France player ratings vs Ireland | 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations

France player ratings: France got their Guinness Six Nations title defence underway with a 36-14 victory over Ireland on Thursday at the Stade de France.

More or less from the first minute, Fabien Galthie’s side had total control of the first half, and it was only the final 30 minutes that Ireland offered a challenge. The damage was done by then, however, and none of the starting XV, who laid the platform, can go down as having a bad game.

With that said, there were still some show-stealing performances, so here’s how the players rated:

15. Thomas Ramos – 8
Could anyone on earth produce a volley assist like Ramos did for Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s second try (albeit with a slice of luck)? Joined the line to perfection, frequently using his handling to ship the ball to his wings. Played with so much confidence and wanted the ball as much as possible with space to exploit. Was tested under the high ball though, and wasn’t as insuperable in that department. Kicked well from the tee too.

14. Théo Attissogbe – 8
Showed what he can bring over Damian Penaud with a kick chase and retrieval in the opening minutes, but did not see a huge amount of action with ball in hand – but got his try in the corner in the final play of the match. Defensively he handled everything that came his way. Picked out a Sam Prendergast pass in the second half, then produced a brilliant one-handed offload to Hugo Auradou while going to ground.

13. Nicolas Depoortere – 8.5
Whether he was spinning, crashing or gliding around players, the 23-year-old got a great return with almost every carry. With some slick handling time and time again, that No.13 jersey is starting to look like his. Came very close to scoring at the end, but was held up.

12. Yoram Moefana – 7.5
Showed his intent early with an offload in contact and produced another to put Louis Bielle-Biarrey in for his first try, although most of the work was done by the wing. Typified the way France wanted to play. Tackled hard in the middle without a great reward during his 50 minutes, but offered a dual threat by frequently shifting the ball wide.

11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 9
Defence coaches will investigate until the end of time how the wing was able to stumble, fall on his knees, and then still manage to run in for a try. But pace like that can make the most sturdy defence look very average. That pace was on show when he chased after Ramos’ sliced volley for his second. Found himself involved in plenty of aerial battles, which he largely came out on top in. But when France could give him some space, he was lethal.

10. Matthieu Jalibert – 8
France were ticking along nicely without the Bordeaux-Begles maestro needing to do much, but he grew increasingly creative with his passing, and then linked with Antoine Dupont off a scrum to score France’s second try. Didn’t maintain that level of dominance, but didn’t force his hand either, with so many of his team-mates excelling in the wider areas of the field.

9. Antoine Dupont – 8
Making his return to Test rugby after rupturing his ACL against Ireland last year, and while this was not vintage Dupont, the match did not need it. The French backline was purring, so he just needed to provide clean service, and sprinkle his display with some sniping runs and cheeky kicks. It was one of those cheeky kicks over a ruck that created France’s bonus point try. Perhaps slightly lucky to get away with an intentional knock-on when Ireland had the momentum in the second half.

1. Jean-Baptiste Gros – 7
Timed his pass to Mickaël Guillard to perfection for France’s third try, floating the pass with enough weight that the Lyon lock could run on at full tilt. A standout moment in a solid 50 minutes.

2. Julien Marchand – 7
Lineout functioned well considering the conditions the match was played in, and provided some punchy carries in the loose.

3. Dorian Aldegheri – 6
May have hoped to have had more success at the scrum given Ireland’s lack of looseheads. Parity in the first half, but was penalised in the first scrum of the second half, perhaps when trying to attack the Irish scrum.

4. Charles Ollivon – 8
Starting in the second-row for just the second time in his Test career, but covered the ground like a flanker. That was shown early on when he came close to scoring when chasing a Bielle-Biarrey kick. He got his try later in the half when supporting his fellow second-row Mickaël Guillard out wide. Formed a nice second-row partnership.

5. Mickaël Guillard – 9
The majority of his carries were brutal, gritty carries, but he was able to stretch his legs in the wider channels at one point, and delivered an inside pass for Ollivon to score. Never went backwards with his carries, even from a standing start, and there were many carries – a match-leading 16 when he left the field after 50 minutes. Led his side with eight tackles as well – this was a statement performance. Not too shabby in the lineout defensively either.

6. François Cros – 7.5
Big penalty won moments after France scored their opening try with a counter ruck, which helped Les Bleus gain a greater grip on the match. No flashy moments in his display, but did plenty of unseen work and thrives on the chaos that ensues after a kick chase.

7. Oscar Jégou – 8.5
The pick of the France back-rows – had a hand in everything his side did either side of the ball, particularly suffocating Ireland whenever they tried to muster an attack, recording 15 tackles.

8. Anthony Jelonch – 8
Shifting to No.8 with Gregory Alldritt out of the squad, and was perhaps one of France’s quieter performers. Bizarrely, he actually came to life, and proved his worth, when Ireland wrestled hold of the momentum in the match, where he kept showing up defensively to help produce 16 tackles – the most in the match.

Points Flow Chart

France win +22

Time in lead

69

Mins in lead

0

85%

% Of Game In Lead

0%

67%

Possession Last 10 min

33%

7

Points Last 10 min

0

Replacements
16. Peato Mauvaka – 7
Big defensive shift in his 30 minutes on the field, although he could have been punished for a no-arms tackle in the final minutes on another day.

17. Rodrigue Neti – 6
Solid in the scrum, and didn’t put a foot wrong, but nothing of note.

18. Régis Montagne – 7
Won a penalty immediately after coming on at the scrum.

19. Hugo Auradou – 7.5
Played the ‘Ollivon’ role well in the second-row, covering a lot of ground and operating almost like another loose forward. Came up with a vital lineout steal in Ireland’s 22 in the final five minutes to give France control for the closing stages.

20. Emmanuel Meafou – 7
Added some heft in the scrum, but couldn’t really impose himself on the match as Ireland had the lion’s share of the ball. France had some ball in the closing seconds, and his offload in contact allowed Attissogbe to score in the corner.

21. Lenni Nouchi – 7.5
Came on when Ireland were experiencing a purple patch around the hour mark, and pulled off a huge defensive set just metres from his line in the final 10 minutes, applying plenty of pressure.

22. Baptiste Serin – N/A
Only played a handful of minutes at the end.

23. Kalvin Gourgues – 6
Found himself defending a lot, which maybe he did not expect when he entered the fray. Slipped off a couple of tackles too, as Ireland had all the momentum in the final quarter.