Bruised but not broken: Ireland look to reset after Paris punishment

After a heavy loss to France, Ireland regroup ahead of Italy as Michael Milne urges belief and a fast response

FAMILY PORTRAIT: Ireland's Michael Milne with friends and family after the match. Pic: INPHO/Ben Brady

The reset starts now for a bruised and battered Ireland after a weekend of soul-searching following their hammering by France in Paris last Thursday night.

Ireland will reconvene at the IRFU High Performance Centre in Abbottstown on Monday determined to right the myriad wrongs from a woeful first half at Stade de France and subsequent 36-14 defeat on the opening night of the 2026 Guinness Six Nations, and with Michael Milne insisting Andy Farrell’s team are not giving up hope they can still regain the championship they ceded to France last season.

The other round-one results, with Ireland’s next opponents Italy, who come to Dublin for this Saturday’s Aviva Stadium clash, laying down a marker with an 18-15 victory over Scotland in Rome, and England thumping Wales 48-7 at Twickenham, made for a chastening chain of events for the Celtic nations. It also highlighted the need for Ireland to make instant amends for their defensive ills in Paris with an away game against the English upcoming in round three.

Yet Munster loosehead prop Milne, who enjoyed a try-scoring Six Nations debut off the bench at Stade de France on his 27th birthday, remained positive amid the Irish disappointment.

“Well, look, you don't win a championship in the first game, so we'll reset on Monday and we'll go from there,” Milne said. “We win every other game, we're still in the running for a championship.

“So I know the Grand Slam's gone, but we win every other game, we're still in the running for a championship, so that's what we'll go for.” 

Speaking ahead of Italy’s Stadio Olimpico victory in torrential rain last Saturday, Milne was already bracing for a difficult assignment from Gonzalo Quesada’s Azzurri this weekend.

“Very tough. A good set-piece team, loads of good players as well, so yeah, it won't be easy. It's always tough to win over in Zebra and Treviso, they're physical men and they love set-piece, so yeah, it'll be a tough game.” 

Ireland head coach Farrell called for some honest reflection on a performance that saw the French ruthlessly capitalise on poor decision-making and leaky defence to take a 22-0 half-time lead, and then stretch it to 29-0 six minutes after the interval.

“It's obviously very tough. We came to win,” Milne said. “Lots to work on, but we'll definitely be honest in our reviews on Monday and go from there.” 

The prop was part of an impressive contribution from the bench, with fellow replacement and back-rower Nick Timoney and himself scoring tries shortly after entering the fray. There was also the satisfaction of backing-up the solid set-piece performance from Ireland’s starters. Despite France’s irresistible attacking rugby, the injury-hit Irish scrum more than held its own with Thomas Clarkson in for the injured tighthead Tadhg Furlong and Milne’s Munster team-mate Jeremy Loughman making light of his fourth-choice loosehead status.

“I think just as a bench, we were just talking, it was that we really had an impact on physicality. I think that was the main thing we thought we lacked from the first half.

“So, as a bench, Cheese (James Ryan) leading it, in bringing physicality when we came on, so that was the main thing we were aiming for.

“We still have a bit to work on, but I think the bench, we had a good impact.” 

As for scrum time, Milne praised Ireland scrum coach John Fogarty for getting him up to speed with the requirements of going head to head with a Tier One Test pack. His first Ireland caps had come last summer in big victories over Georgia and Portugal but France was a considerable step up in class.

“Fogs has been working us very hard. I probably should thank him, he stuck with me for a while, I had a bit to learn, but he's been working us really hard, so it paid dividends every time.

“Everything's just quicker, everything's more physical. Scrums and lineout are obviously a big part of the game. It's a quick learning curve, but obviously it's very enjoyable, you get to test yourself against the best.

“There's obviously a few injuries in my position, so when I came into camp I was like, right, this is an opportunity now, I'm going to try and take it. Just take it day by day and go from there.” 

Watched from the Stade de France stands by parents Ger and Pauline, and his four sisters, Kelly Emma, Lisa and Aimee, the Offaly native, a first from Birr RFC to earn international honours, had a birthday neither he nor his family forget.

Milne now wants to push on and earn some more opportunities in this championship.

“I would, 100 per cent. Especially to get a taste for that, it's unbelievable.

“I know the result wasn't great, but seeing a packed-out stadium like that, and the players you’re playing against, it’s unbelievable."