Ireland beat France 38-17 in the opening game of the Six Nations Rugby Tournament. The match ended with 14 players after the expulsion of second row Paul Willemse in the 32nd minute of the initial stage.
Despite not having their historic flyhalf Jonathan Sexton, Ireland showed themselves to be a strong team and dealt another blow to the France team that ended up eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2023 World Cup. The opening day is completed on Saturday with Italy-England, in Rome, and Wales-Scotland, in Cardiff.