Hello and welcome along to our coverage of Ireland’s latest step in the 2026 Women’s Six Nations.
Scott Bemand’s side are in France this weekend hoping to beat this side for the first time since 2017. Memories of last year’s World Cup quarter-final won’t be far from the minds of the players today, when Ireland just came up short.
The Ireland camp feel they are closing in on the Six Nations’ top-two of England and France, and this is their opportunity to show that.
We’ll have team line-ups for you in the next few moments as we edge closer to the 8.10pm kick-off.
Great start for Ireland as they land a big tackle from Dannah O’Brien’s kick-off and win a lineout which they secure from Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald’s throw.
25 Apr
8:14PM
2 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
The referee is reviewing a potential intentional knock-on against France.
25 Apr
8:14PM
2 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
And it’s a yellow card for full-back Pauline Barrat.
25 Apr
8:16PM
4 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Ireland win a penalty and the players let out a huge roar as the decision is awarded. Great work from Aoife Wafer to win that call.
25 Apr
8:18PM
6 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
O’Brien finds touch and Ireland win their own lineout again. The set-piece is working well so far. They’re making great territory here and there’s a penalty advantage for Ireland too.
There’s a small bit of a needle as the whistle goes and Ireland get the penalty. O’Brien sends them to the corner.
25 Apr
8:20PM
7 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Another Ireland penalty and Moloney-MacDonald takes it quickly. Ireland get over the try-line but they’re held up.
Huge let-off for France but Ireland were perhaps a bit impatient there. In any case, Ireland are really bringing the fight to the French here.
25 Apr
8:22PM
9 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Now France are on the march but they’re struggling to get to midfield and a boxkick is caught by O’Brien.
Robyn O’Connor sets off down the wing but she gets gobbled up. Ireland still have it though and a penalty advantage.
25 Apr
8:23PM
10 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Brittany Hogan has stretched over for the first try of the game but it’s being checked. Potential double-movement being looked at by the TMO.
TRY! France 0-7 Ireland (Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald ’11)
25 Apr
8:28PM
12 mins: France 0-7 Ireland
And Ireland are up and running!
What a brilliant start for Scott Bemand’s side and that try is so deserved after a sustained period of pressure. Again, the set-piece is working well for them as Moloney-MacDonald takes the lineout and throws to Fiona Tuite.
Moloney-MacDonald brings the maul over for the score and O’Brien converts.
25 Apr
8:29PM
14 mins: France 0-7 Ireland
Now Ireland are under pressure as the French get to their five-metre line. Aoife Dalton with a crucial tackle to keep them out at the corner.
The hosts strike back almost straight away. They power their way over from the maul with the prop Ambre Mwayembe touching the ball down. Carla Arbez adds the conversion to tie up the game.
25 Apr
8:37PM
22 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France are starting to motor now as Wafer holds up their next attack. Béibhinn Parsons then gets under a box kick and puts Ireland’s wheels in motion.
Robyn O’Connor makes another great gain along the wing, and Ireland are back in France territory.
25 Apr
8:37PM
22 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Fiona Tuite is in! It looks like try number two for Ireland but the TMO is required to check the grounding.
25 Apr
8:38PM
22 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
The replays don’t look good for Ireland. The France winger Anaïs Grando appears to have held the ball up.
Ireland secure their lineout again but possession spills away as Wafer and Dalton attempt to combine.
France will put in for the scrum.
25 Apr
8:42PM
26 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France come under pressure in the maul and Pauline Bourdon Sansus has to kick it away quickly. The ball then comes to O’Brien who kicks it straight down the field to push France back.
25 Apr
8:43PM
27 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland lose their first lineout as the ball sails over the back of the pack. Bourdon Sansus attempts to kick the ball through but there’s too much sauce on it and the kicks goes dead.
25 Apr
8:45PM
28 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Dorothy Wall with a good carry. Ireland work the ball out to Parsons and Ireland have penalty advantage at the breakdown.
The whistle eventually goes and the referee is not happy with the French foul count. She gives them a warning and another card could be coming if they persist.
25 Apr
8:46PM
28 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland go into the corner and get the maul working.
25 Apr
8:48PM
30 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Moloney-MacDonald gets in again for her second try but it’s going to be chalked off. Emily Lane knocked the ball on.
And the TMO confirms it. Three tries chalked off for Ireland. Hopefully they won’t live to regret those missed opportunities.
25 Apr
8:50PM
32 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland win a scrum!
