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Immanuel Feyi-Waboso (Image: Harry Trump/Getty Images)
These are your latest rugby headlines on Friday, February 6.
O’Gara hit with extended ban
La Rochelle head coach Ronan O’Gara has seen his ban for disrespecting a referee’s authority extended, despite the club appealing for it to be shortened.
The Ireland legend was handed a two-week suspension in December, having clashed with referee Jeremy Rozier during his side’s 53-33 loss to Pau in the Top 14.
Having entered the pitch to protest the red card shown to his fly-half Antoine Hastoy inside 35 seconds of the first half- the fastest dismissal in the league’s history – O’Gara was himself sent to the stands shortly before the hour mark after off-field comments were heard by the official.
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A disciplinary panel found the former fly-half guilty of “acting against a match official” and “disrespecting the authority of a match official,” and he was slapped with a two-game ban and a €3,000 fine.
La Rochelle appealed the decision to the Fédération Française de Rugby (FFR) appeals commission in hope of shortening O’Gara’s suspension, but it has instead been extended to four weeks.
Having already served the initial two weeks, the Irishman will now be banned for the touchline for his side’s upcoming clashes with Montpellier and Castres.
O’Gara is expected to return on March 21, when his side come up against Pau again, but he will fill some of his time until then on punditry duty for both ITV and BBC during the Six Nations, having been in Paris with the former broadcaster on Thursday night as Ireland were beaten by France.
Feyi-Waboso pulled from training in scare
By Duncan Bech, Press Association Rugby Union Correspondent
Immanuel Feyi-Waboso has given England an injury scare ahead of their Guinness Six Nations opener against Wales after failing to finish training on Thursday.
Feyi-Waboso started the session at the squad’s training base in Bagshot but pulled out with an unspecified leg issue and the extent of the damage is being assessed by medics.
The 23-year-old is England’s main danger man with his explosive carrying and electric footwork earning a comparison with cross-code great Jason Robinson from assistant coach Kevin Sinfield during the autumn.
“The only slight concern we have is Manny. He pulled up at the end of training, at the very end,” defence coach Richard Wigglesworth said.
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“His leg’s sore, there was nothing specific and he walked off. There was nothing much to it, but he did miss the last 60 seconds of training so we’re waiting to investigate that a little bit more.”
If Feyi-Waboso is ruled out of Wales’ visit to Allianz Stadium on Saturday, the versatile and experienced Elliot Daly would be the most likely replacement on the right wing.
Feyi-Waboso missed the 2025 Six Nations after undergoing shoulder surgery but made his comeback against the USA during the summer tour and then started all four autumn Tests, scoring tries against Fiji and Argentina.
He has accumulated seven tries in his 13 Tests with his running threat making him one of the first names on the teamsheet.
France secure statement victory over Ireland
By Edward Elliot, Press Association, Paris
Ireland endured a punishing night in Paris as reigning champions France launched their Guinness Six Nations title defence by romping to a 36-14 bonus-point victory.
Andy Farrell’s men were unfancied underdogs ahead of the tournament opener at a soggy Stade de France amid an ongoing transitional phase hampered by a host of injuries.
The depleted visitors were duly outclassed as Antoine Dupont marked his first international match since rupturing knee ligaments in Dublin 11 months ago by leading Les Bleus to a statement success.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey resumed the fine form which saw him crowned player of the championship in 2025 with two tries, either side of scores from Matthieu Jalibert and Charles Ollivon.
Ireland eventually hit back through quick-fire consolations from replacements Nick Timoney and Michael Milne, converted by Sam Prendergast. But, despite a powerful impact from the Irish bench, France completed the job through wing Theo Attissogbe, with full-back Thomas Ramos landing a penalty and four conversions.
Pockets of travelling fans peppered a partisan home crowd as Ireland returned to the French capital for the first time since their agonising quarter-final exit to New Zealand at the 2023 World Cup. The away team were carved open inside two minutes, only for French lock Ollivon to knock on within touching distance of the tryline following Bielle-Biarrey’s chipped pass.
Ireland initially responded well but there was no reprieve 11 minutes later. With claims of a forward pass in the build-up, electric wing Bielle-Biarrey beat three players to cross on the left after fly-half Prendergast volleyed the ball into play instead of conceding touch.
Ireland wobbled again nine minutes later. Wing Tommy O’Brien was forced to dot down behind his own line after being put under pressure by a poor pass from Prendergast and, from the resulting five-metre scrum, Dupont slipped in half-back partner Jalibert for a simple score.
In the first championship curtain-raiser to be played on a Thursday – to avoid a clash with Friday’s opening ceremony of the Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics – the one-way traffic continued.
Ramos slotted a penalty before Ollivon finished a fine team try as France ended a dominant opening period 22-0 in front. Fabien Galthie’s side had the bonus point in the bag within seven minutes of the restart courtesy of the jet-heeled Bielle-Biarrey again bursting clear down the left.
With the contest approaching the hour mark, Ireland appeared in serious danger of suffering the humiliation of being nilled. Flanker Timoney touched down after Stuart McCloskey broke the line to prevent that fate before prop Milne powered over three minutes later to spark slim hopes of a comeback with his first international try.
Ireland were in the ascendancy for large parts of the final quarter. Yet they were unable to make further dents on the scoreboard and succumbed to defeat in their opening Six Nations fixture for the first time since 2021 after French wing Attissogbe dived over at the death.