Jon Newcombe previews the opening match of the Six Nations as France welcome Ireland to Paris on Thursday night.
Rugby union betting tips: France vs Ireland
2pts France lead by 1-7 points at half-time at 12/5 (Unibet; 9/5 William Hill)
1pt Theo Attissogbe to be first tryscorer at 10/1 (BetVictor, BetMGM, VirginBet)
In the last two encounters, Ireland and then France set new points-scoring records in the fixture which kicks off this year's Six Nations.
And the way this French team has been set up, you wouldn’t rule out another falling in Paris tonight. Les Bleus’ backline is basically the European champions Bordeaux-Begles, plus Antoine Dupont, and is capable of transitioning between defence and attack in an instant. If the passes stick, the new faces on the team play with confidence, and, importantly, the weather does not intervene too much, France could be a delight to watch.
Even if it does rain, as forecast, it could work slightly in the home side’s favour, as any Irish handling errors will be seized upon by French wingers who love to punish the opposition. THEO ATTISSOGBE is arguably as pacy as Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the opposite wing and will be looking for any opportunity to show he’s worthy of Damian Penaud’s jersey with a try.
Attissogbe should also have the measure of Jacob Stockdale in the air and on the turn. As powerful as he is with ball in hand, Stockdale’s big frame takes some shifting, and you’d back the Frenchman to come out on top in a foot race running towards the Irish try line, and do what Penaud has been doing for years – crossing that whitewash.
Attissogbe got out of the blocks quickly in last year’s Championship, bagging the first try of the match, and then another, in the 43-0 win against Wales, and can be backed again to be the first tryscorer of the match and therefore the tournament at 10/1.
As for the match itself, it could turn out to be lopsided in terms of the scoring pattern. While Andy Farrell has admitted to being embarrassed by some of his inspirational speeches from his early days in coaching, he probably recognises that a calm, measured approach is not what’s needed here.
Ireland will be fired up for this one, but with two very different front-rows on show than might have otherwise been the case had injuries not struck down key men on both sides, it could take a while for the set-piece and the game to settle down and get into its rhythm.
So, I’m inclined to go for a low-scoring first half, when the undoubted physicality of the match will be draining, with a big swing to Les Bleus in the second stanza. The best way to play this is by taking France to lead by 1-7 points at half-time, but for those unable to get on with Unibet or William Hill, the more widely available even-money about the second half being the highest scoring is a good option.
How to watch France vs Ireland
The opening game of the Six Nations kicks off at 20:10 GMT and is live on ITV and ITVX.
Commentary is also available via BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds.
France vs Ireland teams
France: Ramos; Attissogbe, Depoortere, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Jalibert, Dupont (capt); Gros, Marchand, Aldegheri, Ollivon, Guillard, Cros, Jegou, Jelonch.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Neti, Montagne, Auradou, Meafou, Nouchi, Serin, Gourgues.
Ireland: Osborne; O'Brien, Ringrose, McCloskey, Stockdale; S Prendergast, Gibson-Park; Loughman, Sheehan, Clarkson, McCarthy, Beirne, C Prendergast, Van der Flier, Doris (capt).
Replacements: Kelleher, Milne, Bealham, Ryan, Conan, Timoney, Casey, Crowley.
Referee: Karl Dickson
Posted at 09:30 GMT on 05/02/26
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