As the 2025 Six Nations reaches its defining moment, the Player of the Championship race is intensifying ahead of this Saturday’s Ireland vs France showdown in Dublin. With Ireland potentially one win away from a Grand Slam, an Irish player could emerge as the frontrunner for individual honours, while France’s key stars will be determined to spoil the party.

Dupont Still Leads the Betting, But Irish Stars Are Closing In

Despite missing the opening rounds due to his Sevens commitments, Antoine Dupont (4/9) remains the bookmakers’ favourite. The France scrum-half is a generational talent, and his return has given Les Bleus a major boost. If France win in Dublin, he will likely cement his claim to the award.

However, should Ireland claim the Grand Slam, it will be hard to overlook one of their key players for the honour.

Sam Prendergast’s Rise to Contention

Here's a video showcasing why Sam Prendergast is such an exciting Rugby Prospect!

FULL VIDEO –> https://t.co/pyu0BOrYsQ pic.twitter.com/I0UinPnrrY

— Andrew Forde (@andrewfrugby) January 22, 2025

Sam Prendergast (6/1) has quickly established himself as Ireland’s first-choice fly-half, overtaking Jack Crowley in the pecking order. The young Leinster playmaker has shown impressive game management and attacking creativity, though his tackling remains a slight weakness.

If he delivers a commanding performance against France and Ireland go on to win the Grand Slam, Prendergast could be the natural choice for Player of the Championship. The award has traditionally favoured players from the title-winning team, making his final two performances crucial.

Gibson-Park and Conan Also in the Running

Jamison Gibson-Park (7/2) has been instrumental in Ireland’s attacking tempo, his quick decision-making and sharp passing proving vital. A strong performance against Antoine Dupont could see him emerge as a major contender.

Meanwhile, Jack Conan (12/1) has been a rock in the Ireland pack. If he dominates the breakdown and carries strongly against France, his odds could shorten rapidly.

Louis Bielle-Biarrey: France’s Best Bet?

Outside of Dupont, Louis Bielle-Biarrey (7/2) has been one of France’s standout players. His pace and finishing ability have been crucial in keeping France’s title hopes alive. If he plays a starring role in Dublin, he could emerge as a dark horse for the award.

Grand Slam Could Decide It All

History suggests that if Ireland complete the Grand Slam, the Player of the Championship is likely to come from their squad. In 2018, Jacob Stockdale won the award after scoring a record-breaking seven tries in Ireland’s unbeaten campaign.

If Prendergast guides Ireland past France and then seals the Grand Slam against Italy, he could be impossible to ignore. But if France win on Saturday, Dupont’s grip on the award will only strengthen.

This weekend’s Ireland vs France clash isn’t just a title decider—it could determine the Six Nations Player of the Championship too.

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Dane Coles will start at hooker in his 80th test, with Samisoni Taukei’aho coming onto the bench alongside George Bower and Ofa Tuungafasi.

Akira Ioane starts at six and Sam Cane at seven with Shannon Frizell coming onto the bench as loose forward cover.

In the backs, Aaron Smith starts at halfback, with Richie Mo’unga at ten while  Quinn Tupaea comes in at 12 to pair up with Rieko Ioane in the midfield, and George Bridge comes in on the left-wing.

Brad Weber and Damian McKenzie come onto the bench, joining David Havili as the back reserves.

All Blacks Head Coach Ian Foster said: “We’re really excited about this match, it’s a big statement game for us, and we know we have to respond from the Irish performance.

“It’s been an incredibly long tour but I’ve been delighted with how the players have handled it from a physical point of view.  They’ve given us everything and I couldn’t be more proud of the way they have handled the length of this tour.

“But we’ve had to manage the physical and mental load for the players, so have changed things up a bit for this final Test to maximise the energy within the whole group. That’s not a reflection on the guys that haven’t been selected, it’s more a chance to bring some fresh players in, and that’s going to be vital for us.”

Foster said All Blacks versus France Tests were always eagerly-anticipated clashes.

“There’s a mutual respect between our two countries built over years and years.  Kiwis have always loved the way the French play, there’s a flair about them that we’ve always been drawn to … they have knocked us over in some pretty big moments in history.

“They are a young, formidable team building in confidence and they’ve been targeting this match so it’s a huge way for us to finish our Tudor Northern Tour.”

