Overview
- Kick-off is 20:10 GMT at the Stade de France, with live coverage on ITV1 and free streaming on ITVX.
- Antoine Dupont starts 11 months after an ACL rupture against Ireland, having returned to club action with Toulouse in November.
- France’s confirmed XV features Matthieu Jalibert at fly-half, Theo Attissogbe on the wing and Dorian Aldegheri at tighthead following Uini Atonio’s health-related retirement.
- Ireland’s lineup is reshaped by absences, with Bundee Aki suspended and injuries to Tadhg Furlong, Hugo Keenan and Andrew Porter, as Jamie Osborne and Sam Prendergast are named to start.
- Organizers scheduled the first Thursday opener in tournament history to dodge the Olympics ceremony, and betting markets currently favor France in a traditionally tight fixture.