- Ireland 13-15 France
- France lead Six Nations after first win in Dublin since 2011
Away wins do not carry quite the premium as usual in this Six Nations, but a win in Dublin has proved beyond France for the last 10 years. As this young band of classy, athletic Frenchmen continue to impress a world that has been missing its dose of Gallic flair for so long, they here ticked yet another box by winning with some class in the lair of the Irish.
They did not start particularly well, but they finished with authority and in between showed enough flashes of style to put the game just beyond Ireland, who were a lot younger themselves than we have been used to of late. In truth, the home team, for all their long periods of dominance, never really threatened to dent France’s composure. Only the French themselves managed that, but the way they rode their problems to prevail was impressive. They finish round two at the top of the table, yet to play a home match, for all that home advantage matters these days.