All Blacks team v France

1. Joe Moody (56)
2. Dane Coles (79)
3. Nepo Laulala (39)
4. Brodie Retallick (91)
5. Samuel Whitelock (131) – captain
6. Akira Ioane (12)
7. Sam Cane (76)
8. Ardie Savea (59)
9. Aaron Smith (101)
10. Richie Mo’unga (31)
11. George Bridge (18)
12. Quinn Tupaea (6)
13. Rieko Ioane (46)
14. Will Jordan (12)
15. Jordie Barrett (35)

16. Samisoni Taukei’aho (8)
17. George Bower (10)
18. Ofa Tuungafasi (43)
19. Tupou Vaa’i (10)
20. Shannon Frizell (16)
21. Brad Weber (16)
22. Damian McKenzie (39)
23. David Havili (14)

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The eight-team competition will be played in a knock-out format with only one side earning a place at next summer’s World Cup which will be played at venues in Spain and the Netherlands.

The qualification tournament is being held in Pisa, Italy and Ireland will face France in the first match of their campaign at 10:30 am.

Ireland are the highest-ranked side in the tournament, sitting at number 12 in the world, with Italy being the closest side to them in the rankings also vying for the final European spot in 17th – France are ranked 27th in the world.

A win in this fixture will earn Sean Dancer’s side the right to face either Russia or Belarus in the semi-final.

The Irish side are hoping to improve upon their fortunes after disappointing in their first-ever Olympic campaign at Tokyo 2020 earlier this year.

Dancer’s team failed to get out of the group stage, winning only once in their first match against South Africa and losing an important game to India, whom they beat in the 2018 World Cup.

The girls in green will be aiming to return to the World Cup stage after finishing second in London four years ago as the second-lowest seed in the competition.

France, on the other hand, are looking to bridge a 41-year gap and make their fourth-ever appearance in the competition.

Gael Foulard’s team won the EuroHockey Championship III in 2019 and followed it up with a silver medal in EuroHockey Championship II earlier this year has put Les Bleues within a chance of doing so.

Teams

Ireland: McFerran (GK), M. Carey, Upton, Mullan (C), Tice, Carroll, McLoughlin, Watkins, Hawkshaw, O’Flanagan, N. Carey.

Subs: Murphy (GK), Getty, Malseed, Torrans, Duke, Curran, McAuley.

France: Petriaux (GK), Ponthieu (C), Brachet, Simon, Lesgourgues, van Bolhuis, Verzura, Lardeur, Garot, Gaspari, Schubert.

Subs: Ehrmann (GK), Lahlah, Lhopital, Verrier, van der Zanden, Arnaud, Roque.

Where To Watch

The match will be available to watch live on EuroHockeyTV.

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World number 14 ranked Ireland need to win their first two games – starting off against Russia on Thursday, October 21st in the quarter-final – to land a place at the 2023 showpiece event to be played in India.

Should Ireland win that tie, they will face either Wales or Italy on Saturday, October 23 for a place at the World Cup.

France are the only side rated higher than Ireland that will be competing for a spot at the World Cup but they are on the other side of the draw.

Ireland earned a spot in the qualifier after coming third in August’s EuroHockey Championship II in Poland.

Since then, Olympian Conor Harte has returned to the side while Luke Madeley, Jamie Carr and Lee Cole are also available having missed out on playing time at the Euros when they were deemed close contacts in the lead-up to the event.

11 of the team that saw game time in Poland have been called up for the qualifiers at the end of the month.

The side will head into the qualifiers after sharing a series on short notice with Malaysia in Lisnagarvey last week.

To see the women’s squad for their World Cup qualifiers, click here.

Ireland men’s squad for World Cup qualifiers (club/caps)
Jamie Carr (GK, KHC Leuven, 34)
Mark Ingram (GK, Pembroke, 27)
Tom Cross (Annadale, 22)
Luke Madeley (KHC Leuven, 23)
Lee Cole (Monkstown, 90)
Conor Harte (KHC Dragons, 254)
Peter McKibbin (Lisnagarvey, 8)
Kyle Marshall (Old Georgians, 7)
Shane O’Donoghue (Glenanne, 197)
Sean Murray (captain, KHC Leuven, 85)
Neal Glassey (Crefelder HTC, 67)
Daragh Walsh (KHC Leuven, 58)
Michael Robson (Annadale, 120)
Johnny McKee (Banbridge, 49)
Conor Empey (SCHC, 2)
Sam Hyland (YMCA, 2)
Ben Walker (Braxgata, 42)
Jeremy Duncan (Monkstown, 63)

