Ireland prop Cian Healy experienced a bittersweet moment in his final home game at Aviva Stadium, scoring a try despite Ireland's 42-27 defeat to France in the Six Nations showdown. The loss dashed Ireland's Grand Slam hopes, dropping them from first to third place ahead of their final game against Italy.

Healy, who came on as a replacement, scored a late try in what was an emotional occasion for the 37-year-old. "Nice [scoring a try], that's about all. It would have been nicer if we were a bit closer in the fight," said Ireland's most-capped player.

Reflecting on the match, Healy shared, "It was good, it was enjoyable at times. It was nice to be on the bench and have the opportunity to compose myself a bit after the anthems. That was tough. Just pride, just enjoying singing it here, the last opportunity to do it. I had to go in and wash my face and come back to neutral after that."

Despite trailing by just two points at halftime, Ireland couldn't capitalize, and France emerged as comfortable winners. Healy expressed the team's disappointment, "Everyone's fairly upset about that. We had bigger plans and bigger intentions for that game but it was a hell of a battle. Watching on in that first 30 minutes was very intense and I thought we had points where we had them on the ropes and bodies were starting to tire and our lads looked alright, but I suppose we didn't capitalise on it."

Healy, along with fellow Ireland stalwarts Peter O'Mahony and Conor Murray, will retire from international rugby after their final game in Rome. This match marked the end of an era for Irish rugby, as these legends bid farewell to the international stage.