IRELAND BOSS SIMON Easterby has strongly defended Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter as he hit back at France head coach Fabien Galthié about what the Frenchman said were “reprehensible” actions from the Irish players at the breakdown.

Easterby revealed that Beirne, Porter, and their families have been the victims of social media abuse since Galthié’s comments.

Les Bleus scrum-half Antoine Dupont suffered a ruptured ACL when his leg was trapped in a first-half breakdown during his side’s 42-27 win over Ireland in Dublin last weekend.

France flagged Beirne and Porter to the citing commissioner for their clearout, but there was no further action taken as the French complaints were dismissed.

Galthié slammed the Irish clearout in his post-match press conference and the French camp has continued to criticise the Irish players since. Out-half Romain Ntamack suggested his team might have received a red card for something similar, while forwards coach William Servat questioned Ireland’s breakdown technique.

Speaking today, Ireland boss Easterby slammed Galthié and the French camp for their outspoken approach to this matter as he stressed again that Dupont had been injured in a ‘rugby incident’.

“Without getting myself into trouble here, I just think it’s the game, unfortunately,” said Easterby.

“These things happen. No player goes out to intentionally injure another player. For the majority of people, looking at it afterwards, everyone felt like it was a rugby incident, which was really unfortunate.

“No player goes out to injure another player. It just doesn’t happen. Whatever the insinuations were from different people, post game, it’s disappointing because the unfortunate thing is that people who don’t really understand the game pick up on it, and it creates a bit of a sh*tstorm where people are getting abuse.

Ireland interim head coach Simon Easterby. Ben Brady / INPHO Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO

“It’s just unnecessary, and it’s not acceptable, but it happens. Those things could have been avoided had maybe other things been said post game by certain individuals.

“The French camp have obviously come out pretty strongly post-game about the incident and it could have been handled in a better way.

“And I think on the back of that, it’s created some unnecessary ill-feeling and it’s affected other people in the wider group and that’s disappointing.”

Easterby said the abuse hasn’t just been directed at Beirne and Porter, but also their families.

“I’m just saying that it’s unnecessary the coverage on social media, that’s all I am saying,” said Easterby.

“I don’t read it, I don’t necessarily take a lot of notice of it, but when it’s directed at certain individuals and certain individuals’ wider family group then it becomes an issue.

“I think it could have been handled in a way that… we talk as coaches all the time and we chat post-game. I think it could have been a different discussion, a different platform to air those frustrations that maybe France had.

“We and World Rugby and the Six Nations believe that there was no case to answer and certainly it didn’t help, it almost sort of fanned the flames of what was a really unfortunate incident.

“But it was a rugby incident and that’s the bottom line. Unfortunately, these things happen.”