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Night time games at the Stade de France are genuinely special, regardless of what day of the week they land on. Despite all the pre-game furore over the scheduling and ITV’s decision to include adverts during the game, no one can argue against this being a fitting way to open a Six Nations tournament. There certainly wouldn’t have been any home fans leaving the stadium in Paris on Thursday thinking this was anything other than a roaring success.
Night time games at the Stade de France are genuinely special, regardless of what day of the week they land on. Despite all the pre-game furore over the scheduling and ITV’s decision to include adverts during the game, no one can argue against this being a fitting way to open a Six Nations tournament. There certainly wouldn’t have been any home fans leaving the stadium in Paris on Thursday thinking this was anything other than a roaring success.
Bielle-Biarrey (12', 46'), Jalibert (21'), Ollivon (33'), Attissogbe (80')
Tries
Timoney (58'), Milne (61')
Ramos (13', 34', 47', 80')
Conversions
Prendergast (58', 61')
Ramos (27')
Penalties
The performance of the home team undoubtedly helped, and they exploded out the blocks in the first half as if they had taken the traditional pre-match firework display as some sort of literal and metaphorical inspiration. There were few more explosive in that opening 20 minutes than Les Bleus’ very own rocket, Louis Bielle-Biarrey. Ireland wouldn’t have needed any forewarning of his pace after his Try of the Tournament in Dublin last year, and he nearly repeated the trick inside the first two minutes. When the first try did eventually come 10 minutes later, it was thanks to some freakish acceleration and pace from the (still terrifyingly young) UBB man.
There will be many denouncing that early score given the (highly probable) forward pass in the build up. Regardless, this try was symptomatic of the opening half: France played with intensity, pace, and high skill, and Ireland were left clutching at thin air. Thanks to relentlessly physical carrying from France’s pack and their centres, Ireland just couldn’t get the ball or and therefore a foothold in the game. What ball they did get was kicked away (more on that in a bit), and 22-0 at half time arguably flattered the visitors.
When a second LBB try took the score to 29-0 after 47 minutes (and a truly majestic volley from Thomas Ramos), it looked like it could be about to get very ugly for Ireland. France were fizzing, and Ireland were getting desperate, forcing passes and spilling ball as a result. Approaching the hour mark, there was a very real possibility of a nilling for Ireland.
The bench helped Ireland wrest back control - and play a game plan that they should have been trying to play all along, by targeting France around the fringes with their own big ball carriers. Nick Timoney’s try on 58 minutes came after Ireland’s first prolonged period of pressure in France’s 22, and for 15 minutes it looked like the real Ireland had actually turned up. The forwards brought more intensity, but the backline was still pedestrian and robotic. Any space out wide did create out was quickly swallowed up by the time the ball got there.
The introduction of Baptiste Serin - clearly keen to not just be more than just someone who lets Antoine Dupont have a rest - on 73 minutes meant France returned to being on the front foot like they had been for the majority of the game, and Théo Attissogbe’s try in the game’s final act gave the scoreboard the gloss that the performance merited
This was undoubtedly a warning shot to France’s Six Nations rivals. France were dominant without ever fully cutting loose, and that is ominous. After a period of ambivalence, here are three clear positives that France can take away from their opening night success.
Credit where credit is due, Fabien Galthié got his team selection right, not only with the big calls, but the more subtle tactical tweaks. His decision to favour two second rows who have played extensively in the back row worked perfectly, and Charles Ollivon and Mickaël Guillard were outstanding in the first half. They were near omni-present ball in hand, with plenty of yards after contact, and allowed France to consistently gain momentum through the middle of the park. The regularity and frequency of their ball carrying allowed France’s back row to focus on hitting rucks and stopping Ireland dead on the gainline.
Ireland did have the heavier pack on Thursday evening, but given the injuries in the front row, France will face stiffer tests up front later in the tournament. They may need to favour a more traditional lock pairing as a result, but on Thursday night, the balance was spot on - and no one was talking about the need for Grégory Alldritt after Guillard’s Player of the Match display.
