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Ireland boss shows France his hand

TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Head coach Andy Farrell has named the Ireland match-day squad for Thursday night’s Six Nations opener against France in Paris.

Caelan Doris will lead the side as Ireland open their 2026 Championship campaign at Stade de France.

Jamie Osborne, Tommy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale start in the Ireland back three, with Stuart McCloskey partnering Garry Ringrose in midfield. At the same time, Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast are named in the halfbacks.

In the pack, Jeremy Loughman, Dan Sheehan and Thomas Clarkson are in the front row, with Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne in the engine room and Cian Prendergast, Josh van der Flier and captain Doris in the back row.

Farrell has strong options available on the bench with Rónan Kelleher, Michael Milne, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Jack Conan and Nick Timoney the forward replacements, with backs Craig Casey and Jack Crowley completing Ireland’s Match Day 23.

“I’ve been pleased with the application of the squad since we linked up last week, and we have a good body of work under our belts from our training camp in Portugal as we face into an exciting test match against France,” Farrell said.

“The Six Nations is an amazing tournament to compete in, and it brings out the best in players.

“We have played at the Stade de France many times and it’s a terrific stadium with an incredible atmosphere. We know from our experiences on the road how proud and vocal the travelling Irish support can be and it’s a huge motivator for the squad knowing that we have so many Irish supporters behind us.”

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)
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia) & Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)

 

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