IN JUST A few weeks, Ireland have the novelty of a Thursday night Six Nations opener in Paris.
The unusual placement of this blockbuster game on Thursday 5 February is mainly due to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics taking place in Milan the following day.
The Winter Olympics may not be a huge deal in Ireland, but France will have nearly 100 athletes competing at those Games, making it of wider-ranging interest.
The last two editions of the Six Nations have involved Friday night openers on French soil, and broadcasters there were eager to ensure this year’s first game has the biggest TV audience possible once again.
Regardless of the scheduling, it’s a massive game for Andy Farrell’s side.
Two years ago, Ireland travelled to France for their Six Nations opener and there was also an element of novelty then as the game took place in Marseille because Stade de France in Paris was being readied for the 2024 Olympic Games.
As is the case now, there were doubts about how Ireland would cope against Les Bleus that day in 2024. Johnny Sexton had retired and there were fears that Farrell’s men would be suffering a hangover from their agonising 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand.
But Jack Crowley stepped up at number 10 and Ireland set themselves on course for a Six Nations title success by notching a bonus-point win.
“We’re three months down the line,” said Farrell after his men earned an impressive 38-17 victory at the Orange Vélodrome. “That’s a big hangover if you can’t get over it in that time.”
Antoine Dupont was missing in 2024 as he also prepared for the Olympics, but he was back last year as the French exacted their revenge in Dublin, scoring five tries in a 42-27 success.
It was a contest for some time but France ended up as resounding winners in what was a fatal blow for Ireland’s hopes of securing a third consecutive Six Nations title.
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France had a big win in Dublin in the 2025 Six Nations. Dan Sheridan / INPHO
Dan Sheridan / INPHO / INPHO
Dupont suffered his ACL injury in the first half of that French win in Dublin – leading to Fabien Galthié’s angry and unfair post-match comments about Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter’s involvement – and hasn’t played for Les Bleus since.
But the great French scrum-half is expected to be back in blue when the Six Nations rolls around, having recently made his long-awaited return to action for Toulouse.
His first appearance off the bench against Racing 92 in the Top 14 at the end of November involved a clever, clinical kick assist for a try and a few other moments of class that made it look like he’d never been away.
Dupont made his first start of the season against Glasgow in the Champions Cup two weeks later, scoring an early try before being powerless to prevent the Scots from pulling off a remarkable comeback victory.
He was brilliant in Toulouse’s big win over La Rochelle on Sunday night. It really is fantastic to have Dupont back in action.
He is expected to be back in Galthié’s side for the Six Nations, adding even more quality to a group that already has plenty of depth. The fact that the head coach brought a rather experimental squad to New Zealand last summer only helped that depth.
France didn’t have the greatest autumn ever, losing to South Africa, beating Fiji with a decent performance, then winning a rather wild game against Australia that involved 12 tries. The defeat to the Springboks, who had Lood de Jager sent off just before half time, was disappointing.
Yet France are the reigning Six Nations champions and they probably should have had a Grand Slam last year, having missed a string of chances to put England away early on before Steve Borthwick’s men pulled off a stunning victory late on.
That 26-25 success for England was the start of their current run of 11 wins in a row, meaning they come into this Six Nations as second favourites behind the French.
Ireland have to travel to Twickenham in Round 3 of this championship and it’s worth remembering that there is only one break weekend this time around due to the launch of the Nations Championship later this year.
That means Ireland visit France, host Italy, then travel to England on three consecutive weekends before the single break week. Their campaign concludes with home ties against Wales and Scotland on consecutive weekends.
George Ford had a fine autumn for England. Ben Brady / INPHO
Ben Brady / INPHO / INPHO
Borthwick has moulded his team to suit the current trends of international rugby well. He has picked strong aerial wings like Tom Roebuck to chase contestable kicks, while his array of back row talents such as Ben Earl, Henry Pollock, and Sam Underhill means he has great dynamism and mobility to call on.
Out-half George Ford has been playing some of his best rugby ever, while the English scrum has been top-class for some time now. And the signs are that there is lots more talent coming through the English pipeline now.
The last year has been a happy time for England with their most recent defeat coming against Ireland in Round 1 of the 2025 Six Nations. It’s worth noting that the English didn’t play South Africa in the autumn, which was a shame.
England are away to France in Paris in the last game of the 2026 Six Nations and right now, that is a likely title decider.
Yet, Ireland can upset the odds in the opening week if they pitch up in Paris. They will need to improve upon their form from the November Tests, of course.
Farrell will be hoping that his leading players are in much better form come the Six Nations, with the majority of them having come into the autumn cold.
As ever, the Ireland boss will be looking up, but there’s no doubt that the other nations will be seeing Farrell’s men as vulnerable.
Ireland have won their last 16 games against Italy, their last 11 against Scotland, and their last four versus Wales.
The minimum expectation is that Ireland will keep those streaks going by winning all of their home games in this championship.
Yet there’s no doubt that they will be targeting upsets on the road in Paris and London.
Four wins in five games has been enough for Ireland and France to win the last two editions of this great competition, but four from five wasn’t enough for Ireland or England to win last year.
