Six Nations team news: No James Lowe for Ireland as Prendergasts get nod

Jeremy Loughman and Jacob Stockdale also get the nod as Les Bleus welcome Ireland to the Stade de France on Thursday.

Cian Prendergast, left, and Thomas Clarkson during the Ireland team assembly day at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Dublin ahead of the 2026 Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship. Photo by Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Jeremy Loughman, Cian Prendergast and Jacob Stockdale will all start for Ireland against France in Thursday’s Guinness Men's Six Nations opener in Paris (8:10pm Irish time) as Andy Farrell mixes selection at the outset of the 2026 championship.

There are seven changes and a switch to a split of six forwards and two backs on the bench from the side which started the 24-13 home defeat to South Africa last time out on November 22.

Most are injury enforced, but centre Bundee Aki is suspended for the first three rounds of the campaign, lock James Ryan drops to the bench and left wing James Lowe has been omitted having been virtually ever present in the number 11 jersey since November 2020 debut.

Caelan Doris once again captains the side from No.8 with head coach Farrell naming Cian Prendergast at blindside flanker in the absence of injured Ryan Baird while Josh van der Flier continues at openside flanker.

Tadhg Beirne is joined in the second row by a fit-again Joe McCarthy while Munster’s loosehead prop Jeremy Loughman earns his first Six Nations start with Andrew Porter, Paddy McCarthy and Jack Boyle all injured. Loughman, 30, last played for Ireland in February 2024 when he came off the bench against Italy for his fifth Test cap and he edges out Munster team-mate Mikey Milne for the start, with the latter named on the bench.

Dan Sheehan retains the hooker’s jersey but Tadhg Furlong’s bid to pass fit following a calf injury has come up short and Thomas Clarkson gets to start at tighthead prop for his 10th cap having made his Six Nations debut off the bench against England in 2025’s first round. The 25-year-old also started against Wales in last season’s championship and has been preferred to the more experienced Finlay Bealham, who is named as the tighthead replacement.

Sam Prendergast will start alongside brother Cian for the first time in a Test match having retained the fly-half role ahead of Munster’s Jack Crowley, named on the bench, and strong claims from Leinster team-mate Harry Byrne, who misses out.

Ulster’s Stuart McCloskey starts at inside centre in Aki’s absence following the Connacht man’s four-game ban following a misconduct complaint, though the pair had been sharing duties in the Autumn Nations Series. McCloskey started against both New Zealand and Australia before Aki faced the Springboks.

The back three sees Jamie Osborne return at full-back for his first appearance since a shoulder injury sustained against Japan last November and in the continued absence of Hugo Keenan and Mack Hansen through injuries.

Tommy O’Brien starts on the right wing while Stockdale’s selection on the left wing instead of Lowe provides the Ulsterman an opportunity to transfer his blistering Ulster form to the Test arena having last played for Ireland in a World Cup warm-up against Samoa in August 2023.

There is no place on the bench for the uncapped Edwin Edogbo despite good reviews for the Munster lock from his first training camp with Ireland in Portugal last week, with the more experienced Nick Timoney preferred as a back-row replacement alongside Jack Conan. Crowley joins his Munster half-back partner Craig Casey as the second backline replacement having kept the claims of Harry Byrne in check.

"I've been pleased with the application of the squad since we linked up last week and we've a good body of work under our belts from our training camp in Portugal as we face into an exciting Test match against France,” Andy Farrell said.

“The Six Nations is an amazing tournament to compete in and it brings out the best in players. We have played at the Stade de France many times and it's a terrific stadium with an incredible atmosphere. We know from our experiences on the road how proud and vocal the travelling Irish support can be and it's a huge motivator for the squad knowing that we have so many Irish supporters behind us."

IRELAND (v France): Jamie Osborne (Naas/Leinster); Tommy O’Brien (Blackrock College/Leinster), Garry Ringrose (UCD/Leinster), Stuart McCloskey (Bangor/Ulster), Jacob Stockdale (Lurgan/Ulster); Sam Prendergast (Lansdowne/Leinster), Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster); Jeremy Loughman (Garryowen/Munster), Dan Sheehan (Lansdowne/Leinster), Thomas Clarkson (Blackrock College/Leinster); Joe McCarthy (Dublin University/Leinster), Tadhg Beirne (Lansdowne/Munster); Cian Prendergast (UCD/Connacht), Josh van der Flier (UCD/Leinster), Caelan Doris (St. Mary’s College/Leinster) - captain.

Replacements: Rónan Kelleher (Lansdowne/Leinster), Michael Milne (UCD/Munster), Finlay Bealham (Corinthians/Connacht), James Ryan (UCD/Leinster), Jack Conan (Old Belvedere/Leinster), Nick Timoney (Queen’s University/Ulster), Craig Casey (Shannon/Munster), Jack Crowley (Cork Constitution/Munster).