Travelling reserves
Matthew Nelson (Lisnagarvey, 69)
Kevin O’Dea (UCD, 7)

Head Coach: Mark Tumilty
Assistant coach: Jason Klinkradt
Manager: Neil Irwin
Physical trainer: Eoin Cunniffe
Physio: Cameron Steele
Video technician: Ross Willis

 
FIH Men’s World Cup 2023 – European qualifier (Cardiff, October 21-24, 2021)
Thursday, October 21: Ireland v Russia, 4pm
Saturday, October 23: semi-final
Sunday, October 24: final/classification matches

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Belgium v France will kick-off at 19:45 tonight, Thursday 7th October in the Allianz Arena in Torino, Italy. German referee Daniel Siebert will take charge of the game.

The match will be shown live on Virgin Media Two and Virgin TV Go.

Belgium once again finds themselves ranked number one in the world but with no silverware to prove it. They have shown their quality, winning eight of their last nine games only losing to Italy in the Euro 2020 quarterfinal.

Most of their team has reached and past their peak but they will want youngster Jeremy Doku to provide flair and energy on the week tonight.

This looks like one of the greatest France squads that the country has produced but their mentality looks shaken. After five straight draws in 90 minutes, they finally beat Finland 2-0 in their last World Cup qualifier.

The French players’ ego will still be bruised since losing to Switzerland in Euro 2020 and they will need a victory to boost them.

For two neighbors that share languages, they do not face each other very often competitively. Since 2011, they have played four times, ending twice in draws and each team claiming a victory.

The last crossed blades in the 2018 World Cup semi-final which the French won 1-0 on their way to winning the competition.

When Roberto Martinez took over Belgium in 2016, the team would stay in an airport hotel and borrow training facilities.

Today, he shows @goal the new centre he helped to make a reality pic.twitter.com/WOMfZl42d9

— Goal (@goal) October 7, 2021

Belgium v France Probable Starting Teams

Belgium

Formation

3-4-3

Probable Starting 11

Courtois (GK), Vertonghen, Denayer, Alderweireld, Hazard, Tielemans, Witsel, Castagne, Doku, Lukaku, De Bruyne.

Injuries / Suspensions

Meunier (Knee injury)

France

Formation

4-3-1-2

Probable Starting 11

Lloris (GK), Hernández, Kimpembe, Varane, Pavard, Pogba, Tchouméni, Rabiot, Griezmann, Benzema, Mbappé.

Injuries / Suspensions

Martial (Knock)

"Kylian is happy to be here. We cannot go back in time."

Didier Deschamps insists no problems with Kylian Mbappe despite the player claiming he needed more support from his teammates after missing a crucial penalty that led to France getting knocked out of the Euros pic.twitter.com/HsyIGQfnDH

— Football Daily (@footballdaily) October 7, 2021

Betting

Belgium 15/8

Draw 2/1

France 6/4

Score Prediction

Both teams are made up of sturdy defenses and world-class attacks. The opposing managers will be trying to cancel each other out but from a neutrals perspective, let’s hope that it is full of goals.

Expect this game to end 3-2 to France.

Remember that Benzema is a pure genius. pic.twitter.com/YEMQnvulCD

— Real Madrid Videos (@RMAVideos) October 5, 2021

To read more in-depth and up-to-date club and international football news, click here.

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Ireland came out on top against the Netherlands in a battle that determined who finished behind Scotland in the qualifiers.

The side had beaten France on Sunday morning to set up the showdown with the Dutch.

Batting first, Ireland posted 111/9, with Eimear Richardson hitting a half-century and posting 53 runs.

Gaby Lewis also put up a respectable 32 runs to help Ireland to a strong start against their opponents.

This left Lewis on 145 runs across the qualifiers – the most in the tournament.

Eva Lynch picked up four wickets for the Dutch, while Iris Zwilling also chipped in with three scalps.

In the chase, a lack of contribution from the batters, apart from Robine Rijke who added 32 runs to her cause, proved costly as the Netherlands fell short of the total by 24 runs.

