Winners of the four previous Six Nations Championships go head-to-head in the opening fixture of the 2026 event as France welcome Ireland to the Stade de France in Paris. Here, we pick out some of the best rugby bets ahead of the tasty opening encounter.
France vs Ireland Best Bets
What a way to start the latest Six Nations tournament! The defending champions are red-hot favourites to retain their title, and Thursday’s opener could have a massive bearing on how things play out. Here, we have searched through the best online bookies to bring you the best bets ahead of the game.
| Market | Odds | Return for £10 |
|---|---|---|
| First Team to Score – France | 8/15 (BetMGM) | £15.33 |
| France –6.5 Handicap | 2/5 (BetMGM) | £14.00 |
| Louis Bielle-Biarrey Anytime Try Scorer | 4/6 (BetMGM) | £16.67 |
| Over 41.5 Total Points | 4/11 (BetMGM) | £13.64 |
| 3.97/1 (BetMGM) | £49.70 |
*Odds correct at 15:00 GMT on 04/02/2026. Odds subject to change.
Bet 1: First Team to Score – France
France powered to Six Nations glory last year by winning four of their five games and scoring a massive 218 points – 39 more than the next best team.
Fabien Galthie’s men opened the scoring in four of their five games, with the one exception coming away against the Italians.
Les Bleus have won two of their last three home meetings with Ireland, and we are backing the tournament favourites to open the scoring on Thursday night.
Stats Corner
– France are the only team that Ireland do not have a winning record against in the Six Nations
– France have won 12 of their last 13 Six Nations games at the Stade de France
– Despite only playing for 237 minutes, Antoine Dupont assisted seven tries last year
Bet 2: France –6.5 Handicap
There is a lot to like about the French team. Les Bleus picked up a couple of impressive wins over Fiji and Australia last November, they have home advantage for the visit of Ireland, and they also welcome back superstar Antoine Dupont.
The Irish, on the other hand, have got some big issues to contend with. The visitors are missing several players, including Andrew Porter, Mack Hansen, Ryan Baird, Tadhg Furlong, Hugo Keenan and the suspended Bundee Aki.
Another little psychological edge for the French comes from the fact they beat the Irish away in Dublin during last year’s Six Nations, winning the match 42-27.
Bearing all those facts in mind, we are backing France in the –6.5 handicap market.
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Bet 3: Louis Bielle-Biarrey Anytime Try Scorer
If you are looking for anytime try scorers, look no further than Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
The Frenchman bagged a history-making eight tries during the 2025 Six Nations winning campaign, including a brace against Ireland. He also became the second player to score in every round of the competition.
The 22-year-old star also bagged a brace against Australia during the Autumn Internationals last November, and we are backing him to score against the Irish.
Bet 4: Over 41.5 Total Points
We have one more tip for you to consider.
France have scored 30+ points in eight of their last nine home games, while Ireland have scored 20+ points in 19 of their 20 away matches.
That’s a lot of numbers to get your head around, but they all point to a high-scoring encounter. We’re backing over 41.5 points as our final best bet for this tasty tournament opener.
