It was billed as the title-decider of this year's competition-a collision between the two heavyweights of European rugby-but in reality is was a very one-sided affair.
The formidable Ireland of recent-the team that haven't lost a game for over a year- were nowhere to be seen. Knock-ons, missed tackles, and a lack of flair and discipline allowed the French to open them up and tear them apart, making "The Invincibles" look very ordinary.
Les Bleus on the other hand provided their ardent fans, packing out the tiers at Stade de France, with a beautiful display of running rugby that was reminiscent of times of old. The inconsistency that usually walks hand in hand with Marc Lievremont's side had been ironed out, leaving Ireland to suffer the wrath of a French team high in confidence and hungry for points.
In the team that faced Ireland there seems to be a consistent, functioning XV that are capable of winning this year's tournament. In the backs, Morgan Parra at no. 9 showed why he is becoming the new "petit general", with his direction and off-the-cuff drop goals giving France a crucial playmaking option whilst outside him, Trinh-Duc played with maturity and calm, cutting the Irish to pieces on more than one occasion.
Yannik Jauzion, having dropped a stone of weight since last year's tournament, was back on form and even contributed a try when a French back-line move carved straight through Ireland's midfield whilst Clement Poitrenaud at full-back added his own flair and invention to the mix, rewarded by a try courtesy of Mathieu Bastareaud.
The young French behemoth Bastareud, continued his dominance on the international stage with another pivotal performance, even against one of the most effective and well-functioning backlines in the world. Brian O'Driscoll failed to neutralise the threat of the young Frenchman, allowing him too much space to manoeuvre his giant 17-stone frame around the park, resulting in his aforementioned offload to Poitrenaud for a second-half try.
Whilst the backs played the beautiful game, the forwards resorted to one of brute force. The back-row contest that had been so talked-about in the build-up was dominated by the French combination of Dusatoir, Ouedraogo and Harinordoquay, who romped around the field turning over ball and spoiling lineouts. Heaslip and co. will be disappointed with their lack of competition, but when France are playing well, it's an unstoppable juggernaught.
So where to now for Ireland? By no means should they be ruled out of another victorious 6 nations, sure enough a grand-slam is out of the question but they must be backing themselves to turn over a lacklustre England side in two weeks time. They have the quality all over the pitch and with O'Driscoll at the helm, confidence must still be high. Last year they proved that they can go for an entire year without loss, and with their track record against the French in Paris being somewhat...woeful, last weekend can be seen as a momentary blip to their campaign.
The French however are no longer the enigma of the tournament and are riding the wave of good form. They showed their hand against the Irish and it was destructive. On their day they are unbeatable, and with the consistency problems withering away into the background, those days undoubtedly becoming more frequent. Beware of Les Bleus.
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