France repeatedly forced Ireland to defend for long stretches, increasing fatigue and making defensive errors more likely.

The stat has wider Six Nations relevance too.

Across the opening weekend, the teams that managed to sustain pressure and force repeat defensive efforts were the ones who controlled momentum. France did it most effectively — and Ireland struggled to wrestle that control back.

Rivals have taken note.

Opposition analysts are already flagging Ireland’s defensive workload as an area to target, particularly early in games. The logic is straightforward: deny Ireland quick breakdown wins, force them into repeat tackles, and test whether that completion rate rises when the pressure is sustained.

It doesn’t suddenly make Ireland a weak defensive side — far from it. But it does explain why the post-match discussion has focused less on isolated moments and more on how the game was played.

Ireland have built their recent Six Nations success on accuracy, efficiency and control. In Paris, those numbers slipped — and the tackle count tells its own story.

Whether it was a one-off or an early warning sign will become clearer in the coming rounds. But it’s a statistic Ireland will be determined to correct quickly.

Because once a number like that enters the conversation, Six Nations rivals rarely ignore it.