Match Day Programme: France vs Ireland

February 02, 2024
2273
Ultimate Rugby

After both suffering unbelievably heartbreaking losses in the qaurter-final stages of the 2023 Rugby World Cup, former world number one Ireland, and last years world cup hosts France will look to put the bitter taste of defeat on the grand stage behind them, by fighting for the Grand-Slam. Two of the Northern Hemisphere's best team clash in a mouthwatering curtain raiser that could not only be the game of the tournament, but could possibly decide who wins the trophy.

Fixture: France vs Ireland

Venue: Stade Vélodrome, Marseille, France.

Kickoff Time: 20:00 (GMT)

Referee: Karl Dickson

Touch judges: Matthew Carley (England) & Jordan Way (Australia)

TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)

Head-to-head Played:

Played:102

France Wins: 59

Ireland Wins: 36

Draws: 7

Points for:

France: 1,662

Ireland: 1,273

Last Meeting: 11 February, 2023 – Ireland 32-19 France – Aviva Stadium

France

W 29-24 (a) v Italy
L 32-19 (a) v Ireland
W 32-21 (h) v Scotland
W 53-10 (a) v England
W 41-28 (h) v Wales

Ireland

W 34-10 (a) Wales

W 32-19 (h) v France

W 34-20 (a) v Italy

W 22-7 (a) v Scotland

W 29-27 (h) v England

Overall Rugby 6 Nations records:

	France	Ireland
Played	24	24
Won	12	10
Drawn	2	2

Team News:

France: France coach Fabien Galthie's selection see's five changes from the XV beaten by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup quarter-finals, with Dupont taking a sabbatical from the Test scene and switching to Sevens Rugby ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games

Ireland: Peter O’Mahony captains Ireland for the Round 1 clash at Stade Velodrome, with a number of players in line for their Championship debuts in green.

Joe McCarthy has been named to start in the second row alongside Tadhg Beirne, while Calvin Nash lines up on the right wing having made his Test debut against Italy in last summer’s Bank of Ireland Nations Series.

Trivia:

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).