Ireland’s Six Nations campaign began with a defeat on Saturday afternoon in Belfast. But there were clear signs that Scott Bemand’s side are closing the gap on the top sides in Europe. France claimed a 27-15 win at Kingspan Stadium, but the scoreline didn't reflect how close Ireland came to a famous upset. With these two teams potentially on a World Cup quarter-final collision course, this contest could well be a preview of more drama to come. A year ago, Ireland took pride in limiting the damage in Le Mans but this time they’ll look back in frustration at a match they know they could have won. The key difference came from the kicking tee. French full-back Morgane Bourgeois was flawless with three conversions and two penalties. Howeve, Ireland out-half Dannah O’Brien missed all three of her conversions, costly on a day where the margins were tight. France made a blistering start, scoring two tries inside the opening 16 minutes through Gabrielle Vernier and Marine Menager. Ireland responded well, with Aoife Wafer powering over from a clever lineout move to reduce the gap before the break to 14-5. But there was a red card for Vernier — upgraded from yellow after a head-on-head challenge on Eve Higgins. That gave Ireland a major advantage in the second half. They took full advantage with a maul try from Neve Jones, and a second score for Wafer off a well-executed drive. But the missed conversions kept Ireland chasing as France’s composure showed. Bourgeois kept the scoreboard ticking with a penalty, before Emilie Boulard finished off a break to seal the win late on. Ireland’s effort was full of grit - they turned over multiple French attacks, forced errors, and dominated large spells of possession during Vernier’s time off the field. Fiona Tuite, Aoibheann Reilly, and Edel McMahon made strong impacts off the bench, while Wafer was outstanding with ball in hand. Ultimately, though, the lack of cutting edge — and precision from the boot — meant Ireland came up short. IRELAND 15 - 27 FRANCE ScorersIreland: Tries – Aoife Wafer (2), Neve JonesFrance: Tries – Gabrielle Vernier, Marine Menager, Emilie Boulard; Conversions – Morgane Bourgeois (3); Penalties – Morgane Bourgeois (2)