France v Ireland - Teams and Prediction
ROUND ONE PREVIEW: France and Ireland get the 2026 Six Nations underway at the Stade de France on Thursday, a highly unusual occurrence in modern rugby.
However, the midweek kick-off does little to diminish the significance of a heavyweight clash between two of Europe’s dominant forces.
France and Ireland have been the leading powerhouses in the Six Nations in recent years, and this fixture has evolved into one of the most compelling rivalries in the modern game.
Ireland secured Grand Slams in 2018 and 2023, while France lifted the trophy in 2022 – also with a Grand Slam – and arrive as reigning champions following their 2025 triumph.
Both sides boast clearly defined identities. France rely on flair, physicality and offloading, while Ireland pride themselves on structure, breakdown intensity and tactical kicking.
Their recent meetings have often felt like unofficial title deciders, and with both nations entering the 2026 Championship with deep squads, Thursday’s opener promises more of the same.
One could argue that the winner of this clash may well go on to lift the Six Nations trophy at the end of the tournament.
While a Thursday kick-off may not sit comfortably with the rugby fraternity, it was commonplace in the early days of matches between France and the Home Nations.
In fact, the last Five or Six Nations match played on a Thursday dates back to the opening fixture of the 1948 Championship, when Ireland claimed an away victory in France.
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Adapting to the schedule
“It requires a fair amount of adaptation in our habits when preparing for the first match,” France assistant coach Laurent Sempéré admitted when asked about the unusual match day.
“Two fewer days out of a ten-day camp – excluding rest days – amounts to roughly 25 percent less training time to prepare. So it’s a challenge.
“We took the time to prepare in order to be as relevant as possible, to choose our priorities within the limited training time we knew we would have. That was an approach we adopted very early in the preparation, particularly during [our camp] in Bayonne: to arrive well prepared despite having less time than usual.”
Antoine Dupont will captain France. The scrumhalf returns from injury to lead the new crop of youngsters.
Irish concerns
Ireland will be missing several key players when they kick off their bid to regain the Six Nations crown against title-holders France in Paris.
A mixed bag of results last year included a hammering by France in Dublin in the Six Nations – in which they finished third – and dispiriting losses to New Zealand and world champions South Africa in November.
Former France coach Philippe Saint-André told the Irish Times on Monday that Ireland “are not as good as two years ago”.
However, two-time Six Nations title-winning Irish prop Mike Ross, who was capped 61 times and retired in 2017, having also won the European Cup twice with Leinster, is rather more upbeat.
“Ireland in my book will always be title contenders,” Ross told AFP.
“Having said that, I favour France for the title, but I am fairly confident Ireland will be second.
“Yes, we also have to go to England, but there is no greater motivation for an Ireland side than beating the English at Twickenham!”
Ross said one of the reasons for the disappointing results last November was down to so many Irish players featuring in the British and Irish Lions squad that won the 2025 Test series against Australia 2-1.
“A lot of the squad were on the Lions tour, which for many is an emotional high, the pinnacle of their careers.
“Returning to playing in the wind and the rain can be a bit of a comedown and make it hard to focus again.
“However, I sincerely hope we will be better than we were in the November Tests.”
Players to watch:
For France: Expect fireworks from Antoine Dupont, widely considered one of the world’s greatest players, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey, one of the most prolific try-scorers in the game. The most notable inclusion in the pack is the experienced Anthony Jelonch at No. 8, supported by a dynamic back row featuring Oscar Jegou and François Cros. In the engine room, Charles Ollivon shifts to lock to partner Mickaël Guillard, a tactical move possibly designed to maximise mobility and lineout athleticism against Ireland’s canny line-out operator, Tadhg Beirne.
For Ireland: With Caelan Doris and Jamison Gibson-Park leading the charge, Ireland will look to impose their tempo and precision early. With a significant injury crisis in the front row, Munster’s Jeremy Loughman makes his first Test appearance in two years, starting at loosehead prop due to the absence of Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy, and Jack Boyle. He is joined in a new-look front row by Thomas Clarkson, who starts at tighthead as Tadhg Furlong was not deemed fit enough to feature following a calf injury.
Prediction
@rugby365com: France by 10 points
Teams:
France: 15 Thomas Ramos; 14 Theo Attissogbe, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey; 10 Matthieu Jalibert, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain); 8 Anthony Jelonch, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Francois Cros; 5 Mickael Guillard, 4 Charles Ollivon; 3 Dorian Aldegheri, 2 Julien Marchand, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros
Replacements: 16 Peato Mauvaka, 17 Rodrigue Neti, 18 Regis Montagne, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Emmanuel Meafou, 21 Lenni Nouchi, 22 Baptiste Serin, 23 Kalvin Gourgues
Ireland: 15 Jamie Osborne, 14 Tommy O’Brien, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Stuart McCloskey, 11 Jacob Stockdale, 10 Sam Predergast, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Caelan Doris, 7 Josh van der Flier, 6 Cian Predergast, 5 Tadgh Beirne, 4 Joe McCarthy, 3 Thomas Clarkson, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Jeremy Loughman.
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Michael Milne, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Jack Conan, 21 Nick Timoney, 22 Craig Casey, 23 Jack Crowley.
Date: Thursday, February 5
Venue: Stade de France, Paris
Kick-off: 21.10 (20.10 UK Time; 20.10 GMT)
Expected weather: Cloudy and cold. There is a 70 percent chance of precipitation at kick-off. High of 12°C and low of 9°C.
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia) & Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
*Additional reporting: AFP & Six Nations
