Ireland were a class above at Stade Velodrome, albeit their cause was aided by a first-half red card for France second-row Paul Willemse. Beirne believes there is plenty more to come from his second-row partner, affectionately dubbed ‘Big Joe’. “Well, he certainly was Big Joe out there,” said Beirne. Fly-half Jack Crowley filled the void left by Sexton’s retirement, overcoming some errors to nail each of his five conversions and add a penalty. Ireland’s Jack Crowley kicked 13 points on his first Six Nations start (Andrew Matthews/PA)“We were aware of what we were coming into and it was just about playing our game.

Source: The Herald February 03, 2024 14:30 UTC