Back came France however and Morgan Parra’s penalty added to Frederic Michalak’s effort in the first half and a concerted period of pressure in the last quarter resulted in Picamoles’ 74th-minute try.

Michalak struck a nerveless conversion to ensure France avoided a fourth straight defeat in this year’s RBS 6 Nations but they remain without a win in seven in the Championship.

But Picamoles believes there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic ahead of next week’s clash with Scotland, citing les Bleus’ response in Dublin in the second half.

"We had a good reaction after half-time. It's a shame we didn't manage the game well in the first period,” said Picamoles.

“But we showed our worth and we went for it. The second half showed we're a true team. We'll keep going and try to manage things better but we're happy because we proved we're a real team.”