Not the best solution to chase away the bad memories of the World Cup in France, but the best to pave the way to the title for Ireland. The cursed quarter-final abandoned last fall to the future South African world champions (29-28) clearly continues to haunt the French spirits. By conceding at home against the Ireland XV, another big disappointment from the World Cup, their heaviest defeat under Fabien Galthié, the French missed the opportunity to close the still open wound. They had not suffered two consecutive defeats since 2021, between the last match of the Six Nations against Scotland (27-23) and the first test of the summer tour in Australia (23-21).

Even though it was only timidly questioned after the disappointment of the 2023 World Cup at home, Galthié was obliged to quickly put his team back on the path to success to prepare for the future with more serenity. The vast majority of their teammates – 80 to 90%, according to Galthié – can nourish this ambition, but the new cycle did not start in the best way on Friday. Lacking imagination, condemned to defend and not always very well, they conceded two tries, by Jamison Gibson-Park (16th) and Tadhg Beirne (30th). A lesser evil as Ireland, even without their metronome Johnny Sexton, who retired, dominated all sectors of the game or almost all.

They did not need the numerical superiority after half an hour of play. Excluded from the World Cup due to a thigh injury, Willemse missed his return. Already very close to a direct red card for an illegal ruck in the head of the opposing prop Andrew Porter (9th), he did not bend down enough to tackle Caelan Doris. His exclusion, logical, at least had the merit of waking up France and the Vélodrome crowd.

The inevitable Damian Penaud scored his 36th try for the national team, two units away from Serge Blanco’s record, and maintained a semblance of hope at halftime (10-17). But the Irish were clearly the strongest and winger Calvin Nash (46th) and hookers Dan Sheehan (62nd) and Ronan Kelleher (78th) added to their first success in France in the Six Nations since 2018. Without their flagship player Antoine Dupont, focused on rugby sevens and the Olympics, the French now have four matches to turn things around and finally chase away the demons of the World Cup.