France produced a devastating second-half display to hammer Ireland 42-27 in Dublin to destroy the hosts' hopes of the Six Nations Grand Slam and make themselves favourites to win the title.
The French scored five tries – two to Louis Bielle-Biarrey – as they ran the Irish ragged, storming back from 13-8 down early in the second-half into a 42-13 lead.
This despite playing for over half the match without talisman Antoine Dupont.
The French – the last side to win a Six Nations match in Dublin, in 2021 – top the table by two points heading into their final match at home to Scotland next Saturday.
Three Irish legends Cian Healy, Conor Murray and Peter O'Mahony, who will retire from test rugby at end of the tournament, led the team onto the pitch.
Healy, Ireland's most capped player with 137, wiped a tear from his eye but it would not be the only tear of regret shed by the Irish as the match went on.
Despite early Irish dominance they came away with nothing, Gregory Alldritt doing brilliantly to prevent his fellow No 8 Caelan Doris by marking his 50th cap with an early try.
Irish lock Joe McCarthy cost the hosts, in a move labelled "cynical" by referee Angus Gardner when he tugged back Thomas Ramos running up to support wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
As Gardner dismissed Doris – "I do not want to talk to you Caelan back 10 metres" – so McCarthy shortly afterwards went to the sin bin.
Within a minute Bielle-Biarrey had touched down, the seventh successive test he has scored a try.
Ramos failed to land the conversion but the momentum was with the French at 5-0 up and the massed ranks of their supporters in full voice.
They turned to groans as just before the half hour mark Dupont stayed down after slipping over going into a ruck and despite treatment limped off, ice on his knee, to be replaced by Maxime Lucu, the only back on the French bench.
The Irish finally got on the board as Prendergast stroked over a penalty for 5-3 with five minutes remaining of the first period.
Soon after Ramos converted a penalty for 8-5 but Prendergast's jaw-dropping penalty from halfway meant there was just two points difference at the break.
The Irish went ahead for the first time in the match shortly after the restart – Dan Sheehan going over in the corner.
Prendergast landed a brilliant conversion from the touchline for 13-8 to Ireland.
FRENCH POWER
The rollercoaster of a match turned again and for good in the 46th minute.
Calvin Nash was sin-binned for a high tackle and Gardner allowed a French try by Paul Boudehent despite fierce debate over whether O'Mahony had been taken out by Thibaud Flament.
Ramos knocked over the conversion for 15-13 to France.
The French tails were up and they hammered home their one-man advantage with a brilliant second try by Bielle-Biarrey.
His pace was too much for the Irish defence as he followed up his kick into the try area – Ramos converted for 22-13.
The Irish were being run ragged and Ramos slotted over a penalty for 25-13.
The one-way traffic continued as Oscar Jegou – normally in the scrum but playing in the centre owing to Pierre-Louis Barassi's head injury – went over for his first test try and Ramos converted for 32-13.
Ramos added another penalty for 35-13.
The Irish pressed for a consolation try but Ramos intercepted a Prendergast pass on the French line. He then released Damian Penaud who raced over to level Serge Blanco's national try scoring record of 38.
Ramos converted for 42-13.
There was to be one last home hurrah for Healy, who bulldozed over for his 13th test try and Conan added another although it was the French who were celebrating at the final whistle.