Ireland’s bid for a historic third successive Six Nations title will be on the line against fellow title contenders France at the weekend. Les Blues will head to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin hoping to wrench the title initiative away from the men in green, knowing that a loss there will end their hopes. Victory for Ireland, however, will see them put one hand on this season’s championship title and at the same time, edge closer to that piece of rugby history.
When, where, and who is the referee?
Ireland vs France takes place at the Aviva Stadium on 8th March with a 2:15pm kick-off, local time. The match referee will be Australia’s Angus Gardner. Incidentally, Gardner will become the first Australian referee to reach 50 Tests.
Gardner, the 2018 World Rugby Referee of the Year, has refereed Ireland vs France before, back in 2022 when the French won 30-24 in Paris on their way to recording a Grand Slam. France have won each of their last three Test matches when Gardner has been in charge, while Ireland have lost their last three.
Recent Six Nations clashes
Ireland vs France is always a heavyweight clash, and in the past few seasons, fixtures between them have typically gone a long way to deciding where the championship title has ended up. But who has come out on top in the most recent power struggles?
What happened last year?
In last year’s Six Nations meeting in Marseille, Ireland made the most of an early yellow card awarded to France’s Paul Willemse for a high tackle on Andrew Porter. With Willemse in the sin-bin, Ireland got up a big head of steam and with 30 minutes on the clock, they had already run in three tries.
There was worse to come for France, as Willemse, having returned from his earlier infraction, was then giving his marching orders as the second row’s shoulder hit the head of Caelan Doris.
Ireland picked up a yellow card through Tadhg Beirne in the second half, which sparked France into life a bit. However, once they were back to a full complement of players, Ireland had enough to overcome any resistance against the 14 men of France to record their biggest-ever away win against Les Bleus.
Recent head-to-head
The recent head-to-head has been close, with France 3-2 ahead from the last five meetings. Tellingly, however, the last three winners of the fixture have gone on to claim the Six Nations Championship that year, which is why there is so much hinging on Saturday’s clash in Dublin.
France claimed a 30-24 home win over Ireland in 2022 (refereed by Angus Gardner) on their way to the title, which was their third successive victory over the men in green. However, the tables have turned in the last two seasons, with Ireland coming out on top.
In the last nine Six Nations meetings, Ireland are 5-4 ahead, and during that sequence, both teams have at some stage produced a three-match winning streak of form.
Recent meetings In Ireland
Ireland have a good recent home record against France in the Six Nations, winning four of the last five such fixtures. The only blip in that sequence was a 2021 reversal by just two points.
Each of Ireland’s last five home wins over France has been by a margin of at least seven points, with their 32-19 success over them in Dublin during the 2023 Six Nations being their biggest in the sequence.
- Ireland 32-19 France
- Ireland 13-15 France
- Ireland 26-14 France
- Ireland 19-9 France
- Ireland 18-11 France
Ireland’s 2025 Six Nations so far
Ireland opened the 2025 Six Nations with a superb 27-22 home win over England. The men in green struggled for cohesion in the first 40 minutes, but then took full control of the match after the break to run out 27-22 winners, despite a late flurry from the visitors.
Ireland were then expected to receive a firm test at Murrayfield against Scotland, but the Irish produced an imperiously dominant performance. As they were able to efficiently shut down the huge running threats of the Scottish backs, Ireland were solid in every department and won by a commanding 32-18 scoreline.
Their next game was against Wales, who have been having a torrid time of things in this season’s Six Nations. Interim Ireland coach Simon Easterby made a number of changes to the starting fifteen from the Scotland game and watched his men deliver a hard-fought victory in Cardiff.
Against a rejuvenated Welsh side, Ireland had fallen 18-10 behind in the match following a 20-minute red card to Garry Ringrose. However, the men in green responded in the second half with 17 unanswered points to run out 27-18 winners.
Ireland’s stand-out players 2025
At the end of the 2025 Six Nations, Ireland will bid farewell to Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray, all of whom are retiring. That’s three five-time Six Nations winners bowing out of the squad, which also means that on Saturday, the trio will appear at the Aviva Stadium for the final time.
