Category: France Rugby

• Winter Olympics shifts France v Ireland to Thursday
• Only one fallow week set to raise player welfare concerns

Next year’s Six Nations will kick off on a Thursday night for the first time in the competition’s history, with the defending champions, France, hosting Ireland, and will take place across just six weeks after organisers removed one of fallow weeks for the championship.

It is understood the unprecedented move to begin the championship on Thursday 5 February next year has been made after input from broadcasters, with the 2026 Winter Olympics ceremony taking place in Milan the following day. It has also been made with the agreement of all six unions.

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• Hooker cited for foul play after Six Nations finale
• Mauvaka had received yellow card over incident

The France hooker Peato Mauvaka has been cited for foul play after an off-the-ball incident with Scotland’s Ben White in their final Six Nations match.

Mauvaka received a yellow card for throwing himself head first into the grounded scrum-half during France’s title-clinching win in Paris on Saturday. The incident was referred for a bunker review at the time but the punishment was not increased beyond the 10 minutes in the sin-bin.

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Les Bleus wrapped up the title in style at the Stade de France thanks in no small part to Yoram Moefana

6 mins. The visitors are not here to shepherd France to victory and FInn Russell get them going with a raking cross-kick that finds van der Merwe on the left. He’s set to turn on the pace but a slip halts his plan. The pace of the game is relentless and possession is traded a couple of times.

4 mins. More possession for France, this time via a massive maul that marches forward fifteen metres and leaves Scotland with little choice but to infringe to stop it’s murderous progress.

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Penaud and Bielle-Biarrey eye records, but main focus is on backing up stunning win over Ireland with trophy

There could be a blizzard of broken records in Paris on Saturday night. On one wing, Damian Penaud could score his 39th try to overtake Serge Blanco as France’s all-time leading try-scorer, on the other Louis Bielle-Biarrey needs his eighth try to break the record set by Jacob Stockdale for the most in a single tournament, and in between the two, Thomas Ramos needs seven points to go past Frédéric Michalak and become the country’s record scorer. If their team score four tries between them, they will break the mark of 29 in one Six Nations, set by England back in 2001.

None of which will matter a damn if they don’t win.

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Oscar Jégou’s fine Dublin performance brings into focus the potential impact of forwards who can play anywhere

The Six Nations title is still theoretically on the line entering the final weekend. But, let’s be honest, if France display the same power against Scotland as they did against Ireland in Dublin there is only one probable outcome. Even minus the unfortunate Antoine Dupont, now facing a long lay-off because of damaged knee ligaments, France have frightening reserves of strength and depth.

How good, for example, was the young back-row forward Oscar Jégou after he arrived off the bench to replace the centre Pierre-Louis Barassi? The 21-year-old from La Rochelle did not simply make a try-scoring impact; he made every specialist centre in the competition shift uneasily in their seats. Why bother with a subtle, ball-playing 12 or 13 when you have a 6ft 3in Superman who makes old-school positional orthodoxies redundant?

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• France captain likely to miss at least six months
• Dupont was injured during win over Ireland in Dublin

Antoine Dupont, France’s talismanic captain and the player widely considered to be the best on the planet, has said that he ruptured cruciate ligaments in his right knee during his team’s win against Ireland in the Six Nations on Saturday.

“The heart hurts even more than the knee when you have to leave your friends before the last step,” Dupont posted on Sunday on Instagram. “I am proud of what we accomplished yesterday and with all my strength with you, you will do it. Rupture of the cruciate ligaments. This is the beginning of a new challenge, I’ll see you in a few months on the field.”

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Saturday’s likely title decider in Six Nations renews an intense rivalry fuelled not by geography but the two teams’ brilliance

Saturday is a day that has been ringed in the calendar for months. The anticipation of France and Ireland renewing rivalries has been immense and what always shaped up as the likely decider for the championship will prove to be exactly that. Again. They have been the two most consistent, outstanding teams in the Six Nations for years now and they rarely disappoint when they lock horns.

It’s an intense rivalry but it isn’t fuelled by geographical reasons or historical antipathy. It is just a rivalry based on the brilliance of both sides, the two dominant teams battling out for the alpha status. It reminds me of Arsenal and Manchester United 20-25 years ago. Two teams separated from the rest of the pack by the quality they possess.

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• Italy 24-73 France
• Visitors earn second-highest tally in Six Nations history

If there were questions over France’s ability to finish teams off after coughing up numerous chances against England a fortnight ago, they have been thoroughly put to bed. A ruthless 11-try demolition of a handy Italy side on their own patch served as a reminder that, on their day, there are few better outfits in rugby than a French team in full flow.

