Former France football manager Raymond Domenech is among the sell-out crowd at the Aviva Stadium as Ireland take on Six Nations champions France in Dublin
The home crowd are sent into raptures after just five minutes when France full-back Clement Poitrenaud knocks on close to his tryline, allowing Fergus McFadden to bustle over from close range for his first try for Ireland
Luke Fitzgerald - who had a score ruled out because of a forward pass in the build-up to the try - is among the dangerous runners looking to pierce France's defensive line
But a flurry of penalties allows France to take the lead in the 26th minute when Morgan Parra strikes a beautiful penalty through the posts after Donncha O'Callaghan finds himself the wrong side of a ruck after making a tackle
But an excellent kick from Jonathan Sexton finds Ireland touch deep inside French territory before the break and Tomas O'Leary sneaks over to give the hosts a 15-12 half-time lead
France's playmaker Francois Trinh-Duc becomes increasingly more influential as he spreads the play around in the second half, using the power of his centres and the speed of his wingers as the visitors pressurise Ireland
And the pressure eventually relents when Aurelien Rougerie breaks through Gordon D'arcy's weak tackle to offload to Maxine Medard, who touches down for a 22-15 lead for the tourists in the 55th minute
But the game takes yet another intriguing twist 12 minutes from time when number eight James Heaslip touches down on the wing, with Ronan O'Gara adding a superb touchline conversion to reduce the deficit to 25-22
But Ireland are made to pay for too many basic errors - and substitute winger Vincent Clerc salutes the travelling France supporters at full-time as Les Bleus maintain their unbeaten record to the 2011 tournament
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