France too strong for Ireland

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A first-half hat-trick from Clerc, plus a Cedric Heymans try, gave Les Bleus a 26-6 advantage.

The visitors rallied with a penalty try and a close-range drive from David Wallace but could not force a winning try.

France attacked Geordan Murphy's wing mercilessly and their ruthless streak paid off with the Leicester back exposed on two occasions.

Clerc, who broke Irish hearts with his injury-time winner at Croke Park in last year's Six Nations, was the beneficiary and needed no second invitation to raise his strike rate to 20 tries from 30 caps.

Heymans also crossed, while Jean Baptiste Elissalde kicked seven points to put France in the driving seat - until their second-half implosion.

Coach Marc Lievremont replaced prop Lionel Faure and hooker Dimitri Szarzewski with William Servat and Julien Brugnaut early in the second half and their scrum disintegrated as a result.

Ireland, kept in touch by the kicking of Ronan O'Gara, who finished with 11 points, took full advantage as the confidence drained from their opponents.

They dominated the forward battle after the interval, forcing a penalty try with a string of big scrums before Wallace finished a drive from his pack.

Heading into the final quarter Ireland looked capable of registering a first win in Paris since 2000, but France escaped by the skin of their teeth.