Half an hour before the beginning of the match James Lowe was warming up with a group of Irish players simulating a ruck move. Lowe took no obvious hard contact but fell to the ground on his back. He immediately began to appear in some discomfort and raised his hands to cover his face.
A trainer came over and a disconsolate looking Lowe was escorted slowly away from the pitch and down the tunnel.
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Conformation from the Irish management arrived soon after that Lowe had suffered a back spasm and would not be able to start against France. He was replaced by Calvin Nash, who started in the number 11 jersey.
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Losing Lowe was an enormous blow for Ireland in their toughest match of this Six Nations. He may wear the 11 shirt, but he has always been much more than a winger to the team.
His left boot, his natural strength on the ball, his abrasive defensive work, his ability to find the try line and, as fans saw against Wales, his beautiful timing when he rose to meet a kicked ball that was going out and tapped it back to Jamie Osborne for a try.
Lowe is also a bundle of energy for the team and his fearless hunger to become involved in matches means that he is an ever-ready presence whether cleaning out at rucks or making last ditch tackles in defence. He also scored a try against Scotland pointing to his dangerous presence for all his 39 caps.
Although Nash, who had nine caps before the match, came in at short notice, Ireland were not replacing like with like. The talented Munster winger plays a more conventional way out wide and although he was effective in other ways, Ireland missed Lowe’s robust knock around game.
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The yellow card aside, Nash was busy and involved, but missing such a key player who scores tries hurt, especially in the dominant first quarter when Ireland might have moved the scoreboard but could not.
It has been said during this campaign, when things have not panned out as expected, that Ireland are a good team in the face of adversity and manage to get the job done. They faced adversity against a very strong French side and came up short.
Lowe’s prematch injury may not have changed the outcome, but his regular gutsy contribution was missed by Ireland.
