• There are 365 caps in the French starting line-up, split 183 in the forwards and 182 in the
backs

• This compares to 409 for Ireland, split 250 in the forwards and 159 in the backs

reland have won five of their last eight Six Nations encounters with France

France won their last meeting on French soil – 35-27 in October 2020 thanks to tries from
Antoine Dupont, Romain Ntamack and Virimi Vakatawa and a penalty try

• Referee Angus Gardner takes charge of his first Six Nations match since Wales’ 25-7 defeat
of Ireland in March 2019

• All four of Gardner’s previous Six Nations matches have involved either France or Ireland

• Gardner has refereed France on five occasions, but they have only won once – against Argentina in the Rugby World Cup 2019 pool stage

• He has also refereed Ireland five times, the most recent their RWC 2019 loss to Japan


• Gardner made his Six Nations debut in only his sixth test, but there was a four-and-a-halfyear gap between his debut (PNG v VAN) and the 2016 encounter in Dublin


• France sit top of the Six Nations standings after round one on points difference from Ireland. Les Bleus beat Italy 37-10 while Ireland beat defending champions Wales 29-7

First met: 20 March, 1909 – Ireland 19-8 France – Lansdowne Road, Dublin
Last met: 14 February, 2021 – France 15-13 Ireland – Aviva Stadium, Dublin