Captain Laura Delany and Cara Murray picked up three wickets apiece for the Irish.

With the victory, Ireland finished behind Scotland, accumulating 6 points in four matches.

Richardson was awarded Player of the Series after spectacular performances throughout the tournament.

Scotland finished at the top of the qualifiers with an unblemished record, earning maximum points and winning all four games.

The Scots comfortably beat France by ten wickets, much like Ireland did on Sunday morning, to finish with a 100% record.

The French were bowled out for 24 when they batted first as the Scottish bowlers wreaked havoc.

The French batters couldn’t register a double-figure score and Scotland gained control of the contest early on.

For the Scots, Megan McColl was the pick of the bowlers with astounding match-figures of 5/3 in her spell of four overs while Abbi Aitken-Drummond also picked up two wickets.

With a small total to chase, the Scottish women went hell for leather, which led to them losing three wickets. But the target was accomplished after only 2.2 overs, continuing their dominant run in the tournament, winning four matches out of four to top the Europe Qualifier.

Scotland will progress to the global qualifier which will begin in 2022 – Ireland have a chance to join them if they are the highest-ranked team on November 30 that did not win their group.

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The draw will take place at 9 pm on Wednesday, July 21st and is staged in Lausanne, Switzerland.

It will be streamed live on HeinekenChampionsCup.com and will include the winners of the three domestic leagues involved in the competition – Top 14 and Champions Cup holders Stade Toulousain, Gallagher Premiership winners Harlequins and Pro14 winners Leinster.

The draw will consist of eight teams from the three leagues mentioned above, as it did last season.

The teams who have qualified from the three leagues will be listed from one to eight for the draw, with number one being the champions.

The clubs will first be placed into four tiers based on their rankings, before being drawn into two pools of 12 – Pool A and Pool B.

Clubs from the same league in the same tier will not be drawn into the same pool.

Tier 1 will have numbers one and two on the qualifiers in it with Tier 2 having numbers three and four.

Tier 3 will have numbers five and six while Tier 4 will have numbers seven and eight.

The Tier 1 and the Tier 4 clubs which have been drawn in the same pool, but which are not in the same league, will play one another home and away during the pool stage.

Tier 2 and Tier 3 sides that are in the same pool but not from the same domestic league will do the same.

Once the draw is concluded, clubs will know their pool stage opponents and EPCR will begin work on the fixture schedule with an announcement of exact dates, venues, kick-off times and TV coverage following as soon as practicable.

The 2021/22 tournament will be played over nine weekends with four rounds of matches in the pool stage starting in December when Stade Toulousain begin the defence of their title.

The eight highest-ranked clubs from each pool will qualify for the knockout stage which will consist of a Round of 16 on a home and away basis, quarter-finals and semi-finals, with the final in Marseille on 28 May 2022.

2021/22 Heineken Champions Cup qualifiers

Gallagher Premiership: 1 Harlequins, 2 Exeter Chiefs, 3 Bristol Bears, 4 Sale Sharks, 5 Northampton Saints, 6 Leicester Tigers, 7 Bath Rugby, 8 Wasps
Guinness PRO14: 1 Leinster Rugby, 2 Munster Rugby, 3 Ulster Rugby, 4 Connacht Rugby, 5 Scarlets, 6 Ospreys, 7 Cardiff Rugby, 8 Glasgow Warriors
TOP 14: 1 Stade Toulousain, 2 Stade Rochelais, 3 Racing 92, 4 Union Bordeaux-Bègles, 5 ASM Clermont Auvergne, 6 Stade Français Paris, 7 Castres Olympique, 8 Montpellier Hérault Rugby

Pool Draw tiers

Tier 1: Harlequins, Exeter Chiefs, Leinster Rugby, Munster Rugby, Stade Toulousain, Stade Rochelais
Tier 2: Bristol Bears, Sale Sharks, Ulster Rugby, Connacht Rugby, Racing 92, Union Bordeaux-Bègles
Tier 3: Northampton Saints, Leicester Tigers, Scarlets, Ospreys, ASM Clermont Auvergne, Stade Français Paris
Tier 4: Bath Rugby, Wasps, Cardiff Rugby, Glasgow Warriors, Castres Olympique, Montpellier Hérault Rugby

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The Swiss started off the better of the two sides with their crossing proving to be a big threat against France’s back three.

