Six Nations: France v Ireland, Stade de France, Thursday, 9.10pm (8.10pm Irish time) – Live on Virgin Media One and ITV
The 2026 Six Nations is upon us with a heavyweight collision between the winners of the last four titles, yet Paris has looked uninterested as well as chic in the winter sun. So far, it’s been more reminiscent of the final two weeks of the 2023 World Cup here after France and Ireland had departed on the same quarter-final weekend.
There’s been no sense of the big kick-off, albeit the Irish embassy hosted a gathering to unveil the new Solidarity Trophy for the winners of this match, as did the Six Nations for the home and travelling media. But a TV-dictated Thursday night opener will have that effect.
The rain is forecast to return for match day, and it will be interesting to see how many Irish fans will return to the city they invaded in 2023. In nothing like the same numbers obviously. A Thursday night game does not suit those travelling from the French rugby heartlands in the south either, which could make for a very Parisian crowd.
Ireland have long since discarded any inferiority complex when encountering France, winning eight of the last 13 meetings. Against that there is the recency bias of last year’s round four clash in Dublin, when Ireland were bludgeoned by Les Bleus.
France vs Ireland – Six Nations preview
If the French pack generate some early momentum in the scrum and/or maul, no team and supporters alike draw so much energy from this source. Similarly, if they conjure an early try.
But this is a riskier, less powerful, more dynamic French selection, albeit one with the return of the talismanic Antoine Dupont. If Ireland becalm the crowd, as they did in the Stade Velodrome two years ago, or if this French team becomes any way rattled or rash, then it could be another of those competitive matches that have become more commonplace in recent years.
Irish sides appear to have also developed an issue with some English referees, and/or vice versa. The match day officials for three of their games will be headed by English referees with Karl Dickson overseeing this contest and the round four meeting with Wales.
Referee Karl Dickson during Munster against Toulon. Photograph: Billy Stickland/Inpho
Dickson was the referee in Toulon when Munster could rightly feel aggrieved with some of his refereeing, not least with the deciding penalty which fellow Englishman Andy Goode described as “ridiculously harsh”.
It was one of several questionable decisions. Then again, Dickson was the referee when Ireland deservedly beat France in the Stade Vélodrome.
Ireland are missing three looseheads but Jeremy Loughman is no innocent abroad. He’s a 30-year-old who has played almost 150 professional games for province or country. He was the starting loosehead and Michael Milne the backup for 25 minutes in a Munster scrum which held its own against a Toulon scrum which had mangled Bath’s pack a few weeks previously.
Nor are Loughman and co facing Thomas du Toit, destroyer in chief of both the Irish and Munster scrums within two weeks last autumn, and his Boks’ backup tight-head Wilco Louw et al.
If are to win, then most likely it will be a bare-knuckle ride. Before Marseille, Ireland’s three wins in 24 visits to Paris had all been by two-point margins, which rather puts things in perspective.
Another is not beyond the bounds at all, if the scrum and defensive maul holds up, and likewise their discipline. It would also probably require Ireland’s world-class players Dan Sheehan, Joe McCarthy, Tadhg Beirne, Caelan Doris, Jamison Gibson-Park and Garry Ringrose producing their best performances of the season.
Others, such as Tommy O’Brien, Stuart McCloskey and Cian Prendergast, are form picks, and the latter’s selection could help bring the best out of his younger brother. The bench also looks sufficiently stacked to keep Ireland competitive if they are still in the contest when introduced.
Ireland’s Tommy O’Brien. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho
They have the armoury to hurt France, through Sam Prendergast’s inventive handling and kicking, and a pacy outside three who are also capable of outperforming their French counterparts in the air.
There is also the proof of the last two seasons, when Andy Farrell and the coaches worked their magic after bringing the players into a new environment for the extended build-up to the opening weekend. Ireland hit the ground running to such an extent that they produced their best performances of the Championship in Marseille two years ago and at home to England last year. Sustaining that form proved a different matter.
Farrell has brought in referee Peter Martin to work with the squad in the build-up to this game, and such was Paul O’Connell’s focus on the threat posed by France’s array of lineout threats that Darragh Murray was retained with the squad in Paris this week.
No stone has seemingly been left unturned and the vibe from the camp is that they have trained exceptionally well, albeit there were similar soundings before the Chicago defeat against the All Blacks.
Admittedly, Ireland played well in patches if also limply at times, and the game was discoloured by Beirne’s erroneous 20-minute red card. More to the point, the players are now much more match-hardened than was the case then, and the provinces even played French club sides seven times in January.
Yet there’s a few “ifs”, and based on the apparent Lions’ hangover, injury profile and form guide, it would be a hell of an achievement.
FRANCE: Thomas Ramos (Toulouse); Théo Attissogbe (Pau), Nicolas Depoortere (Bordeaux Bègles), Yoram Moefana (Bordeaux Bègles), Louis Bielle-Biarrey (Bordeaux Bègles); Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux Bègles), Antoine Dupont (Toulouse, capt); Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulouse), Julien Marchand (Toulouse), Dorian Aldegheri (Toulouse); Charles Ollivon (Toulon), Michael Guillard (Lyon); Francois Cros (Toulouse), Oscar Jegou (La Rochelle), Anthony Jelonch (Toulouse).
Replacements: Peato Mauvaka (Toulouse), Rodrigue Neti (Toulouse), Régis Montagne (Clermont), Hugo Auradou (Pau), Emmanuel Meafou (Toulouse), Lenni Nouchi (Montpellier), Baptiste Serin (Toulon), Kalvin Gourgues (Toulouse).
IRELAND: Jamie Osborne (Leinster); Tommy O’Brien (Leinster), Garry Ringrose (Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Ulster), Jacob Stockdale (Ulster); Sam Prendergast (Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Jeremy Loughman (Munster), Dan Sheehan (Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Leinster); Joe McCarthy (Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Munster); Cian Prendergast (Connacht), Josh van der Flier (Leinster), Caelan Doris (Leinster, capt).
Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Leinster), Michael Milne (Munster), Finlay Bealham (Connacht), James Ryan (Leinster), Jack Conan (Leinster), Nick Timoney (Ulster), Craig Casey (Munster), Jack Crowley (Munster).
Referee: Karl Dickson (ENG).
Overall head-to-head: Played 104, France 60 wins, Ireland 37 wins, 7 draws.
Betting (Paddy Power): 1-7 France, 35-1 Draw, 9-2 Ireland. Handicap odds (Ireland + 13pts) Evens France, 20-1 Draw, 4-5 Ireland.
Forecast: France to win by five to 10 points.