Ireland v France: LIVE updates from 2026 Six Nations opener in Paris
The moment rugby fans have been waiting for has finally arrived - and we are just about ready for the 2026 Six Nations to begin. And what a cracking match we have to get things started as Ireland travel to the Stade de France to take on the much-fancied France in their own backyard. Ireland were in this position two seasons ago, heading to Marseille as underdogs on that occasion in 2024, turning in arguably the last great Irish performance to shock the French just months after the World Cup. Tonight's game, played on a Thursday for the first time since 1948, represents a huge task for Andy Farrell's under-fire Irish stars. However, on that occasion in 1948, Ireland beat France in France and went on to win the grand slam. An omen perhaps? 8:10pm is the kick-off for tonight's game, with Virgin Media One broadcasting the contest on TV and streaming the game online. Line-Ups France: 15. Thomas Ramos, 14. Théo Attissogbe, 13. Nicolas Depoortere, 12. Yoram Moefana, 11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10. Matthieu Jalibert, 9. Antoine Dupont (captain) 1. Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2. Julien Marchand, 3. Dorian Aldegheri, 4. Charles Ollivon, 5. Mickaël Guillard, 6. François Cros, 7. Oscar Jegou, 8. Anthony Jelonch Replacements: 16. Peato Mauvaka, 17. Rodrigue Neti, 18. Régis 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 Prendergast, 9. Jamison Gibson-Park 1. Jeremy Loughman, 2. Dan Sheehan, 3. Thomas Clarkson, 4. Joe McCarthy, 5. Tadhg Beirne, 6. Cian Prendergast, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris (captain) Replacements: 16. Rónan Kelleher , 17. Michael Milne, 18. Finlay Bealham, 19. James Ryan, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Nick Timoney, 22. Craig Casey, 23. Jack Crowley Referee : Karl Dickson (England) Join our Dublin Live breaking news service on WhatsApp. Click this link to receive your daily dose of Dublin Live content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice . For all the latest news from Dublin and surrounding areas visit our homepage .