Meaning that bonus points look as key as ever. So Ireland need their attack to fire.
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Dupont's France and improved England will make Ireland's life tricky
IN JUST A few weeks, Ireland have the novelty of a Thursday night Six Nations opener in Paris.
The unusual placement of this blockbuster game on Thursday 5 February is mainly due to the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics taking place in Milan the following day.
The Winter Olympics may not be a huge deal in Ireland, but France will have nearly 100 athletes competing at those Games, making it of wider-ranging interest.
The last two editions of the Six Nations have involved Friday night openers on French soil, and broadcasters there were eager to ensure this year’s first game has the biggest TV audience possible once again.
Regardless of the scheduling, it’s a massive game for Andy Farrell’s side.
Two years ago, Ireland travelled to France for their Six Nations opener and there was also an element of novelty then as the game took place in Marseille because Stade de France in Paris was being readied for the 2024 Olympic Games.
As is the case now, there were doubts about how Ireland would cope against Les Bleus that day in 2024. Johnny Sexton had retired and there were fears that Farrell’s men would be suffering a hangover from their agonising 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat to New Zealand.
But Jack Crowley stepped up at number 10 and Ireland set themselves on course for a Six Nations title success by notching a bonus-point win.
“We’re three months down the line,” said Farrell after his men earned an impressive 38-17 victory at the Orange Vélodrome. “That’s a big hangover if you can’t get over it in that time.”
Antoine Dupont was missing in 2024 as he also prepared for the Olympics, but he was back last year as the French exacted their revenge in Dublin, scoring five tries in a 42-27 success.
It was a contest for some time but France ended up as resounding winners in what was a fatal blow for Ireland’s hopes of securing a third consecutive Six Nations title.
Dupont suffered his ACL injury in the first half of that French win in Dublin – leading to Fabien Galthié’s angry and unfair post-match comments about Tadhg Beirne and Andrew Porter’s involvement – and hasn’t played for Les Bleus since.
But the great French scrum-half is expected to be back in blue when the Six Nations rolls around, having recently made his long-awaited return to action for Toulouse.
His first appearance off the bench against Racing 92 in the Top 14 at the end of November involved a clever, clinical kick assist for a try and a few other moments of class that made it look like he’d never been away.
Dupont made his first start of the season against Glasgow in the Champions Cup two weeks later, scoring an early try before being powerless to prevent the Scots from pulling off a remarkable comeback victory.
He was brilliant in Toulouse’s big win over La Rochelle on Sunday night. It really is fantastic to have Dupont back in action.
He is expected to be back in Galthié’s side for the Six Nations, adding even more quality to a group that already has plenty of depth. The fact that the head coach brought a rather experimental squad to New Zealand last summer only helped that depth.
France didn’t have the greatest autumn ever, losing to South Africa, beating Fiji with a decent performance, then winning a rather wild game against Australia that involved 12 tries. The defeat to the Springboks, who had Lood de Jager sent off just before half time, was disappointing.
Yet France are the reigning Six Nations champions and they probably should have had a Grand Slam last year, having missed a string of chances to put England away early on before Steve Borthwick’s men pulled off a stunning victory late on.
That 26-25 success for England was the start of their current run of 11 wins in a row, meaning they come into this Six Nations as second favourites behind the French.
Ireland have to travel to Twickenham in Round 3 of this championship and it’s worth remembering that there is only one break weekend this time around due to the launch of the Nations Championship later this year.
That means Ireland visit France, host Italy, then travel to England on three consecutive weekends before the single break week. Their campaign concludes with home ties against Wales and Scotland on consecutive weekends.
Borthwick has moulded his team to suit the current trends of international rugby well. He has picked strong aerial wings like Tom Roebuck to chase contestable kicks, while his array of back row talents such as Ben Earl, Henry Pollock, and Sam Underhill means he has great dynamism and mobility to call on.
Out-half George Ford has been playing some of his best rugby ever, while the English scrum has been top-class for some time now. And the signs are that there is lots more talent coming through the English pipeline now.
The last year has been a happy time for England with their most recent defeat coming against Ireland in Round 1 of the 2025 Six Nations. It’s worth noting that the English didn’t play South Africa in the autumn, which was a shame.
England are away to France in Paris in the last game of the 2026 Six Nations and right now, that is a likely title decider.
Yet, Ireland can upset the odds in the opening week if they pitch up in Paris. They will need to improve upon their form from the November Tests, of course.
Farrell will be hoping that his leading players are in much better form come the Six Nations, with the majority of them having come into the autumn cold.
As ever, the Ireland boss will be looking up, but there’s no doubt that the other nations will be seeing Farrell’s men as vulnerable.
Ireland have won their last 16 games against Italy, their last 11 against Scotland, and their last four versus Wales.
The minimum expectation is that Ireland will keep those streaks going by winning all of their home games in this championship.
Yet there’s no doubt that they will be targeting upsets on the road in Paris and London.
Four wins in five games has been enough for Ireland and France to win the last two editions of this great competition, but four from five wasn’t enough for Ireland or England to win last year.
Meaning that bonus points look as key as ever. So Ireland need their attack to fire.
An intriguing spring lies ahead in 2026.
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