James Lowe try against France: Yes or no?

Alan Dymock

It was sensational, but did his foot touch the deck? Did the ball graze the touchline?

Ireland were on the back foot after conceding a stunning try in Round Two of the Six Nations. But after a super team try from les Bleus, the home side pulled off the perfect response, with a diving James Lowe try against France. But the match officials spent a long time looking at it.

Was his foot in touch at any point after jumping? Did the ball graze the touchline? It was given anyway!

It was another sensational finish from one of the game’s most exciting players – you may remember a Lowe interception knocked the stuffing out of Wales.

In a piece in 2021, we wrote about How to score a wonder try: The rugby league skill flying into union and what went into a diving finish in the corner: the acrobatics, the touchline management, the spatial awareness.

Read more: Watch unbelievable Damian Penaud France try

In that piece, lethal St Helens and England wing Tommy Makinson said: “You most definitely need a finish like that in your arsenal now. From the international game to those big league games, there’s not much separating the two. If you can add it to your game and do a finish like that, when it’s needed, it adds an extra string to your bow. So it’s definitely needed.

“Your main purpose as a try-scorer is to get that ball over the line, so if you have to ride a tackle or jump (spinning towards touch) to get that ball down, I don’t believe the people who say it’s a bad thing. If you can get that ball down any way possible, it can be more exciting for fans when it goes on the big screen or the ref gives it straight away.”

James lowe try against France

Jonny May practices the skill (Getty Images)

As you can see from the above, it’s a skill Ireland boss Andy Farrell has helped players work on in the past.

What did you think of the Lowe score: did his foot touch the ground and does the ball touch the touchline? A big call!

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