The two best sides in Europe face off in a match that will have a major bearing on the destination of the championship
Watch Ireland v France to see which of the northern hemisphere’s two best sides comes out on top at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin today. This guide will give you all the information you need to watch a game that’s widely tipped to decide the Six Nations 2025.
Triple Crown winners Ireland remain on course for the Grand Slam following victories over England, Scotland and Ireland in their first three games. Despite a surprise defeat to England, however, the visitors thrashed Italy 73-24 last time out, and will surely be fired up as they look to win their first title since 2022. This game isn’t quite winner takes all, but it’s sure to have a major bearing on the destination of the championship trophy.
The match kicks off at 2.15pm GMT on what’s set to be a mild and dry afternoon in Dublin. You can watch Ireland v France live streams for free in the UK, Ireland and France – read on to find out how to tune in wherever you are in the world. You’ll find a match preview and team news at the end of the article.
Key information
– Ireland v France date: Saturday 8 March 2025
– Ireland v France kick-off time: 2.15pm local (GMT) / 3.15pm CET / 9.15am ET / 4.15pm SAST / 1.15am AEDT (Sunday)
– Ireland v France venue: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
– Ireland v France on TV: ITV1, RTÉ 2, France 2
– Ireland v France streams: ITVX (free), RTÉ Player (free), FranceTV (free)
– Watch from anywhere: Try NordVPN 100% risk-free
How to watch Ireland v France in the UK – live stream the Six Nations for free
For UK viewers, ITV has the rights to the biggest match of the championship so far. You can watch Ireland v France for free on both terrestrial channel ITV1 and streaming service ITVX. Coverage starts at 1.25pm GMT ahead of the 2.15pm GMT kick-off.
Rugby fans in the UK can watch every Six Nations match for free on either the BBC or ITV, with every Ireland home game available on ITV. ITV also has the rights to England v Italy on Sunday afternoon, though you’ll need to switch over to the Beeb for this evening’s Scotland v Wales clash.
ITVX is free to view, but you will need to complete a simple sign-up process to access the platform. You also need an up-to-date TV Licence to stream live TV in the UK.
How to watch Ireland v France from abroad
Being away from home when this weekend’s Six Nations fixtures kick-off doesn’t have to mean you miss out on the action.
A VPN (Virtual Personal Network) can help rugby fans on the move avoid geo-blocking issues by allowing you to change your IP address. The result? Making your laptop, smartphone or tablet appear to be in a different country, making it possible for you to log on to your streaming platform of choice as if you were back at home. VPNs also have the added benefit of improving your internet security when you’re online.
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How to watch Ireland v France in Ireland
You can also watch Ireland continue their bid for Grand Slam glory for free in Ireland, where RTÉ has the rights to the big match against France.
Coverage of Ireland v France kicks off at 1.15pm ahead of the 2.15pm kick-off.
Terrestrial viewers can tune into live coverage on RTÉ 2, while streamers can watch the action via the RTÉ Player platform. Just head to the website or app – it’s so easy that you don’t even need to sign up to use the service.
Coverage of every Six Nations 2025 fixture is available free-to-air on either RTÉ or Virgin Media. You’ll have to switch over to Virgin Media One for this afternoon’s other match, Scotland v Wales.
How to watch Ireland v France in France
French viewers can also watch every Six Nations game for free courtesy of France Télévisions – including Ireland v France.
You can catch Ireland v France on both terrestrial channel France 2 and the FranceTV streaming platform. Both options are free.
Coverage starts at 3.05pm CET ahead of the 3.15pm CET kick-off.
French fans who are away from home but want to tune in with their usual French language commentary can still access their France Télévisions coverage from abroad by using a VPN, such as NordVPN.
Other global streams
United States: A $7.99 per month subscription is all you need to watch every game of this year’s Six Nations through NBC’s Peacock streaming service.
Australia: You can watch Ireland v France on Stan Sport down under. You’ll need a base Stan subscription plus $15 per month to watch Stan Sport – and to stay up late to watch the 1.15am kick-off.
New Zealand: In New Zealand, Ireland v France is on Sky Sport, which costs $49.99 per month for a streaming subscription.
South Africa: In South Africa? Head to SuperSport to watch Ireland v France.
Italy: Ireland v France is available on subscription service Sky Sports Italia in Italy.
- Check out our full guide to how to watch Six Nations 2025 for broadcasters around the world.