Hogan, Wafer and Wall did brilliantly there.
25 Apr
8:52PM
34 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland work it out wide and start building the phases. Wall makes a gain as they move the play across the field again.
O’Connor gets on the ball but she gets ushered out over the line. France lineout to come.
25 Apr
8:53PM
35 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland lineout is a bit loose but Linda Djougang gets her hands on the ball. Ireland work the ball across the field again but France then win a penalty to kill the momentum.
25 Apr
8:55PM
36 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France then snuff their lines in the set-piece. They manage to secure possession again though and they will look to stretch Ireland once more.
25 Apr
8:55PM
37 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland turn the ball over briefly, France then win it back but they commit the knock-on and Ireland will get the scrum.
25 Apr
8:58PM
39 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Good Ireland scrum as Wafer pops to Lane. They kick it forward though as France read the play well.
Arbez then makes a really good kick to bring France well into Ireland territory.
25 Apr
9:00PM
40 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland penalty!
Erin King playing the captain’s role by winning that turnover on the ground. O’Brien makes touch with the kick and the maul is called into service again.
Can they get another score before half-time?
25 Apr
9:01PM
41 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Lineout is good. Ireland are on the five-metre line.
25 Apr
9:01PM
41 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France penalty! Another disappointing end to a promising move from Ireland.
Incredibly, Ireland have crossed over four times but only have one try on the board. Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald dotted down from the maul to give Ireland the lead and although France responded quickly with a try from Ambre Mwayembe, Ireland took control again.
Brittany Hogan has been denied however, as has Fiona Tuite while Moloney-MacDonald’s second effort for a try was also chalked off. Those missed opportunities could prove costly in the end. But for now, Ireland are really bossing proceedings in Clermont.
That’s a blow for Ireland as France put some daylight between the teams. Grando goes in at the corner despite McGann’s efforts to get across.
Arbez misses the conversion.
25 Apr
9:53PM
72 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
O’Brien misses touch with a kick to the corner. France will get the scrum and that’s another hit against Ireland. Into the final 10 minutes now and they’re running out of time.
25 Apr
9:56PM
74 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
France are in the corner again.
25 Apr
9:57PM
76 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
France knock the ball on and Ireland get a penalty from the scrum. That should give them a breather as O’Brien makes the clearance.
25 Apr
9:58PM
77 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
Another France turnover and they’re back in the corner.
They’ve really pushed Ireland back in the last quarter.
After such an encouraging first-half display, Ireland deserved so much more from that game. Four tries but only one is counted? Just such raw luck. And lots of unforced errors too, which they will unfortunately regret.
But France really dominated the game in the second half and managed to squeeze in the bonus point before the end of the game.
And so, Ireland remain on five points on the table and the wait to break into the top-two in the competition goes on.
25 Apr
10:09PM
Well, that’s all from us, folks.
Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoyed the coverage.
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As it happened: Ireland suffer 26-7 defeat to France in Women's Six Nations
Hello and welcome along to our coverage of Ireland’s latest step in the 2026 Women’s Six Nations.
Scott Bemand’s side are in France this weekend hoping to beat this side for the first time since 2017. Memories of last year’s World Cup quarter-final won’t be far from the minds of the players today, when Ireland just came up short.
The Ireland camp feel they are closing in on the Six Nations’ top-two of England and France, and this is their opportunity to show that.
We’ll have team line-ups for you in the next few moments as we edge closer to the 8.10pm kick-off.
Ireland:
Replacements:
France:
Replacements:
Some pre-match reading:
The teams are out now and the atmosphere sounds great in stadium.
Anthems have been song and it’s time for battle.
Kick-Off! France v Ireland
1 min: France 0-0 Ireland
Great start for Ireland as they land a big tackle from Dannah O’Brien’s kick-off and win a lineout which they secure from Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald’s throw.
2 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
The referee is reviewing a potential intentional knock-on against France.
2 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
And it’s a yellow card for full-back Pauline Barrat.
4 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Ireland win a penalty and the players let out a huge roar as the decision is awarded. Great work from Aoife Wafer to win that call.
6 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
O’Brien finds touch and Ireland win their own lineout again. The set-piece is working well so far. They’re making great territory here and there’s a penalty advantage for Ireland too.
There’s a small bit of a needle as the whistle goes and Ireland get the penalty. O’Brien sends them to the corner.
7 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Another Ireland penalty and Moloney-MacDonald takes it quickly. Ireland get over the try-line but they’re held up.
