Sat 09 Sep 2007Refound passion never enoughFrance 25 Ireland 3:Ireland found their
people, found their intensity, found their passion, but had nothing
like the passion to take a French team that for long stretches on
an electric night in Paris had looked there for the taking. Errors,
emanating from a sadly palpable lack of confidence in their skills,
undermined that effort, but it went deeper than that. France
targeted the Irish lineout to telling effect and mauled the Ireland
pack for truckloads of yardage; that and their vastly superior
offloading, tempo and handling saw them pull clear with two tries
by Vincent Clerc in the last quarter.As hoped and half-expected, Ireland discovered new-found
intensity in the physical contact, and had plenty of territory and
a clear sense of purpose in what they were doing.