France's dominance was on full display as the Six Nations champions stormed to a 36-14 thrashing of Ireland at the Stade de France in their tournament opener. The victory, which earned them four bonus points, not only sent a clear message to their opponents but also cemented their status as the team to beat.
The French side's attack was in full flow from the start, with fly-half Romain Ntamack conjuring up a series of clever movements that left Ireland's defenders scrambling to keep pace. Meanwhile, prop Tuanokokele Kolo Matai was in scintillating form at the set piece, his powerful scrums and lineouts providing the platform for France to launch their counter-attacks.
As the game wore on, the French pack continued to assert its dominance, with flanker Anthony Bautista picking up two crucial tries that really put Ireland under pressure. Despite the visitors' best efforts, the French backline remained too clinical, with Ntamack and winger Jonathan Danty combining for three of their four tries.
Ireland's hopes were further dashed by a series of yellow cards, with lock Jean-Quentin Kayser and prop Andrew Porter both sent off in quick succession. With their 10-man side vulnerable to French onslaughts, the Irish forwards struggled to cope with the relentless pressure applied by their opponents.
In the end, France emerged as deserved winners, but it was clear that Ireland had also been given a serious wake-up call by the ruthless display put on by their hosts. The result marked a major statement of intent from the French camp and sets them up nicely for what promises to be an exciting rest of the tournament.
The French side's attack was in full flow from the start, with fly-half Romain Ntamack conjuring up a series of clever movements that left Ireland's defenders scrambling to keep pace. Meanwhile, prop Tuanokokele Kolo Matai was in scintillating form at the set piece, his powerful scrums and lineouts providing the platform for France to launch their counter-attacks.
As the game wore on, the French pack continued to assert its dominance, with flanker Anthony Bautista picking up two crucial tries that really put Ireland under pressure. Despite the visitors' best efforts, the French backline remained too clinical, with Ntamack and winger Jonathan Danty combining for three of their four tries.
Ireland's hopes were further dashed by a series of yellow cards, with lock Jean-Quentin Kayser and prop Andrew Porter both sent off in quick succession. With their 10-man side vulnerable to French onslaughts, the Irish forwards struggled to cope with the relentless pressure applied by their opponents.
In the end, France emerged as deserved winners, but it was clear that Ireland had also been given a serious wake-up call by the ruthless display put on by their hosts. The result marked a major statement of intent from the French camp and sets them up nicely for what promises to be an exciting rest of the tournament.
they really sent a message to everyone else that they're the team to beat in this tournament! their attack was insane, romain ntamack is like a magician on the field 
and kolo matai's scrums are so powerful it's like he has superhuman strength 
. i'm loving how france is just dominating every aspect of the game, from set pieces to backline play. the irish team needs to take notes lol.
] France's dominance is no joke! 
They just roasted Ireland 36-14! 
[
] Romain Ntamack was on 
] Ireland's hopes were dashed by yellow cards... poor guys 
[
] France's statement of intent is loud and clear: they're here to win! 
, but four bonus points? That's just a bit too much, if you ask me 
. And those yellow cards for Ireland? What a harsh wake-up call, but also, like, they got smashed by 22 points... maybe next time, right? 
. France's squad does look pretty stacked, though - Romain Ntamack's movements were silky smooth 
, and that prop Kolo Matai is a beast 
! Still, I'm not ready to jump on the rugby bandwagon just yet... maybe after they lose a game or two 
.
! and i love how they're dominating the game with their scrums and lineouts 
. it's not just about winning, but how they're playing the game with such passion and unity 
.
! can't wait to see what the rest of the season has in store 
meanwhile ireland just got thrashed 
i feel bad for ireland though, they definitely gave france a hard time 
France just dominated Ireland 36-14 in their Six Nations opener 
. And those Irish players getting sent off yellow card 
.
, leaving those Irish defenders in the dust 
. I'm loving France's confidence after this win, they're definitely the team to beat in the tournament 
. they didn't just win, they showed everyone what they're capable of 
. and can we talk about how they handled pressure? staying calm under fire is where true champions are made 
.
. And Tuanokokele Kolo Matai is just straight fire 
️
Guess they learned a hard lesson and it'll be interesting to see how they bounce back from this 
. France definitely sent a message to the rest of the tournament teams that they're the team to beat this year 
the irish pack got totally outclasssed by the french forwards 
anthony bautista's 2 tries sealed the deal for france and now they're the team to beat in this tournament 
. And Kolo Matai at prop is just unstoppable in the scrums 
. Ireland got smoked, but I think they'll learn from this and come back stronger 
. France's dominance is real, can't deny it 
Please, Ireland gave it their all and still got thrashed by 36 points! 
It was clear that France knew their game plan inside out.
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i mean that french backline is just too good, romain ntamack is a genius