Ireland were beaten 36-14 by France in the 2026 Six Nations opener
On an earlier than usual Six Nations opening night, Ireland fluffed their lines in Paris on Thursday, beginning their 2026 campaign with a resounding 36-14 defeat by France that was as bruising to the ego as it was the body.
These sides may have won the past four titles in this competition between them but, for the second season in a row, there was only one winner when they went head-to-head.
An Ireland performance that was described by their head coach Andy Farrell as lacking "intent" continued a number of worrying trends from both the autumn and prior.
Coming into the game as considerable underdogs, the head coach had tried to reframe the changing narrative as his side now being the hunter rather than hunted.
