Reality bites in Paris heartbreak

Ireland's dream of a second consecutive Grand Slam came crashing down in the reality of a 34-10 defeat at the home of tournament favourites France.

The French were superior in every aspect and their forward pack seemed to turn up the intensity at will to keep Ireland firmly on the back foot and having to rush and force the issue when in possession.

Cian Healy's yellow card after just 17 minutes for a professional foul on Morgan Parra, opened the gate for les bleus. When the prop returned to the action, his team had conceded 10 points after spending over five minutes on their own line trying to repel a relentless scrum. Inevitably, the pressure told and Nicolas Mas took the ball under the posts when the play was spread.

In the last decade Ireland have fell in Paris numerous times and in each one, it has been a first half flurry of tries that inflicted the damage. A repeat of those nightmares was well and truly on the cards again when Yannick Jauzion went over just four minutes later.

France have no greater strength than their own momentum and through green tinted glasses the pendulum swing cruelly revealed itself after just 15 minutes when Gordon D'Arcy made an incisive break in midfield and chipped over the head of full-back Clement Poitrenaud. The foot race was neck and neck, but the ball bounced left out of D'Arcy's path and onto the post, Vincent Clerc narrowly grounding the ball ahead of Brian O'Driscoll.

From there the cockerels never looked back and, through Imanol Harinordiquy, flooded up-field to force Healy into his sin-binning. At three nil, the bodies in green jerseys were gasping for breath. But the lifeline of a kickable penalty was reversed when Jerry Flannery viciously swung a boot at Alexis Pallisson, the hooker could easily have been shown a card, few would have argued had rouge being the chosen colour.

Ireland were desperate, and at every foray into the French 22, looked worried it could be the last. Three point penalties were dismissed for attempts at the maximum score, but the blue wall would not crack and the home team strutted to their dressing room with a 17-3 half time lead.

An almighty comeback was required for Declan Kidney's side to be within a sniff of victory but the hosts were in no mood for complacency and always looked most likely to score, and it was Poitrenaud who delivered the third try after the behemoth that is Matheiu Bastareaud fended off his opposite number, O'Driscoll, before inviting his full back to storm into the corner.

The only moment that will not force a cringe when drawn to memory came in the 65th minute, after good hands from the back line, the Irish captain off-loaded inside to David Wallace, the veteran flanker with with an easy run in to make it 27-10.

But by that stage les bleus were in cruise control, clinically pouncing on every error and confidently nudging the scoreboard along through the boot of Parra and a final drop goal from his replacement Frederic Michalak.

Another heart-wrenching afternoon in Paris for Ireland, the only consolation being that they now have two weeks to pick confidence up from the floor, but their opponents on that day will be a resurgent England team who should go into that game with two wins from two.

France 33
Tries: Servat, Jauzion, Poitrenaud Cons: Parra 3 Pens: Parra 2 Drop-goals: Parra, Michalak

Ireland 10

Try: Wallace Pen: O'Gara Con: O'Gara