Huge let-off for France but Ireland were perhaps a bit impatient there. In any case, Ireland are really bringing the fight to the French here.
9 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Now France are on the march but they’re struggling to get to midfield and a boxkick is caught by O’Brien.
Robyn O’Connor sets off down the wing but she gets gobbled up. Ireland still have it though and a penalty advantage.
10 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
Brittany Hogan has stretched over for the first try of the game but it’s being checked. Potential double-movement being looked at by the TMO.
Ireland Try Ruled Out! France 0-0 Ireland
Unfortunate for Ireland there but they still have the penalty and France are truly rattled here.
10 mins: France 0-0 Ireland
And so we go to the maul again. Can Ireland open up the France defence and get the score they deserve?
TRY! France 0-7 Ireland (Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald ’11)
12 mins: France 0-7 Ireland
And Ireland are up and running!
What a brilliant start for Scott Bemand’s side and that try is so deserved after a sustained period of pressure. Again, the set-piece is working well for them as Moloney-MacDonald takes the lineout and throws to Fiona Tuite.
Moloney-MacDonald brings the maul over for the score and O’Brien converts.
14 mins: France 0-7 Ireland
Now Ireland are under pressure as the French get to their five-metre line. Aoife Dalton with a crucial tackle to keep them out at the corner.
TRY! France 7-7 Ireland (Ambre Mwayembe ’15)
18 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
The hosts strike back almost straight away. They power their way over from the maul with the prop Ambre Mwayembe touching the ball down. Carla Arbez adds the conversion to tie up the game.
22 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France are starting to motor now as Wafer holds up their next attack. Béibhinn Parsons then gets under a box kick and puts Ireland’s wheels in motion.
Robyn O’Connor makes another great gain along the wing, and Ireland are back in France territory.
22 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Fiona Tuite is in! It looks like try number two for Ireland but the TMO is required to check the grounding.
22 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
The replays don’t look good for Ireland. The France winger Anaïs Grando appears to have held the ball up.
IRELAND TRY RULED OUT – France 7-7 Ireland
Again, Ireland are denied by the TMO.
24 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland secure their lineout again but possession spills away as Wafer and Dalton attempt to combine.
France will put in for the scrum.
26 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France come under pressure in the maul and Pauline Bourdon Sansus has to kick it away quickly. The ball then comes to O’Brien who kicks it straight down the field to push France back.
27 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland lose their first lineout as the ball sails over the back of the pack. Bourdon Sansus attempts to kick the ball through but there’s too much sauce on it and the kicks goes dead.
28 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Dorothy Wall with a good carry. Ireland work the ball out to Parsons and Ireland have penalty advantage at the breakdown.
The whistle eventually goes and the referee is not happy with the French foul count. She gives them a warning and another card could be coming if they persist.
28 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland go into the corner and get the maul working.
30 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Moloney-MacDonald gets in again for her second try but it’s going to be chalked off. Emily Lane knocked the ball on.
IRELAND TRY RULED OUT – France 7-7 Ireland
And the TMO confirms it. Three tries chalked off for Ireland. Hopefully they won’t live to regret those missed opportunities.
32 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland win a scrum!
Hogan, Wafer and Wall did brilliantly there.
34 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland work it out wide and start building the phases. Wall makes a gain as they move the play across the field again.
O’Connor gets on the ball but she gets ushered out over the line. France lineout to come.
35 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland lineout is a bit loose but Linda Djougang gets her hands on the ball. Ireland work the ball across the field again but France then win a penalty to kill the momentum.
36 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France then snuff their lines in the set-piece. They manage to secure possession again though and they will look to stretch Ireland once more.
37 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland turn the ball over briefly, France then win it back but they commit the knock-on and Ireland will get the scrum.
39 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Good Ireland scrum as Wafer pops to Lane. They kick it forward though as France read the play well.
Arbez then makes a really good kick to bring France well into Ireland territory.
40 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland penalty!
Erin King playing the captain’s role by winning that turnover on the ground. O’Brien makes touch with the kick and the maul is called into service again.
Can they get another score before half-time?
41 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Lineout is good. Ireland are on the five-metre line.
41 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France penalty! Another disappointing end to a promising move from Ireland.
Half-Time! France 7-7 Ireland
France 7-7 Ireland
What a breathless first half!
Incredibly, Ireland have crossed over four times but only have one try on the board. Cliodhna Moloney-MacDonald dotted down from the maul to give Ireland the lead and although France responded quickly with a try from Ambre Mwayembe, Ireland took control again.
