Six Nations Preview: Ireland Vs France

The best teams on the planet will go head-to-head in Dublin on Saturday as the team ranked number one in the world hosts their closest challengers.

It is the first time ever that the Guinness Six Nations will play host to a battle between the top two, Grand Slam champions France heading to the Aviva Stadium to take on Ireland, the team they edged to the title a year ago.

Les Bleus have won 14 in a row, their longest-ever winning streak, and yet they come into the game as underdogs, such has been the form shown by Andy Farrell’s men.

Last week they marched to a bonus-point success in Cardiff, traditionally an unhappy hunting ground, and they are already top of the pile in the Guinness Six Nations.

However, they take on a France team who were given a scare in Italy, but also scooped up maximum points, and have won all three previous meetings with Farrell’s Ireland.

That includes victory on their last trip to Dublin, Damian Penaud and Charles Ollivon both scoring in a 15-13 success in front of an empty stadium.

Now, with the roar of more than 50,000 supporters, France face an even greater challenge, arguably their greatest since Fabien Galthié took over three years ago.

Team News

Ireland have had to weather some sizable blows in the opening weeks of the campaign, Tadhg Furlong, Jamison Gibson-Park and Cian Healy all ruled out before the Wales game and not yet fit to return.

Dan Sheehan’s hamstring has meant that he has joined the list of absentees, with the only change being Rob Herring’s promotion to replace him at hooker and the return of Ronan Kelleher on the bench.

Despite missing some big-name players, it is still a formidable line-up named by Farrell, led by Johnny Sexton, who will face France for the first time since 2020 after missing each of the last two meetings.

France, meanwhile, have stuck with the same XV that won in Italy, with the only changes coming on the bench.

They have some key absences of their own, Cameron Woki, Jonathan Danty and Gabin Villière, with Thibaud Flament, Yoram Moefana and Ethan Dumortier – a try-scorer on debut last week – still charged with filling their boots.

The two changes on the bench see François Cros making his return after proving his fitness, while Baptiste Couilloud gets the nod over Nolann Le Garrec, an unused sub in Rome.

STAT ATTACK

- France have won each of their last three meetings with Ireland, having won just one of their previous nine Test encounters (drawn two, lost six). Each of the last three meetings have been decided by single figures

- Ireland have won 21 of their last 22 home games including 12 in a row – their joint longest winning run on home soil. However, the last team to beat them at the Aviva Stadium were France in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations.

- France (37) and Ireland (33) were the only sides to beat 30+ defenders in Round 1, while they were the only nations to miss fewer than 20 tackles (Ireland 17, France 18)

- France completed the most offloads of any nation in the opening round (11) while Ireland’s Mack Hansen made the joint most offloads of any player with three (level with Jack van Poortvliet)