Writing in The Independent, Peter Bills lauds the counter-attacking abilities of Ireland's Rob Kearney and France's Clement Poitrenaud.
"So the lie is exposed. Those who claimed that counter-attack running with ball in hand in the modern game, under (in their view) the untenable ELVs was impossible, were damned by the evidence of Dublin on Saturday night.
"A magnificent Six Nations Championship match between Ireland and France, truly a game to warm your soul on a freezing night, contained a plethora of brilliant running rugby from deep. All it took was two full-backs, Clement Poitrenaud of France and Ireland’s Rob Kearney, who subscribed to the theory that pace, intelligence, timing and the right angles of attack could be far more dangerous to the opposition than a predictable booting of the ball from whence it had just come. Oh, and two coaches who espoused the value of liberating their players to the extent that they could make their own decisions in given situations within the framework of a belief in the attacking virtues of this game so long neglected by the majority.
"In this cunning plot, both men had the willing assistance of their speedy wing threequarters. Thus, instead of the monotonous, aimless downfield kicking which has blighted most northern hemisphere rugby since the ELVs were introduced last September on a trial basis, we saw some thrilling running from deep, players steaming out of their own 22 with élan and confidence in their own abilities."
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