The seeds sown in the fall take several months to sprout. "You will see a better version of the French team during the Six Nations Tournament," Fabien Galthié insisted in 2025, after an unsuccessful autumn tour.
Promises made in the off-season are only binding for those who believe them, but the 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France on Thursday, February 5, left the Paris stadium as true believers. The French men's rugby team, reunited with their captain and talisman Antoine Dupont, achieved a major victory over Ireland (36-14), making a statement in their Six Nations opener. It was "a reference match," savored Galthié after the game. It marked the culmination of the French team's experimentation after much trial and error.
Despite weather conditions that hardly unsettled the Irish, the French team started the match with precision – "strong on the basics," noted their captain. Driven by the dazzling Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who scored two spectacular tries (the winger now boasts 22 in 23 caps), and a half-back pairing of Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert "at the service of the team," as the captain put it, the French easily overwhelmed Ireland in the first half. "Finding ourselves 29-0 up [48th minute] surprised us," emphasized Dupont. "Because against them, these are always tough matches."
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Promises made in the off-season are only binding for those who believe them, but the 80,000 spectators at the Stade de France on Thursday, February 5, left the Paris stadium as true believers. The French men's rugby team, reunited with their captain and talisman Antoine Dupont, achieved a major victory over Ireland (36-14), making a statement in their Six Nations opener. It was "a reference match," savored Galthié after the game. It marked the culmination of the French team's experimentation after much trial and error.
Despite weather conditions that hardly unsettled the Irish, the French team started the match with precision – "strong on the basics," noted their captain. Driven by the dazzling Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who scored two spectacular tries (the winger now boasts 22 in 23 caps), and a half-back pairing of Dupont and Matthieu Jalibert "at the service of the team," as the captain put it, the French easily overwhelmed Ireland in the first half. "Finding ourselves 29-0 up [48th minute] surprised us," emphasized Dupont. "Because against them, these are always tough matches."
You have 75.59% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.