Ireland put their World Cup disappointment firmly behind them as kicked off their Grand Slam defence in style with a 38-17 win against France in Marseille. The defending Guinness Six Nations champions looked right back to their best as they pulled the French apart on home soil, with bonus-point win just Ireland’s fourth victory away to the French in 40 years.
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Peter O’Mahony has been named as Ireland captain for the upcoming Guinness Six Nations. The announcement came as head coach Andy Farrell named a 34-man squad for the tournament, which begins on 2 February against France in Marseille. The 34-year-old Munster back row, who has 101 Ireland caps, is currently contracted with the IRFU until the end of the summer.
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Andy Farrell has signed a new contract with the IRFU that will see him remain in charge of Ireland until the end of the 2027 World Cup. The 48-year-old took over from Joe Schmidt as head coach following the 2019 World Cup. Farrell led Ireland to the 2023 Six Nations Grand Slam and oversaw a 17-game winning run up to the World Cup quarter-final against New Zealand in October.
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Graham Rowntree has signed a two-year contract extension that will see his stint as Munster head-coach extended until at least 2026. Rowntree guided the province to the URC title back in May in the Englishman’s first season as head coach with an excellent win over Stormers in South Africa.
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Jack Crowley has been given the chance to stake his claim for Ireland’s fly-half role ahead of the World Cup after being selected to start Saturday’s Dublin clash with Italy. The in-form 23-year-old is preferred to Ross Byrne and the uncapped Ciaran Frawley in the absence of suspended captain Johnny Sexton.
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