up showing five changes to the team that defeated Italy 39-0 last weekend.
The experienced trio of Orla Brennan, Amy Davis and Sinead Ryan made their first appearances of the 2010 Championship, while Gillian Bourke and Caroline Mahon were promoted from the replacements bench.
France established an early territorial dominance, keeping it tight through their forwards, but Ireland were able to thwart their attacks and they countered well, particularly when full-back Niamh Briggs caught a high ball and powered through the middle, taking play up to the halfway line.
It was nip-and-tuck for the opening quarter-hour, with some strong tackling from scrum half Tania Rosser and centre Shannon Houston halting the French in full flow and Ireland regrouping well through a solid lineout and Brigg's big right boot.
Understandably, both sides were finding it hard to keep ball in hand at times, with the wintry conditions playing a part in some knock-ons and scrappy periods of play.
France edged ahead in the 15th minute when Horta, popping up in midfield, blasted out of one tackle and rounded Briggs as the last defender to score to the left of the posts. Out-half Aurélie Bailon tapped over the conversion.
Ireland looked solid off the restart, with Brennan, Marie Louise Reilly and Joy Neville getting their hands on the ball
But the French backs were proving dangerous when they got within range. A crash ball run was closed off in the Irish 22, before centre Sandrine Agricole chipped over the top and the ball stood up well for Horta to flash past the defending Alison Miller and dot down in the right corner.
Bailon was narrowly wide with her conversion attempt and Ireland responded with some patient build-up through the forwards that netted their opening points.
Rosser was having a ding dong battle with her opposite number Stéphanie Provost, and Ireland soon engineered their best attacking chance of the half.
They flung a penalty to touch and Bourke found lock Mahon with a pinpoint throw. The French infringed when defending the subsequent maul, but a knock-on spoiled the second lineout move, just five metres out from the French try-line.
Back on the attack four minutes before half-time, some committed and accurate mauling set up a right-sided penalty on the 22 for Briggs and she bisected the posts with aplomb.
Ireland's dander was up and an excellent midfield run by centre Grace Davitt, who hared onto a flat pass from Rosser, saw her thunder through the first line of defence before being hauled down just inside the French 22 by Elodie Poublan and Caroline Ladagnous.
Ireland remained on the attack for the final minutes before half-time and with Agricole sin-binned for not rolling away after a tackle on Miller, Briggs brilliantly landed the resulting penalty from wide out on the left to make it 12-6.
Unfortunately, that was as close as this game Irish side got to the hosts. France made a strong start to the second period, Horta rampaging down the left touchline and tying in three tacklers.
The home forwards then enjoyed a purple patch in possession. Ireland were pinged for not rolling away and Bailon was narrowly wide with a left-sided penalty attempt.
Ireland could not make use of the extra player while Agricole was off, and they were cut to 14 players when out-half Joanne O'Sullivan paid the price for infringing at a maul as the French mauled to within metres of the Irish whitewash.
Brennan heroically prevented a certain French try as she got her body under the ball and referee Clare Daniels signalled that the hosts had been held up.
However, the third try came just a minute later when scrum half Provost laid the ball back on a plate for powerful prop Stéphanie Loyer to take it up and rumble over from a couple of metres out.
Bailon added the conversion for good measure and Ireland, 7-5 winners in the sides' corresponding clash last year, were beginning to falter.
But coach Kevin West can be pleased with the determination shown by his side as they continued to look for openings, albeit with France able to pin them back in their own half for much of the remainder.
A great hit by prop Emer McManamly on try scorer Loyer showed Ireland's intent to turn things around, and French flanker Amandine Vaupre was fortunate to a card after lashing out in an off-the-ball incident.
Forward replacements Lauren Day, Kate O'Loughlin and Claire Molloy also added handsomely to the efforts up front.
Briggs kicked her third penalty in the 62nd minute, after Marie-Charlotte Hebel was whistled up for not rolling away, and the game was back in the melting pot.
A try was what was required to really put the French under pressure but again Ireland's advances were too far out and right wing runs by Davis and Briggs came to nothing.
The game petered out in the end as France remained on the defensive, content to soak up the pressure and play the game in Ireland's half.
Miller had a half-break down the left that might have come to something, but the French got across to close down the space and Ireland's brave bid for a first ever win on French soil ended in disappointment.
West's charges will be back in action on Sunday, February 28 when they tackle defending champions and hot favourites England at Esher RFC.
FRANCE WOMEN: Elodie Poublan; Caroline Ladagnous, Sandrine Agricole, Lucille Godiveau, Fanny Horta; Aurélie Bailon, Stéphanie Provost; Stéphanie Loyer, Cyndia Mansard, Céline Barthelemy, Hasna Rhamouni, Cyrielle Bouisset, Amandine Vaupre, Marie-Charlotte Hebel, Sandra Rabier (capt).
Replacements: Laetitia Salles, Nadège Labbey, Manon Andre, Lucie Canal, Marie-Alice Yahe, Christelle Leduff, Anaïs Lagougine.
IRELAND WOMEN: Niamh Briggs; Amy Davis, Grace Davitt, Shannon Houston, Alison Miller; Joanne O'Sullivan, Tania Rosser; Fiona Coghlan (capt), Gillian Bourke, Emer McManamly, Caroline Mahon, Marie Louise Reilly, Orla Brennan, Sinead Ryan, Joy Neville.
Replacements used: Kate O'Loughlin for Mahon, Lauren Day for McManamly, Claire Molloy for Ryan (all 67 mins), Chris Fanning for Bourke (70), Helen Brosnan for Davitt (71). Not used: Louise Beamish, Nora Stapleton.
Referee: Clare Daniels (England)
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