Ireland vs France LIVE rugby: Six Nations 2023 score and result as Ireland win Dublin thriller

Ireland have looked really, really fluid in attack today, the hands working efficienctly and the width created easily. James Lowe hurries up the left to add more to a swelling personal tally of metres, and then he’s off again from a lovely offload to get into the 22.

Apparent crossing from the two Irish props goes unspotted as Andrew Porter is eventually felled.

Rob Herring, by the way, will not be rejoining affairs - he has failed his HIA and Ronan Kelleher will see things out.

Ireland possession to start the second 40. They work their patterns on halfway, Peter O’Mahony forced to turn to take a slightly errrant pass from Johnny Sexton but still managing to pirouette and win his collision. Mack Hansen nearly wins back Conor Murray’s box kick, but Antoine Dupont is eventually able to answer with a long box of his own.

Right, the players have dragged themselves back out there for another 40 minutes of carnage and chaos. Hope you’ve refreshed yourselves appropriately - here we go again...

And, then, there’s this from James Lowe, given by Wayne Barnes after an extended consultation with the TMO but absent of a review of what appeared to be a telling, conclusive angle shown by the broadcasters after the conversion had been safely taken. Lowe’s boot appeared to be most certainly in touch before he touched down - but it’s a try on the scoresheet, and Irish fans will argue that France got the rub of the green with Uini Atonio shown yellow rather than red after his collision with Rob Herring.

But France answered with their own work of art, finished by Damian Penaud and painted more in the abstract.

Phew. Breathless, barmy, brilliant - one of the finest halves of sport you could ever hope to see. To be honest, I feared some of the pre-match buildup ahead of this contest might have strayed towards hyperbolic. If anything, we undersold it.

Where to even begin after 40 minutes of ceaseless action? How about this beautifully sculpted Irish score from Hugo Keenan?

Johnny Sexton chips between the uprights and off 30 exhausted men trot for a much, much needed interval.

Murray is denied again! Ireland have a penalty advantage and Murray spots a sniping space outside Cyril Baille. The loosehead does very well to grab a handful of the Irish nine’s shirt, allowing Antoine Dupont and Charles Ollivon to lend their input and force a knock on.

But Ireland will extend their lead from the tee...