Ireland's comeback efforts proved fruitless as France held their own to claim a 30-24 win in an enthralling Six Nations tussle on Saturday.
Heading to the Stade de France without injured captain Jonny Sexton, Ireland endured a tough start – including Antoine Dupont scoring the fastest try they have conceded in the Six Nations – and Melvyn Jaminet's kicking kept them at arm's length in the first half.
Josh van der Flier and Jamison Gibson-Park led an Ireland rally early in the second, but Cyril Baille's try saw France regain their composure.
Although that might have been followed by another score in a frantic finish, when TMO intervened, Les Bleus did just enough to hold on to their lead.
Ireland had been swiftly into the lead against Wales last time out but were on the wrong end of a fast start in Paris, as Dupont latched onto an offload with just over a minute played.
Jaminet added the extras and then another three French points from the tee soon after, but Ireland hit back when Sexton's replacement Joey Carbery hung the restart kick up for Mack Hansen to pounce and go over.
Another Jaminet penalty nosed France into a six-point lead, before two more pieces of Dupont brilliance resulted in two more successfully converted kicks before half-time.
Jaminet's penalty proficiency continued with a long-range effort early in the second half, yet the momentum quickly swung Ireland's way when Van der Flier forced his way over in the corner following a successful line-out.
The gap was down to a point by the 49th minute, Gibson-Park grounding underneath the sticks, but Ireland were their own worst enemies four minutes later – an error in the ruck allowing France to capitalise through Baille.
Although Ireland were handed more hope when Carbery chipped through a 30-yard penalty, France pushed back and Jaminet sent a penalty through the sticks to seal victory having failed to ground what seemed set to be a decisive try.
Klaasen masterclass sees South Africa coast in third ODI to tie series
Heinrich Klaasen brilliantly took the third ODI away from West Indies with his unbeaten century to give South Africa a four-wicket win and tie the three-match series.
Klaasen scored 119 off just 61 deliveries, completing a routine victory with three consecutive boundaries.
There were still 123 balls remaining, with South Africa's number five batter having accelerated the scoring just as the tourists had recovered some hope at Senwes Park in Potchefstroom.
The Windies were all out for 260, losing their way after a strong start from Brandon King (72) lifted them to 110-1 in the 19th over.
King contributed to his team's downfall when he chose not to run and left partner Shamarh Brooks (18) stranded, slipping in the middle of the pitch for a run out that triggered a steady stream of Windies wickets.
It was still no sure thing the Proteas would chase down their target despite scoring at a good rate, losing four wickets inside 13 overs – including that of captain Aiden Markram for 25.
Yet Klaasen came to the fore, bringing up his hundred off just 54 balls to swiftly bring the finish line into sight.
A showstopping finale saw poor Yannic Cariah punished, conceding 49 runs off only three and a half overs as the Windies' hopes of a rare series win against South Africa were wiped out.
Windies' wait for series win goes on
West Indies have not beaten South Africa in a multi-game ODI series since April 1992, but this represented a real opportunity, leading 1-0 ahead of the final match after the opener was abandoned without a ball bowled.
A failure to capitalise on competitive starts to both innings extended that wait, although the Windies at least ended South Africa's run of seven straight series victories.
Klaasen crashes six after six
Coming into this match, South Africa had hit only 70 sixes in ODIs since the start of last year, compared to 143 for West Indies over the same period.
But Klaasen alone matched the Windies in that regard on Tuesday, smashing five maximums – as many as the entire touring team – to go with 15 fours in South Africa's fourth-fastest ODI century.
Mbappe 'ticks all the boxes' as Deschamps explains why PSG star is new France captain
Didier Deschamps backed Kylian Mbappe to bring a "unifying" influence to his new role as captain of France.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was the outstanding candidate to replace Hugo Lloris, who retired from international duty after the World Cup.
Mbappe was reportedly told of his appointment by coach Deschamps after a dinner on Monday, and Antoine Griezmann has been confirmed as vice-captain.
Reports said Griezmann, who turned 32 on Tuesday, was disappointed not to be handed the captaincy, having been a mainstay of the team for many years.
However, Mbappe is himself richly experienced on the international stage after making his debut as an 18-year-old some six years ago. He has gone on to score 36 goals in 66 appearances.
Twelve of those goals have come in World Cups, with Mbappe helping France win the 2018 tournament before their runner-up finish at Qatar 2022, where he won the Golden Boot.
Deschamps told French broadcaster TF1: "Kylian Mbappe is the new captain of Les Blues. Antoine Griezmann is the vice-captain.
"Kylian ticks all the boxes to have this responsibility. On the field as in group life, by being a unifying element."
Mbappe will lead the team into their Euro 2024 qualifiers, which start against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland this fortnight.
His first game as skipper will be against the Dutch on Friday at the Stade de France.
France's squad gathered at their Clairefontaine training base on Monday. They trained on Tuesday with the crucial question of who might be captain having been resolved.
Mbappe new France captain as Deschamps puts trust in striker
Kylian Mbappe will be the new captain of France after getting the nod from Didier Deschamps, reports said on Tuesday.
The Paris Saint-Germain forward was the outstanding candidate to replace Hugo Lloris, who retired after the World Cup.
Mbappe is said to have been told of his appointment by coach Deschamps after a dinner on Monday, with Antoine Griezmann to be vice-captain.
The French Football Federation did not immediately confirm the news, but the secret appears to be out.
The appointment means Mbappe will lead the team into their Euro 2024 qualifiers, which start against the Netherlands and the Republic of Ireland this fortnight.
His first game as skipper will be against the Dutch on Friday at the Stade de France.
The 24-year-old has been a member of the national team since his teens, making his debut as an 18-year-old against Luxembourg, and has earned 66 caps, scoring 36 goals.
Former Monaco player Mbappe was a World Cup winner in 2018, and from a small field of potential candidates for the captaincy he stood out a mile.
Long-standing skipper Lloris stepped down from national team duty after France lost to Argentina in the World Cup final, when Mbappe's hat-trick was not enough to stave off a defeat on penalties.
France's squad gathered at their Clairefontaine training base on Monday ahead of the European qualifying double-header, their first gathering since returning from the Qatar 2022 near-miss.
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