Brittany Hogan has been denied however, as has Fiona Tuite while Moloney-MacDonald’s second effort for a try was also chalked off. Those missed opportunities could prove costly in the end. But for now, Ireland are really bossing proceedings in Clermont.
Second-Half: France 7-7 Ireland
41 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
And we’re back underway for the second half. Can Ireland get the result that deserve this evening?
41 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Good carry from Djougang. Wall then does the same as Ireland look to get back into the France ’22.
44 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France penalty!
Another infringement costs Ireland while in attack mode.
45 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland penalty!
Superb again from King to get in over the ball at the breakdown. Inspirational act of leadership.
46 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
France are attacking and they’re throwing everything at Ireland. A try could be on the cards here.
47 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Wafer gets back to make the tackle but France come charging again. Dalton does very well to throw Aubane Rousset out over the touchline.
Ireland get the reprieve to set up for the France set-piece but this could be a huge moment in the game.
48 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland win the lineout and O’Brien boots the ball away to clear the danger. Hogan was brilliant there.
49 mins: France 7-7 Ireland
Ireland bring in the reinforcements as France go to the corner.
TRY! France 14-7 Ireland (Carla Arbez ’50)
52 mins: Ireland 14-7 France
The out-half dances around Lane and sprints over for France’s second try which she converts in front of the posts.
The gauntlet has been thrown down now. How will Ireland respond?
53 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Ireland get a penalty and it’s a fortuitous one as France were about to break through.
Meanwhile, Wafer is receiving some treatment but she looks ok to continue.
55 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Big carry from Eve Higgins as tempers flare a bit after Anna McGann goes into touch.
57 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Good lineout as Neve Jones takes over at hooker. Stacey Flood gets held up but she gets another go at it and recycles the ball.
Ireland are building phases now but the referee eventually blows for an Ireland penalty.
57 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Ireland are going for the posts as O’Brien gets set up for the kick.
59 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
It’s a miss. That could be another crucial moment in the game as Ireland continue to chase.
Ireland change: Ruth Campbell comes in for Wall.
59 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Floods feeds Wafer. Lane then pops the ball to King and Parsons brings the ball down out wide to set up another run of phases.
The referee holds up play while a French player receives treatment.
62 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Ireland put in for the scrum and work the ball out. Some lovely passing to work the ball out wide, but France turn the ball over.
62 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Ireland are getting stretched as Léa Murie tries to poke a hole through the defence. France still have it and Ireland are under pressure now.
64 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
CLOSE!
Bourdon Sansus sends in a crossfield kick over to Grando in the corner. Credit to McGann though who gets back to deflect the ball away.
65 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Tuite looks to have a bit of cramp and is moving a bit gingerly but she’s ready to go again.
66 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Stacey Flood lands an absolute hay-maker of a tackle and Ireland then win the penalty.
That could give Ireland the spark they need to get the equalising try.
66 mins: France 14-7 Ireland
Ireland lose the ball in the lineout and France gain huge yardage from there.
TRY! France 19-7 Ireland (Anaïs Grando ’67)
69 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
That’s a blow for Ireland as France put some daylight between the teams. Grando goes in at the corner despite McGann’s efforts to get across.
Arbez misses the conversion.
72 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
O’Brien misses touch with a kick to the corner. France will get the scrum and that’s another hit against Ireland. Into the final 10 minutes now and they’re running out of time.
74 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
France are in the corner again.
76 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
France knock the ball on and Ireland get a penalty from the scrum. That should give them a breather as O’Brien makes the clearance.
77 mins: France 19-7 Ireland
Another France turnover and they’re back in the corner.
They’ve really pushed Ireland back in the last quarter.
TRY! France 26-7 Ireland (Léa Champon ’78)
79 mins: France 26-7 Ireland
And that’s the bonus point for France.
Full-Time! France 26-7 Ireland
France 26-7 Ireland
And that’s that!
After such an encouraging first-half display, Ireland deserved so much more from that game. Four tries but only one is counted? Just such raw luck. And lots of unforced errors too, which they will unfortunately regret.
But France really dominated the game in the second half and managed to squeeze in the bonus point before the end of the game.
And so, Ireland remain on five points on the table and the wait to break into the top-two in the competition goes on.
Well, that’s all from us, folks.
Thanks for tuning in and we hope you enjoyed the coverage.
Until next time, good luck!
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