IRELAND cruised to a Six Nations opening win against Wales – but they'll be in for a tougher test when they take on reigning champions France.
Andy Farrell's men spoiled Warren Gatland's return to the Welsh hot seat with an emphatic victory in Cardiff.
And the 34-10 victory was made even sweeter as Ireland secured a bonus point.
But Farrell will be desperate for his side to build on that performance by pulling off a huge triumph over the holders France.
However, Les Bleus got the better of Ireland last time out and the French go into this off the back of a gruelling 29-24 win against Italy.
When is Ireland vs France?
- Ireland's mouthwatering contest against France will take place on Saturday, February 11.
- It is scheduled to get underway at 2:15pm GMT.
- Aviva Stadium in Dublin is the allocated arena for this Six Nations match and it can host approximately 51,700 spectators.
- France scraped a 30-24 win when the teams met during the 2022 edition.
What TV channel is Ireland vs France on and can it be live streamed?
- Ireland vs France will be broadcast LIVE on ITV in the UK.
- Coverage is set to commence from 1:25pm GMT – one hour and 10 minutes before kick-off.
- Alternatively, fans can head to ITV.com or the ITVX app to stream the entire action live.
Can I watch it for FREE?
Yes! Ireland's huge Six Nations match against France can be watched for FREE in the UK as long as you have a valid TV license.
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What is the team news?
Jamison Gibson-Park, Tadhg Furlong and Cian Healy all missed out on the Wales win and are likely to be out of action for Ireland's upcoming match against France.
Elsewhere, Alexandre Becognee, Clement Castets, Pierre-Louis Barassi, Matthis Lebel, Romain Buros and Francois Cois have been called up to the French wider training group this week.
Ireland XV: 15. Hugo Keenan; 14. Mack Hansen, 13. Garry Ringrose, 12. Stuart McCloskey, 11. James Lowe; 10. Johnny Sexton (capt), 9. Conor Murray; 1. Andrew Porter, 2. Rob Herring, 3. Finlay Bealham; 4. Tadhg Beirne, 5. James Ryan; 6. Peter O’Mahony, 7. Josh van der Flier, 8. Caelan Doris
Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher, 17. Dave Kilcoyne, 18. Tom O’Toole, 19. Iain Henderson, 20. Jack Conan, 21. Craig Casey, 22. Ross Byrne, 23. Bundee Aki
France XV: 15. Thomas Ramos; 14. Damian Penaud, 13. Gael Fickou, 12. Yoram Moefana, 11. Ethan Dumortier; 10. Romain Ntamack, 9. Antoine Dupont (capt); 1. Cyril Baille, 2. Julien Marchand, 3. Uini Atonio;4. Thibaud Flament, 5. Paul Willemse; 6. Anthony Jelonch, 7. Charles Ollivon, 8. Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: 16. Gaetan Barlot, 17. Reda Wardi, 18. Sipili Falatea, 19. Romain Taofifenua, 20. Francois Cros, 21. Sekou Macalou, 22. Baptiste Couilloud, 23. Matthieu Jalibert
Latest odds
- Ireland 4/9
- Draw 17/11
- France 2/1
*Odds courtesy of Betfair are correct at time of publication
- Kieran Davies
Welcome to Ireland vs France
Already labelled as the game of the tournament, Ireland take on defending Grand Slam champions France at the Aviva Stadium in a game that will go some way to deciding the championship.
Andy Farrell has one enforced change this afternoon after Dan Sheehan was injured in their opening game in Cardiff, he is replaced at hooker by Rob Herring, which allows Ronan Kelleher to come into the squad to take his place on the bench.
Two players will be marking their 50th caps for the men in green with James Ryan and Andrew Porter marking the occasion in the pack today, while Dave Kilcoyne will also reach that landmark if he comes from the bench against the French.
Jamison Gibson-Park, Cian Healy and Tadhg Furlong all remain absent for Farrell’s side and will be sorely missed.
France, meanwhile, have named the same starting XV to the one which triumphed in Rome last weekend, with the only changes coming amongst the replacements.
Baptiste Couilloud and Francois Cros both return after injuries and replace Thomas Lavault and Nolann Le Garrec, both of whom were unused subs in Rome last weekend.
The reliable Antoine Dupont will captain the side again from scrum-half, while Ethan Dumortier will hope to build on his try scoring debut against Italy having scored 12 times in 13 games for club and country this season.
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