the French XV largely dominated by Ireland for its entry into the Tournament

Four and a half months after their defeat in the quarter-finals of the World Cup, the Blues took another blow to the head. For its first match of 2024, the French XV sank against Ireland (38-17), in the highly anticipated opening shock of the Six Nations Tournament, Friday February 2, at the Vélodrome stadium in Marseille . The Blues played most of the match at 14 against 15 after the two yellow cards received by Paul Willemse, definitively excluded after half an hour of play. Overwhelmed against a solid and precise Irish team, weighed down by their indiscipline, the Blues were dominated by their opponents and were never able to get back into the game, despite some brilliant moves while outnumbered.

For the first time since the arrival of Fabien Galthié on the bench in 2020, the XV of France has had two defeats in a row. With this setback against the title holders, the Blues are already saying goodbye to their Grand Slam dreams and are falling behind the men in green in winning the trophy. Already under pressure, they will travel next Saturday (3:15 p.m.) to Edinburgh to face Scotland on the second day.