Scrum time may still be an area for refinement. Dorian Aldegheri conceded a scrum penalty, and while he provided the reassurance Galthié values, Régis Montagne’s cameo was eye-catching. In just 30 minutes — compared to Aldegheri’s 50 — Montagne matched him for carries (two apiece), but added 10 tackles (to Aldegheri’s one) and a turnover win. His energy was unmistakable.
In the centres, Nicolas Depoortère and Yoram Moefana showed exactly why Galthié has been happy to dispose of the services (for now) of Gaël Fickou. Depoortère was magnificent: physical in contact (and after contact), assertive in defensive, and with intelligent and skillful touches peppered throughout.
The final of Galthié’s big selection calls - to drop Damian Penaud and bring in rising star Théo Attissogbe was also vindicated. The Pau man was lightly used - Ireland clearly chose not to kick to him - but he still provided flashes of his aerial prowess and outstanding rugby instincts with an intercept and offload. His try at the end, dancing along the touchline, showed he has plenty of composure and finishing ability of his own.
Leading into the game, the focus in France was all about La Charnière (the half-back pairing, literally ‘the hinge’). It felt like the playmaking balance really worked.
Matthieu Jalibert and Thomas Ramos worked seamlessly together, regularly alternating between first receiver and backfield duties to launch counters. Jalibert, in particular, brought a level of attacking intent that was refreshing l. Romain Ntamack’s more considered approach has its merits, but after the autumn stagnation, France needed imagination and ambition - and Jalibert delivered both without tipping into recklessness. He seemed in control, and he more than held his own defensively.
Antoine Dupont, by his own stratospheric standards, did not have a highlight-reel night. But his kicking was excellent, and his control of territory was a major factor in Ireland’s first-half suffocation. It was noticeable - perhaps more so than normal given Jalibert’s presence - just how much responsibility and ball control that Dupont takes. This perhaps explains why Dupont and Jalibert supposedly prefer their respective, more reserved, club half-back partners of Ntamack and Maxime Lucu. And maybe Jalibert’s attacking intent was because he was determined to make his stamp on the game.
This is probably an unnecessarily cynical view, and between the playmaking axis of Dupont, Jalibert and Ramos, they got the balance largely right. There is room for improvement though, and this should be a worry for everyone else.
Ireland’s gameplan played into France’s hands. They didn’t get much ball in the first 50 minutes, and what ball they did have was largely kicked away after a phase or two. It felt a little as though they had heard the (largely accurate) narrative that France, and Ramos and Bielle-Biarrey in particular, could be vulnerable under the high ball and decided to commit that, and that only. We barely saw anything of Garry Ringrose or Jacob Stockdale in that first half.
France handled Ireland’s aerial tests commendably, and Ireland were nullified. It was conspicuous that Ireland generally avoided targeting Attissogbe under the high ball. He is certainly the best of that back three aerially, but given his relative lack of experience, it feels strange that Ireland didn’t try and isolate him up against the more physical Stockdale, whether aerially or one-on-one on the deck.
Nevertheless, the fact that France’s perceived weakness under the high ball was not exposed is perhaps the biggest positive coming out of this game.
Ireland largely played into France’s hands, and didn’t play to their own strengths. They failed to truly challenge them at the breakdown, around the fringes, or through sustained physical pressure. But that should not detract from the fact that France were impressive and rejuvenated.
At various points, it felt as though Les Bleus were on the brink of cutting loose. They never quite did. That they produced a performance of this control and authority without fully clicking is deeply ominous for the rest of the tournament.
This side is still new, spread across multiple clubs, and building chemistry — particularly within the Dupont–Jalibert–Ramos axis. If this is France operating below their ceiling, the Six Nations may have been put on notice on opening night.
| # | Team | PL | W | L | D | PD | BP | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  England | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 1 | 05 |
| 2 |  France | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 1 | 05 |
| 3 |  Italy | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 04 |
| 4 |  Scotland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -3 | 1 | 01 |
| 5 |  Ireland | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -22 | 0 | 00 |
| 6 |  Wales | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | -41 | 0 | 00 |
