France begins Six Nations title defence with a commanding victory over Ireland
France launched their Six Nations title defence in emphatic fashion, dismantling Ireland 36-14 at a jubilant Stade de France on Thursday evening, reports BritPanorama.
Wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey, the tournament’s leading try-scorer in 2025, touched down twice as Les Bleus surged into an overwhelming 29-0 advantage. Fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and lock Charles Ollivon also crossed during a devastating first-half display, with full-back Thomas Ramos contributing three conversions and a penalty.
The hosts led 22-0 at the interval before Bielle-Biarrey’s second score secured the bonus point just seven minutes after the restart. Theo Attissogbe added a fifth try in the dying moments to complete Ireland’s humiliation.
Ireland’s defensive frailties proved costly, with captain Caelan Doris offering a candid assessment of his side’s shortcomings. “We left ourselves too tall a mountain to climb in the first half. We were too passive defensively, there were 19 missed tackles which allowed them to flourish with keeping the ball alive and their attacking game,” Doris told ITV.
The skipper acknowledged his team struggled to establish any rhythm during the opening exchanges. “The first 30 minutes we couldn’t find our feet, we allowed them to get phases and score off the back,” he added.
Replacement forwards Nick Timoney and Michael Milne did manage consolation tries, but Andy Farrell’s men paid dearly for a woeful opening 50 minutes. France defence coach Shaun Edwards expressed delight at his side’s commanding performance, particularly their control of the contest. “We’re very happy. I thought our attack was fantastic and we dominated possession and territory. That’s unusual against Ireland, they normally do that to their opponent,” Edwards remarked to ITV.
The Welshman was particularly impressed by the fluency of Les Bleus’ attacking play. “It was a joy to watch at times. You want to see it in training, it’s incredible,” he said. Edwards also praised Ireland’s resilience in fighting back, whilst acknowledging the late try gave the home supporters a fitting finale.
Doris made clear that defensive improvements must be the priority ahead of their next fixture. “It all starts with defence, we needed a strong defence and we didn’t have it. Quite a few lessons learned and we are going to need to be better at home next week,” he stated.
Ireland will seek to bounce back when they welcome Italy to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday 14 February, with kick-off scheduled for 2.10pm. France, meanwhile, continue their campaign the following day, travelling to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff to face Wales at 3.10pm.
The opening weekend of the Six Nations often sets the tone, and this one has certainly raised the stakes. With dominant performances like France’s, the pressure is on all competitors to respond quickly in this fiercely contested championship.