Ireland v France preview
If the Six Nations had a final, it would probably feature Ireland and France. Ranked second and fourth in the world, respectively, and a match for the southern hemisphere giants, they’ve been the teams to beat in recent seasons. This year has proved no exception and if it wasn’t for France’s surprise defeat to England at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham – a day when even the great Antoine Dupont made handling errors – both teams would still be in contention for a Grand Slam.
With the Triple Crown already secured and a trip to Italy in their final game, Ireland will be strong favourites to win a third consecutive Six Nations title if they come out on top today. But a French victory in Dublin will arguably give the visitors the upper hand, thanks to a superior points difference that would require Ireland to put on a try-fest in Rome – assuming, of course, that France can beat Scotland in Paris. A France win would also bring England into the championship equation.
The equivalent fixture two years ago was a game for the ages, a contest in which two elite sides clashed in spectacular style before Ireland came out on top. In the aftermath of the 2023 World Cup (in which both sides were unfortunate to exit at the quarter-final stage), France suffered the worse hangover as they limped to defeat against Ireland in Marseille last year – though it should be noted that the talismanic Dupont was absent as he prepared for the Paris Olympics.
Read more: I’m predicting an easy France win, even though Ireland are at home and unbeaten
Ireland have been the standout side in 2025, turning it on when they needed to against England, before delivering a dominant performance at Murrayfield as they recorded their 11th consecutive win against the Scots. Their hardest game came against the struggling Welsh, who raised their game spectacularly under interim head coach Matt Sherratt.
Ireland’s own interim boss, Simon Easterby, has made several changes from the side that played in Cardiff, but the squad’s strength in depth is such that they can swap personnel without sacrificing quality. The Aviva Stadium will also be rocking for the biggest match of the tournament so far, especially as outgoing centurions Peter O’Mahony, Cian Healy and Conor Murray play their final game in Dublin before hanging up their international boots at the end of the tournament.
France’s Six Nations has been rather more mixed, a comfortable 43-0 win over Wales being followed up by that unexpected reverse to England – a result that attracted heavy media criticism back home. Les Bleus responded in spectacular style in Rome, scoring 11 tries in a 73-24 thrashing, but they’ll have to raise their game to another level against the Irish.
Having gambled on a 7-1 split on the bench, head coach Fabien Galthié will be banking on their powerful forward pack giving the team a strong foothold in the game. With the likes of Dupont, Thomas Ramos, and prolific wings Damian Penaud and Louis Bielle-Biarrey behind them, they’re always going to be a threat. But with just one back on the bench, Galthié will have his fingers crossed that his stelar back line can avoid injury.
Ireland v France teams and officials
Captain Caelan Doris comes back into the Ireland starting line-up after missing the Wales game through injury, and is set to win his 50th cap, along with Finlay Bealham and substitute Jack Conan. Bundee Aki comes at inside centre for the suspended Garry Ringrose, while Hugo Keenan returns at full-back.
France have recalled Romain Ntamack (suspended for the England and Italy games) at fly-half, and Damian Penaud (dropped for the Italy match) on the wing. Thomas Ramos moves to full-back. The big talking point, however, is the 7-1 split on the bench, as Fabien Galthié gambles on his side’s forward power being decisive.
IRELAND
15. Hugo Keenan
14. Jamie Osborne
13. Robbie Henshaw
12. Bundee Aki
11. James Lowe
10. Sam Prendergast
9. Jamison Gibson-Park
1. Andrew Porter
2. Dan Sheehan
3. Finlay Bealham
4. Joe McCarthy
5. Tadhg Beirne
6. Peter O’Mahony
7. Josh van der Flier
8. Caelan Doris (captain)
Replacements:
16. Rob Herring
17. Cian Healy
18. Thomas Clarkson
19. James Ryan
20. Jack Conan
21. Ryan Baird
22. Conor Murray
23. Jack Crowley
FRANCE
15. Thomas Ramos
14. Damian Penaud
13. Pierre-Louis Barassi
12. Yoram Moefana
11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey
10. Romain Ntamack
9. Antoine Dupont (captain)
1. Jean-Baptiste Gros
2. Peato Mauvaka
3. Uini Atonio
4. Thibaud Flament
5. Mickaël Guillard
6. François Cros
7. Paul Boudehent
8. Grégory Alldritt
Replacements:
16. Julien Marchand
17. Cyril Baille
18. Dorian Aldegheri
19. Emmanuel Meafou
20. Hugo Auradou
21. Oscar Jégou
22. Anthony Jelonch
23. Maxime Lucu
Australia’s Angus Gardner is the referee in charge of today’s game, with two English assistants on the touch line: Matthew Carley and Christophe Ridley. Ian Tempest of England is the TMO.
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