France v Ireland: Six Nations 2026 opener – live

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For those who are interested, here are the officials for the match:

• Referee: Karl Dickson (England)

• Assistant Referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Jordan Way (Australia)

• TMO (Television Match Official): Ian Tempest (England)

What are your predictions for the the match or the tournament more widely? How much will you miss Penaud looking clueless yet smoking every defender in sight? This and other views are welcome on the email or you can shout at me on Bluesky if that’s your thing.

Have a read of our tournament preview while you wait

Teams

France welcome back Antoine Dupont as scrum-half and captain, where he will reform his partnership from the last World Cup with Mathieu Jalibert. In the forwards, an exciting new boilerhouse pairing of Charles Ollivon and Mickael Guillard will bring some dynamism. Anthony Jelonch is preferred to Alldritt at 8.

Ireland have taken a back to the future approach, with Stuart McCloskey and Jacob Stockdale returning to the back division in a major tournament. Jamie Osborne continues at fullback with Hugo Keenan still unavailable. Sam Prendergast is given the nod to start at 10. Up front, injuries in the front row bring in Jeremy Loughman and Thomas Clarkson at prop, with Michael Milne on the bench.

Preamble

Here’s one you’ve not heard before: welcome to this Thursday evening opening match of the Six Nations. What with this, all the AI telling us stuff that’s wrong, and washing machines that inexplicably have wifi, truly we are living in the future.

The future is very much the concern for both of these teams as this marks the proper start of the Rugby World Cup 2027 run-in. The Six Nations is, of course, a tournament of great import and heritage in its own right, but only a fool would argue that Messrs Galthie and Farrell are not keeping more than half an eye on Australia in eighteen months’ time.

With that in mind, Fabien Galthie has loaded his selection dice into his favourite blunderbuss in order to spin them as hard as possible, while also taking public opinion’s eye out. The languid maestro Damien Penaud is jettisoned from the wing, and Gregory Alldritt, the steadfast yet dynamic Number 8 of recent vintage is ushered out. But most surprising of all is the absence of Gael Fickou, the best 12 in the world for a period, and lynchpin of the the France defensive system. So what does it all mean for Les Bleus, a team that are current champions, let’s not forget?

As it does so often of late, the rugby tide appears to have turned to wash up every bit of success on a beach in South Africa for Rassie Erasmus to stuff in his treasure chest. Note has been taken of this, and teams are pivoting to the Boks’ way of playing: powerful, tight, kick-to-compete orientated, and a bench full of as many massive units as possible to splinter souls late in the game. England took it on in 2025 to some success, and now it appears Ireland and France are trying the same. Hence, no place for the aerially challenged Penaud and on the Irish side Andy Farrell has done away with his fourth favourite child, James Lowe. Penaud can’t catch a high ball, Lowe would take 23 minutes to run after one; and with the game going the way it is, then choices have to be made.

On top of this shift for Ireland they have a squad hammered by injuries prior to a big tournament; a situation usually exclusively preserved for Scotland.

All things considered, this is a hard game to predict stylistically, as the selections suggest new gameplans aplenty but we won’t know until the studs hit the turf and the ball is up in the air. Even with such mystery, the odds are still with a France win.