Six Nations 2023: Caelan Doris produces ‘monstrous’ performance as Ireland devour France

“Doris Monstrous” proclaimed a headline in Midi Olympique, with nothing lost in translation and no pretence at nuance, because sometimes a stripped-back sentiment works, it doesn’t need to be dressed up in fancy language. A colourful adjective, it summed up Caelan Doris’ performance.

The Ireland number eight and man of the match played a seminal role in his team’s 32-19 victory over France in quality and quantitative terms. His excellence was apparent to the eye but also for those who place great store in the statistical outpourings: 18 carries, 117 metres, two offloads, three broken tackles, one turnover won and, just to prove he was human, a couple of handling errors and the odd missed tackle or three.

Work-rate or ethic are catch-all terms to highlight a player’s industry and that was an integral part of Doris’ portfolio of achievements in the 80 minutes. The panoramic view wasn’t required to find the 24-year-old, because in attack and defence he was usually within touching distance of the ball, particularly at the breakdown.

His instincts for a turnover meant that he engaged in a running dialogue with referee Wayne Barnes, who was initially happy to offer some direction such as, “you’re not onside,’ before the official tired of the Irish player’s repeated inquiries as to whether he could play this ball or that at rucks: “You’re asking me at every ruck and I’m not answering any more.”

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Elsewhere the Irish number eight didn’t have to curb his enthusiasm. He built into the game quickly, warming his shoulders with a couple of tackles on French secondrow Thibaud Flament, winning a lineout and then offering the first glimpse of the footwork in contact that was to give France problems all afternoon.

A half-step was enough to throw Damian Penaud off balance and enabled Doris to take the wing for a tour of the gain-line and beyond after the visitors had sundered an Irish lineout maul.

It was striking to note that the only occasions he didn’t use that brilliant footwork was when he carried close to the French line, relying on power instead, but it didn’t suffice against a mass of blue shirts, tucked in tight on the fringes.

It summed up a glitch in Ireland’s game as they were held up over the line on four occasions, and on several more two passes to the space would have yielded a more lucrative return. It’s an oversight that Andy Farrell and his coaching team will address going forward because it kept France in the game right until Garry Ringrose’s bonus-point try.

On eight minutes Doris took a pass from Hugo Keenan, ran straight into the French ranks and almost emerged on the far side. Uini Atonio clung desperately to a leg while Julien Marchand was required to lend assistance.

The Irish number eight, though, had provided his team with a positive gain-line break and quick ball, Finlay Bealham’s nicely disguised inside pass and Keenan’s line of running did the rest for the first try.

Doris continued to demonstrate his attributes as an athlete and a rugby player, putting James Lowe away with a 15-metre pass and, on another occasion, showing soft hands and good timing on a pivot play.

On 29 minutes Johnny Sexton scampered up the touchline and, looking for support, threw a beautifully weighted pass that was matched by Doris’ timing and acceleration on to the ball.

Examining the number eight’s starting point, the line he ran and the way he found space in a gaggle of French players highlighted his game intelligence and instincts. If he hadn’t had his heel clipped slightly from behind, he might have been able to use his footwork again rather than bounce through the Ramos tackle.

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It was his turnover on 36 minutes that put Ireland on the attack. From a tapped free kick soon after he was the second carrier, following Rónan Kelleher, that tried to barge over only to be repulsed. Throughout the second half Doris continued to add value, an offload here, a carry over the gain-line there.

His game-reading skills were in evidence when he drew a French tackler on to him to put Josh van der Flier though a gap. He continued to break the gain-line, his footwork committing multiple tacklers four or five metres past the initial collision point.

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Then, on 71 minutes, he applied the coup de grace, slipping around the short side of a ruck, holding off Gaël Fickou and firing out a pass to Ringrose, who in turn left three French players floundering as he touched down. That was a perfect denouement for the team and the man of the match.