France 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.

A host of players upped their performance, none more so that Simon Easterby, full of hard running, spoiling and physical intent but, like some team-mates, in his enthusiasm he overstepped the mark.

Unfortunately, a lack of control which led to them losing three of their first six lineouts was compounded by a few errors which the French fed off.

The French and especially Frederic Michalak, whose kicking was dreadful, looked vulnerable if Ireland could get at them, but were settled by getting ahead early on.

As if to further underline the importance of the opening skirmishes in this hugely pressurised game, a glorified quarter-final play-off, France won the toss and elected to kick off. The desire to get the first scores was evident in the bouts of aerial ping-pong and in the nerves on a night when, cracking atmosphere though it was, you could reach out and bite the tension.

Raphael Ibanez's first throw was crooked and Ireland's first scrum was solid, as Ronan O'Gara peppered the Toulouse back three with an aerial bombardment. But they were all solid, Clement Poitrenaud particularly with two nerve-calming, leaping high takes.

One aerial ping-pong exchange of eight kicks ended, bizarrely, with the ball bouncing into John Hayes' hand as Ireland had much the better of the territory, but, critically, not on the scoreboard; Ireland's over-exhuberance costing them dearly at the breakdown. While using Damien Traille as a defensive, kicking outhalf, it was Michalak who pulled the strings in the rare but more effective sorties upfield.

Probing the midfield off a lineout, David Wallace was penalised for not rolling away, and the outstanding Jean-Baptiste Elissalde brought his opening three-pointer 10 metres closer with a quick tap.

A good kick and chase by a fired up Brian O'Driscoll, some grunt by Paul O'Connell and a great take on the run from a deflection to his own up and under culminated, alas, in Donnacha O'Callaghan taking O'Gara's skip pass with a foot in touch. More disappointingly, after Serge Betsen tackled O'Callaghan in the air at a lineout, O'Gara miscued the 40 metre penalty.

An ill-advised counter-attack and slip by Michalak kept Ireland deep in French territory, but they were unlucky when Trimble ran into an unsuspecting Chris White off O'Gara's brilliant flat pass back inside.

Feeding time for France followed soon, a poor pass by Horgan and a knock-on by Marcus Horan on the wing being picked up and countered by Cedric Heymans. To Horgan's credit, when France's superior handling transferred play to the opposite wing, he made a brilliant try-saving covering tackle on Poitrenaud. Instead, Elissalde tapped over another penalty and a third after France probed off another disguised short pass by Michalak.

France's sharper wits, skills and threat off broken play led to Elissalde releasing Serge Betsen. A superb step and give from Michalak when he saw Gordon D'Arcy charging up helped France encamp in the corner, but Ireland held the maul out and Easterby earned a relieving penalty with his skills at the breakdown.

Temporary relief came by way of a superbly struck drop goal by O'Gara, albeit as White was playing advantage for a penalty under the posts against Traille after D'Arcy side stepped up the middle.

But, in the last minute of the half, O'Gara left a high up and under by Traille to a retreating Horgan, who couldn't gather it in and Ireland were relieved to escape to the interval only 12-3 down after holding up surges by Chabal, Dusautoir and Elissalde.

Soon after the break, France again had Ireland on the ropes, a huge maul after Lionel Nallet replaced Sebastien Chabal, and wonderfully quick hands by Michalak was butchered by Traille knocking on with Ireland stretched to breaking point.

Then it was Ireland's turn, critically off a lineout that worked, which enabled them to launch Horgan and Easterby made a tremendous rumble, but Horan couldn't gather a difficult pass from Trimble. But the Irish were in full voice, The Fields and Amhrán na bhFiann echoing around the grounds, only for Easterby to undo the momentum by going through late on Michalak for a second time.

The French pack were turning up the heat, and another lineout maul enabled Elissalde to make it 15-3 after temporary replacement Frankie Sheahan sought to lift legs in a maul.

Cometh the hour, cometh Michalak and that razor-sharp finisher Vincent Clerc. The French had clearly spotted Trimble defending in the number 10 channel off a scrum, and a beautifully executed kick off the outside of his boot by Michalak to the blind side saw Clerc run on and score untouched with disarming ease.

Ireland were reduced to catch-up, but without Denis Hickie and little on a badly selected bench - which as usual stayed rooted to the spot - remained bedded in their own 22 after O'Connell was binned. Attempts to run their way out of a hole and up a mountain merely led to Clerc adding his second try.

FRANCE: C Poitrenaud; V Clerc, D Marty, D Traille, C Heymans; F Michalak, J-B Elissalde; O Milloud, R Ibanez ( capt), P de Villiers, S Chabal, J Thion, S Betsen, T Dusautoir, J Bonnaire. Replacements: L Nallet for Chabal (46 mins), D Szarsewski for Ibanez (57 mins), Y Nyanga for Betsen (62 mins), A Rougerie for Poitrenaud (72 mins), L Beauxis for Elissalde, Y Jauzion for Marty (both 73 mins).

IRELAND: G Dempsey (Leinster); S Horgan (Leinster), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, capt), A Trimble (Ulster); R O'Gara (Munster), E Reddan (Wasps); M Horan (Munster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Easterby (Llanelli), D Wallace (Munster), D Leamy (Munster). Replacements: F Sheahan (Munster) for Flannery (51-55 mins), M O'Kelly (Leinster) for O'Callaghan, N Best (Ulster) for (both 72 mins); S Best (Ulster) for Hayes (74 mins). . Sinbinned: O'Connell (64-74 mins)

Referee: C White (England).