Ireland vs France LIVE rugby: Six Nations 2023 score and latest updates from title showdown

02/11/2023

Ireland 0-0 France, 3 minutes

Ireland shift to the 13 channel and then clear long, chasing hard to prevent France’s kick return threatening.

Gael Fickou is given a tonking as he tries to carry and then Thibaud Flament rather goes nowhere with his meander to stall France further. Antoine Dupont kicks high, and French hands tap it back to allow the visitors to build from just inside the Ireland half.

Ireland 0-0 France, 1 minute

A perfect drill from Ireland, taking the kick off smartly, carrying firmly and then utilising James Lowe’s big raking left footed punt to clear…

But what’s happened there? It’s hit the spidercam wire! The ball tumbles down on the edge of the Irish 22 to perplexed looks from the French forwards, Lowe’s punt halted prematurely. Ireland will have the scrum feed after a quirky start.

Kick off!

Ireland vs France is underway!

Here we go

France will kick things off, clad in the richest of blues. Antoine Dupont warms the legs with a weave and a sprint, and the arms with a beating of his pecs.

The Irish players huddle and ready for receipt. Number 1 vs Number 2, a potential Six Nations decider – here we go!

Match Officials

An Anglo-Australasian coalition controlling proceedings today.

Referee: Wayne Barnes (ENG)
ARs: Matthew Carley (ENG) & Jordan Way (AUS)
TMO: Brendon Pickerill (NZL)

Anthems

About 40 chartered flights of French origin landed in Dublin today, a measure of the weight of support that this fabulous side has behind them, and the travelling fans make themselves heard with an emphatic roaring of “La Marseillaise”. Punchy.

Hearty renditions of “Amhrán na bhFiann” and “Ireland’s Call”, too, though perhaps a little apprehension on the faces of some of the Irish players? This feels a more important contest for the hosts to win – they are the top-ranked side in the world but are yet to win a Six Nations title under Andy Farrell.

Pre-match formalities

Michael D Higgins, the Irish president, takes a pause for the brass band’s salute as he wanders out to meet the two teams and officials. Johnny Sexton introduces him to the Irish players one by one, Higgins pausing for a warm word to Conor Murray after that worrying family news earlier in the week – it is good to see Murray able to be involved.

Ireland vs France

Ireland, oddly, have a trio of half-centurions today – congratulations to James Ryan, Andrew Porter and Dave Kilcoyne, who lead the two sides out of the tunnel to take a great ovation from the home crowd. The three seem to enjoy having some company.

The rest of the 23s follow along soon afterwards with the Aviva Stadium already jumping.

Ireland vs France

Kick off approaching rather quickly now. For the first time in men’s championship history, it’s number one versus number two in the world, France on a 14-match unbeaten run looking to end Ireland’s own home winning streak at 12 games. Six Nations days don’t get any bigger.

And France defence coach Shaun Edwards is a second Wiganer talking into the ITV microphone

“We are under no illusions of the size of the task. We are on a good run at the moment, but we weren’t too happy with our form last week, so hopefully we can pick it up.

“It’s been pretty intense, put it that way! We were quite sharp here yesterday at the stadium. We can’t complain about the preparation – game on!”

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