Fabien Galthié, the head coach, made some bold selection decisions, dropping his ace wing Damian Penaud and fly-half Matthieu Jalibert from the match-day 23. A seven-one bench split was a sign of the plan and France’s power game duly delivered. They stomped over the gainline with just about every carry, unloaded six heavies off the bench in one go on 48 minutes and pulverised the Italians, who sparkled on rare occasions but were totally outgunned.

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After an end-to-end start, France roared away from their hosts with 11 tries to bounce back from England defeat in style

Anthems done. Not long to go now.

Italy are looking to make it three straight home wins for the first time in the Six Nations.

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Elliot Daly’s try at the death delivered a crucial win for Steve Borthwick

4 mins. The first scrum of the game is a French one near halfway, which they win snappily and move it to the right. Dupont jabs a grubber towards the touchline but Penaud can’t reach it before it dribbles over the line.

2 mins. Ben Earl has a carry up towards halfway and the recycle Fin Smith dallies a bit and this allow Alldritt in to charge it down. The ball bobbles all over the place and mercifully back in English hands to kick clear.

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If England are blown away up front, Will Smith might as well be playing fly-half for all the difference it will make

Once upon a time France headed to London with a certain amount of trepidation. For 18 years they could not buy a Six Nations win at Twickenham, to the point where people muttered about mental blocks and psychological hang-ups. Until a couple of years ago, that is, when Steve Borthwick’s England were torn apart 53-10 in the heaviest home defeat the old cabbage patch has ever known.

At a stroke all that historical baggage was gloriously jettisoned. Which is precisely what England would now love to replicate on a chilly February day in their retitled concrete citadel. There is no sweeter feeling in sport than unexpected success, particularly when a home victory is widely viewed as up there, in terms of probability, with Donald Trump’s vision for a “Gaza Riviera”.

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• Ntamack’s three-match ban prompts team tweaks
• Penaud returns for role on the wing after toe injury

France’s Matthieu Jalibert will start at fly-half against England in the Six Nations on Saturday in place of the suspended Romain Ntamack, one of two changes from the team that beat Wales in the opening game.

Jalibert asked to be sent back to his club, Bordeaux-Begles, when he was left out of the 23 to face the All Blacks having been second in the pecking order at flyhalf to Thomas Ramos during last November’s autumn series but the France head coach, Fabien Galthié, said there was no grudge held against the 26-year-old.

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• Freeman urges team to put early pressure on France
• Murley injury rules wing out for France and Scotland

England have vowed not to put France’s superstar scrum-half Antoine Dupont on a pedestal as Steve Borthwick seeks to end his side’s miserable run of form against Les Bleus on Saturday.

Borthwick will be without Cadan Murley for the match after he picked up a foot injury in the 27-22 defeat by Ireland last weekend and has been ruled out until after the Scotland game but, while Dupont and co represent a daunting challenge, Tommy Freeman has insisted that France are “only human”.

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Steve Borthwick’s side still lack an effective Plan B while Warren Gatland’s aim is to avoid embarrassment in Rome

Few annual tournaments lay bare the truth as brutally or swiftly as the Six Nations. There are no play-yourself-in pool games, no one-off-the-mark half-volleys. The opposition want your guts from minute one and, particularly away from home, there is no hiding place. Even in boxing they allow you a pair of padded gloves and a breather every three minutes.

If you are not quite at the level of your opponent, even for a relatively short period of time, the scoreboard rarely lies. Until their late, late flurry in Dublin, England were 27-10 down and already pinned on the ropes. Over in Paris on Friday night there were moments when you almost wanted the referee, Paul Williams, to step in and save Wales from any more punishment.

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The tournament looks ferociously competitive and, with attacking verve back in fashion, it promises to be a vintage year

Every now and again it is useful to be reminded of rugby union’s place in the grand scheme of things. “So, what’s next for you?” a non‑sporty friend asked the other day. He must have spotted my raised eyebrow. “Oh, yes, um, it’s the Six Nations, isn’t it?” Even on Planet Zog, inhabited by people who think a cauliflower ear is a tasty veggie option, they have heard of the annual rugby equivalent of Glastonbury.

And, traditionally, that has been the sport’s saving grace. Millions with limited interest in club rugby gather to cheer on the lands of their fathers, grandmothers and wolfhounds. The technical intricacies matter less than pouring a Guinness 0.0 – seemingly the pint du jour – and announcing to no one in particular that England are coming in nicely under the radar.

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