Accuracy the key in France's rout of Ireland

France coach Fabien Galthie lauded his team’s attacking performance after their dazzling 36-14 victory over Ireland in their Six Nations opener on Feb 5.

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A brace of tries from Louis Bielley-Biarrey and one from mercurial fly-half Matthieu Jalibert helped France storm into a 29-0 lead, before winger Theo Attissogbe put some gloss on the victory late on at the Stade de France.

“In an attacking sense, with the ball, the team played with great accuracy,” Galthie said.

“It was one of the most accurate attacking performances in a long time despite the weather conditions. The variety between kicking and keeping the ball in hand was remarkable.”

Playing together for only the second time since the 2023 Rugby World Cup, halfbacks Antoine Dupont and Jalibert made light of the rain to continuously probe Ireland for weaknesses.