Key events
Preamble
The Clincher™ sounds like many things. A terrible series of action films starring Jason Statham (my personal favourite is The Clincher 5: All Clinch, No Flinch), the finishing move of a mid-level WWE Superstar, or perhaps a nickname that James Haskell gave himself that everyone refuses use. It’s also absolutely the right description for today’s match between the tournament’s big two with the outcome pretty much deciding where the trophy ends up next week.
Ireland enter proceedings undefeated and with the dual advantages of a home tie with a more settled side and more even form than the French visitors, but neither team have shown their absolute best so far. Simon Easterby’s men are uneven in attack with a new “kick-first” plan jointly conducted by Jamison Gibson-Park and his favourite child Sam Prendergast; while Fabien Galthie has given off vibes more muddled than his optician’s recommendations with selection, gameplan, plus – whisper it – Shaun Edwards’s much vaunted defence is misfiring.
The previous two matches between the nations were comfortable wins for Ireland, including the away win in Marseille last year. France would no doubt like to point out that 2024 was a Dupont-less France, therefore it doesn’t count as far as they are concerned. Ireland will have none of that, but they are also not the team they were in 2023 or 2024. All of this plus the stakes makes the outing today a fascinating one.
Kick off is at 2:15 GMT so there’s still time to watch The Clincher 7: Give ‘em A Clinch Before They Take A Mile while you wait.