FRANCE 36 IRELAND 14
Ireland players dejected after France defeat
Cian Tracey
Thu 5 Feb 2026 at 23:32
As the nightmare began to slowly unfold underneath the gloomy Parisian sky, our minds drifted back to Ireland’s last visit here. On that occasion, Stade de France was full of green jerseys, as Andy Farrell’s men narrowly came up short in that epic 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat.
With 55 minutes gone here, a Mexican wave surged around the heaving stadium. At 29-0 to the good, the French party was under way, and Ireland were staring down the barrel of a humiliating defeat.