Farrell Names Ireland Team For Guinness Men’s Six Nations Opener In Paris

Head Coach Andy Farrell has named the Ireland Match Day Squad, sponsored by Vodafone, for Thursday night’s Guinness Men’s Six Nations opener against France in Paris (Kick-off 8.10pm Irish time).

Caelan Doris will lead the side as Ireland open their 2026 Championship campaign at Stade de France.

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Jamie Osborne, Tommy O’Brien and Jacob Stockdale start in the Ireland back three, with Stuart McCloskey partnering Garry Ringrose in midfield, while Jamison Gibson-Park and Sam Prendergast are named in the half-backs.

In the pack, Jeremy Loughman, Dan Sheehan and Thomas Clarkson are in the front row, with Joe McCarthy and Tadhg Beirne in the engine room and Cian Prendergast, Josh van der Flier and captain Doris in the back row.

Farrell has strong options available on the bench with Rónan Kelleher, Michael Milne, Finlay Bealham, James Ryan, Jack Conan and Nick Timoney the forward replacements, with backs Craig Casey and Jack Crowley completing Ireland’s Match Day 23.

Andy Farrell said: “I’ve been pleased with the application of the squad since we linked up last week and we’ve a good body of work under our belts from our training camp in Portugal as we face into an exciting test match against France. The Six Nations is an amazing tournament to compete in and it brings out the best in players.

“We have played at the Stade de France many times and it’s a terrific stadium with an incredible atmosphere. We know from our experiences on the road how proud and vocal the travelling Irish support can be and it’s a huge motivator for the squad knowing that we have so many Irish supporters behind us.”

Thursday’s match is live on Virgin Media One and ITV with live radio coverage on RTÉ Radio 1 and live updates in our match centre here on irishrugby.ie 

Ireland (v France)

15. Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster)(10)
14. Tommy O’Brien (Blackrock College/Leinster)(6)
13. Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster)(69)
12. Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster)(23)
11. Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster)(40)
10. Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster)(13)
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)(46)

1. Jeremy Loughman (Garryowen/Munster)(5)
2. Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster)(35)
3. Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Leinster)(10)
4. Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster)(19)
5. Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster)(65)
6. Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht)(8)
7. Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster)(75)
8. Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster)(55)(captain)

Replacements:

16. Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster)(43)
17. Michael Milne (UCD/Munster)(2)
18. Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht)(54)
19. James Ryan (UCD/Leinster)(76)
20. Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster)(55)
21. Nick Timoney (Queen’s University/Ulster)(6)
22. Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster)(24)
23. Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster)(30).