Six Nations: France Defeats Ireland – Match Report & Analysis

Published on: 05/02/2026 – 23:26Modified on: 05/02/2026 – 23:29

4 min Reading time

Victorious five tries to two, including a double from the inevitable Louis Bielle-Biarrey, his 21st and 22nd achievements in 23 selections, Fabien Galthié’s players won an offensive bonus point in the process, while depriving their opponents of the defensive bonus, a parameter which could count in the final count.

Other good news, the Blues are taking advantage of this success to dispossess the XV du Trèfle of its 4th place in the world rankings.

« Starting the tournament at home almost implies an obligatory victory », warned Antoine Dupont on Wednesday. Mission accomplished, and without ever trembling, facing a Clover XV deprived of many executives (Aki, Henshaw, Hansen, Keenan, Porter, Furlong).

The scrum half and captain of the Blues, back in the selection eleven months after his injury against Ireland, took the opportunity to take a little personal revenge against these men in green against whom he suffered a knee injury in Dublin last March. An injury which kept him away from the field for nine months, depriving him of fall tests.

« We played a full match, with difficult conditions, but we were very serious about the fundamentals and we were still able to play too », he commented after the match on the France 2 microphone.

Jalibert in all the good moves

Without Romain Ntamack, his usual partner at the hinge in the selection as at Stade Toulouse, injured, “Super Dupont” was this time associated with the UBB opener Matthieu Jalibert, stratospheric since the start of the season. And the duo worked perfectly, with “Jalib” finally released in blue.

The Girondin No.10 was in all the right places on Thursday evening, at the origin of the first try of Bielle-Biarrey on a 50-22 saved in disaster by Prendergast (13th), by himself scoring the second try on a closed side of Dupont on a scrum at 5 m (22nd), and finally by being at the origin of the third try, signed Charles Ollivon (34th), by quickly playing a touch then taking out his special, a little lightning kick over the top, then the fifth from Théo Attissogbe, scored in the corner at the very end of the match (80th).

Serious, diligent, the XV of France also showed that it had class, with a fourth try, that of the bonus, simply magnificent: small over from Dupont behind a ruck, taken in a half-volley by Ramos, and “LBB” again, with his legs of fire, to push Andy Farrel’s men (29-0) a little further from the 47th minute.

So, of course, the Irish then raised their heads, with two tries in three minutes, signed Timoney (59th) and Milne (62nd), but the match was already over. And it was even Pau winger Théo Attissogbe who concluded the blue festival.

First penalty against the Blues in the 58th

Except for this small drop in concentration in the second half, all the lights were green on Thursday evening for the French team, between a Bielle-Barrey still on his momentum from the 2025 Tournament, when he had equaled the record for tries in one edition (8), a monstrous Mickaël Guillard in the second row, a newfound discipline – first penalty whistled against the Blues in the 58th minute -, and an almost complete domination on high balls, although a specialty Irish.

The final score also validates the strong choices of Fabien Galthié, who did not hesitate to leave three of his executives on their sofa (his last two captains, La Rochelle No.8 Grégory Alldritt and Racing center Gaël Fickou, and UBB winger Damian Penaud, the best try scorer in the French XV).

Improved victory for the XV of France, which cleared the way towards a possible “final” on March 14 on the same lawn of Saint-Denis, against the XV de la Rose.

Before that, the Blues will first have two seemingly very affordable meetings, against very weak Welsh in a week (February 15) in Cardiff then against Italy on February 22 in Lille.

Then we must not stumble in Scotland on March 7 at Murrayfield, so that the Blues see the doors open to an 11th Grand Slam.