The side went ahead after Haris Seferovic headed the ball into the France net just 15 minutes into the game.

France centre-back Clement Lenglet was caught out, ducking while Seferovic leapt to connect with wing-back Steven Zuber’s cross.

Clement Lenglet was the only player in Europe's top 5 leagues last season to be sent off, score an own goal, make an error leading to an opposition goal and concede a penalty

Probably not the player to bring in to your side for the knockout stage of #EURO2020 pic.twitter.com/1JReFy9y2E

— WhoScored.com (@WhoScored) June 28, 2021

France’s 3-4-3 confused the players who were unsure of what to do in the new system and they reverted to a back four after 35 minutes.

Lenglet was replaced by Kingsley Coman at half-time and the substitution swung the game in the favour of Les Bleus.

Coman’s presence meant there was an extra man in the French attack and the move stretched the Swiss backline.

Two goals from Karim Benzema on either side of a missed Swiss penalty put France into the driver’s seat and put Benzema on four goals in the tournament.

Hugo Lloris’ penalty save was his first for France since 2012.

Paul Pogba turned on the style with some effortless passing in the pocket, akin to a quarterback.

France’s Tom Brady scored the third goal for France to put the game beyond doubt, at least at that moment in time.

However, N’Golo Kanté’s performance as a sole defensive midfielder was a no-show and the middle of the park saw the creation of many dangerous attacks.

Switzerland fought their way back into the game.

Granit Xhaka, who has been impressive alongside Remo Freuler in the tournament, turned it up a notch and started putting on a passing clinic of his own.

Absolute masterclass of line-breaking passing from Pogba & Xhaka

— Premier League Panel (@PremLeaguePanel) June 28, 2021

Seferovic nodded a second header home with Raphael Varane to blame this time as he let the Benfica goalscorer get in front of him.

Xhaka’s fantastic vision saw Mario Gavranovic add a brilliant 90th-minute equaliser after having a goal ruled out for offside just minutes before.

Xhaka could have assisted a winner moments later when Admir Mehmedi was played in but the striker’s touch let him down.

Extra-time came and went with both sides going close but failing to find a winner.

Switzerland penalties were flawless with Mehmedi converting the fifth and final one, righting his wrong from regular time.

Kylian Mbappé missed the deciding spot-kick, capping off a frustrating and underwhelming tournament for Didier Deschamp’s men.

Vladimir Petkovic’s side were understandably elated after Yann Sommer’s save – they reached the quarter-final of a major tournament for the first time since the 1954 World Cup when they beat Italy 4-1 in a playoff as they finished the group on the same points.

It is unlikely that their Euro 2020 quarter-final against Spain will reproduce the same goalscoring numbers as last night (or even their 1954 World Cup quarter-final against Austria, a 7-5 loss that lasted 90 minutes.)

However, it will be history for this Swiss side, who have just made the world take notice.

Switzerland v Spain kicks off at 5 pm on Friday.

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24 clubs, including eight each across the Top 14, Gallagher Premiership and Pro 14, will compete in this season’s instalment.

All four Irish provinces will begin their 2021/22 seasons in the Champions Cup.

The sides are ranked as the top four sides from the Pro 14 as the qualification is based on the 2020/21 Pro 14 season.

The 2020/21 Pro 14 Rainbow Cup standings do not affect the European qualification process.

The competition will once again begin with four rounds of the pool stage.

The format will likely be the same as last season’s controversial setup which had two pools of 12 with teams facing off against two sides from other leagues.

These teams are expected to face each other twice and the top eight in each pool will progress to the round of 16.

The round of 16 will be a two-legged round and will take place over two weekends.

However, the quarter-finals and semi-finals will remain as a one-and-done fixture.

Both finals will be held in Marseille’s Stade Velodrome in the south of France.

The 2020/21 finals were originally scheduled to be held at the venue.

2021/22 EPCR Weekends

Round 1 – 10/11/12 December

Round 2 – 17/18/19 December

Round 3 – 14/15/16 January 2022

Round 4 – 21/22/23 January 2022

Round of 16 (first leg) – 8/9/10 April 2022

Round of 16 (second leg) – 15/16/17 April 2022

Quarter-finals – 6/7/8 May 2022

Semi-finals – 13/14/15 May 2022

Challenge Cup Final – 27 May 2022

Champions Cup Final – 28 May 2022

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