Each of them being Test centurions, O’Mahony, Healy and Murray still have a lot to contribute to Ireland’s bid for the three-peat. Garry Ringrose will miss the game following a red card against Wales, while captain Caelan Doris has a chance of getting involved against France after missing the game against the Welsh with a knee problem.
Of the players to have shone for Ireland this year, youngster Sam Prendergast has shown plenty of progress. The fly-half has flourished with some fantastic composure throughout the championship to create opportunities across the back line.
Bundee Aki has been one of Ireland’s best players of the campaign when he has been at his direct, physical best, as shown against England. When he came off the bench in the second half against Wales, he pretty much turned the game around single-handedly for the men in green.
Tadgh Beirne has been as reliable as it gets for Ireland and easily remains one of the best second rows in the world, certainly in the Six Nations. Another big presence in the Irish power machine has been Josh van der Flier. His work rate has been off the charts in both carries and tackles, and he has arguably been Ireland’s best player of the championship so far.
France’s stand-out players 2025
Antoine Dupont’s return to fifteens hasn’t gone unnoticed. How could it not, seeing as he’s the greatest number nine on the planet? Dupont can keep Les Bleus ticking over dangerously in Dublin, and the Irish defence will have to watch him keenly. His ball speed from the ruck is phenomenal and he can break the gain line himself or take players out with a missed pass in the blink of an eye.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey has looked like the winger of the championship. He’s lightning quick and any ball that is heading his way out wide will set the Irish defence on alert. Bielle-Biarrey not only has the pace, but he’s also evasive and tough to put down and always seems to be among the points whether playing from fullback or the wing.
Fullback/fly-half Thomas Ramos has been indispensable again for France. It’s hard to find a better kicker of the ball than Ramos in the world at the moment and he has often looked on a different level from everyone else, so he will be pivotal to the control that France get in the match.
Occupying the second row, Emmanuel Meafou has been another outstanding French player in this year’s Six Nations. The Toulouse player has a superb ability to link play between the backs and forwards, and his ball-carrying skills are a thing to behold and something that the Irish first line of defence will need to be on top of.
Ireland vs France prediction
France essentially have a shot at nothing and so can be brave in their approach, and this makes them extremely dangerous. Only a win in Dublin is going to leave them in the title picture for the 2025 Six Nations crown, so they may come out hard and fast and are 1.83 odds to score the first try of the match.
After thumping Wales 43-0 in their opener, France slipped to a dramatic one-point defeat against England at Twickenham, without really settling into top gear for a sustained period. They were, however, straight back to their best as they scored a decisive 73-24 victory in Italy, a game that produced 14 tries, a Six Nations record.
France have supreme attacking power and versatility through the backs, with Dupont at the centre of it all. However, they also have a tremendous amount of pack power, and if they load up on heavy reinforcements from the bench, this is an area in which they could heap pressure on Ireland for 80 minutes.
Ireland will need patience and control in this one and must make sure that they don’t let their nerves get to them. There will be the emotions of the retirements, and the added pressure of seeking that historic third successive Six Nations title. However, collectively, Ireland have remained at the top for so long now because they are such a well-oiled machine.
Ireland have proven that they can rely on the depth in their squad, and have tough calls to make in terms of starts in positions such as fly-half and across the front row. However, regardless of who is wearing the shirts, Ireland have a cohesiveness about them, trust, and an ability to back themselves even when in tight corners, like they have been against England and Wales in this campaign.
Where Ireland can win it
The difference between the two sides is in defence. France look likely to leak points, but Ireland are far more organised and well-drilled in the defensive ranks. It’s what gained them an upper hand against the great Scottish running attack, and they will need it to be at its best against the powerful French runners on Saturday.
Home advantage is huge for Ireland in this one, and with that, they are the 1.83 favourites in the match outright, with the free-scoring France behind at 2.0. It’s likely going to be on a knife’s-edge throughout, given what’s riding on the game.
If cards are kept to a minimum and the weather is good, then this looks like an extremely tight game between the best two teams in the championship. A 1-5 winning margin for either side comes in at 5.5, again highlighting how close this contest will probably be.
On paper, the match looks like it is going to be in the balance for long periods. However, one thing is for sure and this is that the men in green will need their best performance of the 2025 Six Nations so far to keep their eyes on the prize.
The Six Nations at Tonybet
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