France Player Ratings v Ireland

October 31, 2020
3211
Ultimate Rugby

Romain Ntamack and Antoine Dupont inspired France to a fine victory over Ireland in the final Six Nations game.

The win handed England the 2020 Six Nations title while Fabien Galthie's side finish the competition in second place.

Dupont and Ntamack scored a try each, while a first-half penalty try and second-half Virimi Vakatawa score were enough for victory.

Here is how we rated the French:

15. Anthony Bouthier - 5

An instinctive yet silly moment saw him spend ten minutes in the sin bin and was probably lucky to not have cost his side a penalty try. Ireland did score a try through Healy not long after.

Bouthier covered the backfield well and put in some long-range punts.

14. Vincent Rattez - 6

Did extremely well to keep the ball in play which ultimately led to a try for Dupont after some lovely footwork from Gael Fickou.

Rattez was excellent under the high ball but saw little ball on attack and missed two key tackles.

13. Virimi Vakatawa - 6.5

Followed Ntamack well to score but he was kept relatively quiet by Ireland on attack.

12. Arthur Vincent - 6

Guilty of some sloppy defence but Vincent was excellent on attack linking up with Vakatawa. He shifted the ball on well but his defence hurts his rating.

11. Gaël Fickou - 8

Some excellent footwork and link-up play to set up a try for Antoine Dupont. He put in an excellent chip kick over the top which resulted in Ntamack's score.

Looked dangerous every time he touched the ball while he failed to miss a tackle on defence.

10. Romain Ntamack - 8

Another controlled methodical performance from the playmaker. He slotted his chances from the tee, kicked well from hand and was solid in defence.

9. Antoine Dupont - 8.5

World-class. He continues to show why he is regarded by man as the best scrumhalf in the game. His support lines were sensational as he scored a try and assisted another. His service was also great while he kicked well too.

1. Cyril Baille - 6.5

Also struggled somewhat in the scrum in the first half but got through a ton of work on defence and had robust carries. Also came up with two turnovers.

2. Julien Marchand - 7

A tidy shift in the lineouts while making a few crunching hits and won a turnover. Got stuck into the breakdowns and often game out on top.

3. Mohamed Haouas - 6

Struggled in the scrum with Cian Healy on but he recovered to have a solid game overall.

4. Bernard Le Roux - 7

Aggressive hits, good work in the rucks and busting carries.

5. Paul Willemse - 7

Two steals, great lineout work and Willemse was busy all over the pitch for 73 minutes before he was given an early breather.

6. François Cros - 6

Got through quite a bit of work in the rucks for half an hour before he left the pitch injured and did not return.

7. Charles Ollivon - 9

Simply outstanding from start to finish. Ollivon was the cliche of leading from the front. He tackled superbly, defended just as well and popped up to make a number of turnovers. He was also excellent at the lineout.

8. Gregory Alldritt - 8.5

Like his captain, Alldritt was fantastic in all facets of the game. Made 20 tackles missing just one.

Replacements:

16. Camille Chat - 6

Came on and did what you expect him to do. He made his tackles, hit his jumpers at the lineout and carried strongly.

17. Jean-Baptiste Gros - 6

Sured up the scrum once he came on and was busy around the park.

18. Demba Bamba - 6

French scrum was stronger with Bamba and Gros on. The tighthead made five sharp carries and three tackles.

19. Romain Taofifenua - n/a

Got just 8 minutes - not long enough for a fair rating.

20. Dylan Cretin - 7