What They Said In The Sunday’s

In destabilising France’s key platform, nobody stood taller than Marcus Horan, the prop who was saddled with the responsibility of replacing Reggie Corrigan while at the same time taking the flak that had been thrown at him. If he is the light-weight his critics say he is, what should we now make of Sylvain Marconnet and Christian Califano, the tightheads of world renown whom he faced down yesterday. Tom English – The Sunday Times.

When this team retains its focus it can ride out stormy passages. This was rough but Ireland are still intact, and with a handful of injured players coming back they will only get better. Brendan Fanning – The Sunday Independent.

Just as they had proved against Australia back in November, Ireland showed they have the technique, the nous and the will to do the gladiatorial stuff and it’s this that justifies the Grand Slam hype that will now go into overdrive. Peter O’Reilly – The Sunday Tribune.

Ireland’s ninth victory in succession was fully deserved even though the three point winning margin left no room for comfort. Liam Heagney – Ireland on Sunday.

Tense, certainly, but tasty all the same. Having scorched to eight tries in their first two games on the road Ireland ground out a desperately tight victory over the defending champions courtesy of four penalties by David Humphreys and the one moment of pure genius from Geordan Murphy a drop-goal in the very first minute of the game. Eddie Butler – The Observer.

Yet, to balance all the adulation and excitement, this was a dire rugby match. If Ireland take anything from this match other than the victory, it will be the defensive display of the side in general and one Brian O’Driscoll in particular. Paul Ackford – The Sunday Telegraph.

Brian O’Driscoll, David Humphreys, Maggs and Stringer, as well as Anthony Foley, Gleeson and Hayes led them to a bone-bristling, skin-bruising, strength-sapping victory of epic proportions. – Neil Francis – The Sunday Tribune.

Bernard Laporte’s side kept their best performance of the year for yesterday and you had to blink hard to convince yourself that the scoreboard showed they were nine points down at half-time. Paul Howard – The Sunday Tribune.

France, in many senses are a shadow of themselves. They seem to have easily the most talented individuals – Ireland simply do not have forwards of the class of Olivier Magne and Fabien Pelous – but France played as if petrified; they played as if they were up against the Ireland of their night-mares rather than the pop-gun bunch they actually met. Stephen Jones – The Sunday Times.

They (Ireland) weren’t the better team, simply the grittier and more disciplined side. The performance wasn’t from the top drawer, nor even from the next one down, but it was enough. They put their bodies on the line, they fought tooth and nail and at the end, a gallant French side had no more to give. David Walsh – The Sunday Times.