Scott Bemand: Performance against France a 'line in the sand'

Scott Bemand says Ireland have drawn a line in the sand and won't retreat following a battling five-try defeat to France in their Guinness Women’s Six Nations opener.

While Les Bleues were in control throughout the game, Ireland, who finished last season’s campaign with five defeats, looked a much-improved outfit from the side that were beaten by 50 points in Musgrave Park 12 months ago.

Aggressive Irish defence kept the score at 7-3 until the 32nd minute and France were able to add three second-half tries to their tally and ultimately ran out 38-17 victors.

"I think we wanted to come here and draw a bit of line in terms of what the performance would look like," Bemand told RTÉ Sport.

"First and foremost, when you come to France, you want to be hard to beat. I think the defence is starting to show what it can do and what it could possibly evolve into what it wants to be about.

"I think the girls hung in there for the whole game, scrapping away and under quite a bit of pressure at times. That was a bit of a standout.

"I think 32 minutes in, it was 7-3 so we know the French get off to a fast start and they did but they didn’t score again for a good bit.

"Even in that period we had a bit of momentum. When we got to the areas were we’d like to play a bit more, the set-piece creaked a little bit but that’s stuff that we can work out."

Having scored just three tries in the 2023 Six Nations, including a penalty try, Ireland twice crossed for five-pointers at the Stade Marie-Marvingt.

While the game was over as a contest, Aoife Water and Aoife Dalton picked up scores that Ireland’s performance deserved.

It took video footage to confirm, but Ireland have their first try of the 2024 Six Nations courtesy of Aoife Wafer.