Ireland full-back Hugo Keenan was among the try-scorers when Ireland defeated France in the 2023 Six NationsGuinness Six Nations: France v IrelandVenue: Stade Velodrome, Marseille Date: Friday, 2 February Kick-off: 20:00 GMTCoverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC Radio Ulster; text commentary on BBC Sport website and app; watch match highlights online
France and Ireland meet in Marseille on Friday in a blockbuster opening match of this year’s Six Nations.
They will be playing their first Tests since agonising defeats in the quarter-finals of last year’s Rugby World Cup.
Ireland will aim to repeat the success of their Grand-Slam winning campaign in 2023, which included a comprehensive win against France in Dublin.
France, however, secured their own clean sweep a year earlier and have won 18 of their last 19 Tests at home.
This game takes place in Marseille, rather than the Stade de France in Paris, where both nations’ hopes of winning the Webb Ellis trophy for the first time ended in October.
The two nations remain the dominant sides in the northern hemisphere and begin this championship effectively as joint favourites.
Ireland start a Six Nations campaign without retired fly-half and four-time championship winner Johnny Sexton for the first time in 15 years, while French superstar and former World Player of the Year Antoine Dupont has temporarily departed for the national Sevens programme ahead of this summer’s Olympic Games in Paris.
Sexton starred in the most recent Irish win in France six years ago, when an 83rd-minute drop-goal snatched a 15-13 victory which paved the way for Ireland’s Grand Slam that year.
The 10 jersey now passes to Munster fly-half Jack Crowley, who makes his Six Nations debut for an Ireland side attempting to become only the third nation in the championship’s history to win back-to-back Grand Slams.
Bordeaux scrum-half Maxime Lucu, meanwhile, has the unenviable task of replacing reigning Six Nations Player of the Year Dupont.
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Team news
France: The hosts make five changes to the side beaten by the Springboks.
In addition to Lucu replacing Dupont, Yoram Moefana is preferred to Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the left wing, Paul Gabrillagues and Paul Willemse both start at lock, while Francois Cros comes in for the injured Anthony Jelonch in the back row.
Ireland: The visitors make four changes following the defeat by the All Blacks, with 22-year-old Leinster lock Joe McCarthy preferred to Iain Henderson and James Ryan.
Munster’s Calvin Nash will make his Six Nations debut on the wing in the absence of the injured Mack Hansen, while Robbie Henshaw replaces centre Garry Ringrose, who has been ruled out with a shoulder injury.
As mentioned, Crowley replaces Johnny Sexton while Leinster fly-half Ciaran Frawley could make his Six Nations debut from the bench.
Commentator’s notes
Andrew Cotter: What a game to kick things off, between Europe’s two best sides and both teams might well be grateful that this meeting takes place in Marseille rather than the Stade de France, where the ghosts of their epic World Cup quarter-final defeats still lurk.
There has been much talk of absentees, in particular Dupont, but scrum-half apart, France look near full strength.
Ireland have to deal with the retirement of Sexton, but also injuries to the outstanding Ringrose and Hansen. Yet the conveyor belt of Irish rugby keeps delivering and it will be fascinating to see how Nash and McCarthy rise to the challenge of their Six Nations debuts.
Both sides have gone for a 6-2 split of forwards to backs on the bench, searching for the physicality to match their obvious skills.
Friday night in Marseille will not be for the faint of heart, but whoever comes out on top will be strongly favoured to take the title come the 16th of March.
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View from both camps
France head coach Fabien Galthie: “In four years, there hasn’t been a game without a requirement to win. We’ve always heard the music in the background of requiring a win.
“There will be obstacles. The obstacles are the opponents. Before the World Cup, Ireland were world number one, now they’re world number two.
“We’re conscious of the run of games we have, South Africa, now Ireland, who also lost in the quarter-finals.
“Defeats are part of the journey, as are obstacles. We like it, pressure, requirements, it’s not a problem for us, we’re here for that. We’re solid.”
Ireland head coach Andy Farrell: “It will be a great game to watch, there’s no doubt about that and the stadium, the atmosphere, it being the first game of the Six Nations after a World Cup, if you can’t get excited about that, you’re in the wrong place.
“For us, it’s just living up to our own expectations, we expect to perform on the big stage and it doesn’t really get any bigger than this one.
“The exciting thing for me is are we brave enough, have we got enough courage to go and do what we said we’re going to do and obviously we’re playing against a world-class side.
“But if you want to be successful, if you want to try to be the best, then you’ve got to beat the best in places like this and the occasion doesn’t get much bigger.”
Line-ups
France: 15-Ramos, 14-Penaud, 13-Fickou, 12-Danty, 11-Moefana; 10-Jalibert, 9-Lucu; 1-Baille, 2-Mauvaka, 3-Atonio, 4-Gabrillagues, 5-Willemse, 6-Cros, 7-Ollivon, 8-Alldritt (capt)
Replacements: 16-Marchand, 17-Wardi, 18-Aldegheri, 19-Woki, 20-Taofifenua, 21-Boudehent, 22-Le Garrec, 23-Bielle-Biarrey
Ireland: 15-Keenan, 14-Nash, 13-Henshaw, 12-Aki, 11-Lowe; 10-Crowley, 9-Gibson-Park; 1-Porter, 2-Sheehan, 3-Furlong, 4-McCarthy, 5-Beirne, 6-O’Mahony (capt), 7-Van der Flier, 8-Caelan Doris
Replacements: 16-Kelleher, 17-Healy, 18-Bealham, 19-Ryan, 20-Baird, 21-Conan, 22-Murray, 23-Frawley
Match facts
Head-to-head
- Ireland won on their first Six Nations trip to France in 2000, but they’ve been victorious in just two of 11 away meetings in this fixture since, triumphing in 2014 and 2018 (D1, L8).
- France have won three of their last four Six Nations encounters against Ireland, having won just one of the preceding eight clashes in the championship (D2, L5).
France
- France had won 24 of their previous 26 matches before losing against South Africa at the Rugby World Cup.
- Les Bleus’ quarter-final defeat by the Springboks ended a run of 18 wins on home soil.
- France have won all eight home games under Fabien Galthie which have been played away from the Stade de France, including both previous matches at Stade Velodrome in Marseille.
Ireland
- Ireland’s Rugby World Cup quarter-final loss against New Zealand ended a record 17-game winning run.
- They have not failed to score a try in a Six Nations game since winning 15-13 in Paris in 2018.
- Ireland made a tournament-high 696 carries in the Six Nations last year, whilst they also recorded the most carry metres (4,286m) and metres in contact (1,177m).
Match officials
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Touch judges: Matthew Carley (England) & Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)