Ireland lose their way in the dark at Ashbourne RFC

Has the penny dropped yet? The arrival of women’s rugby is for keeps.

Despite this agonising 10-5 loss to Six Nations champions France, Ireland's status as sporting heroines remains intact and surely, after Friday night's farcical events, they have earned a modern stage to show their worth.

The good folk of Ashbourne RFC are not entirely to blame for the blackout. Having made their basic facilities such a cosy home with so many happy memories over the years. But the 2013 Grand Slam and reaching the world cup semi-final last year has not been enough to convince the IRFU that their senior women deserve an arena befitting their soaring stature.

Maybe they will see the light when investigating this floodlight failure that took an hour of far too much confusion to fix. The RDS and Donnybrook were empty tonight. So too Thomond Park. A healthy crowd of about 2,100 crammed into the Meath venue. Lots of French visitors, sniggering at Ireland’s inability to play a Test match in a proper stadium.

Shrouded in darkness

Everyone was shrouded in darkness a minute into the second half. The filter in the generator needed mending. They players left the field, someone fixed it, the lights came back on, the teams returned only for the floodlights to go again.

Off went the players.

Chinese whispers saw the crowd shuffling towards the back pitch. A man with a wheel barrow appears and starts marking said pitch. Referee Claire Hodnett gets agreement from both Ireland and France that the show must go on.

As an aside, Ireland had been pummelled into near submission in the first half. And yet the scoreboard read 0-0. Blessed.

The public announcer found his voice. The lights returned. The crowd shuffled back to the main patch and suddenly the worm turned.

Ireland took control with the magnificent Ailis Egan rumbling over for a try off Maz Reilly’s brilliant lineout maul. The crowd felt no cold now.

France just about deserved their victory. Caroline Boujard’s 64th minute try was converted by Jessy Tremouliere, who added another three points.

Of course Niamh Briggs’s team came back at them. It’s embedded in their psyche now, they can’t comprehend defeat. This thrilling finish had to be seen to be believed. France were lucky to survive. Such courage deserves more respect.