Earlier this year, France were touted as one of the teams to look out for at Rugby World Cup 2025, but those views appeared to be thinly backed-up when Les Bleues suffered a heavy defeat to England in their final match before the tournament began. However, since then France have rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Dominant wins against Italy and Brazil meant they were assured of a quarter-final spot, but a convincing win against tournament surprise package South Africa in their pool finale put the spotlight firmly back on the French as they emerged from Pool D as top seeds.
Ireland, on the other hand, survived a tricky Pool C that also housed New Zealand, Japan and Spain. After beating Japan in their opening match, a commanding victory over Las Leonas was enough to ensure the Irish would still be in the fight in the next round of the knockouts. They struggled against New Zealand in the final outing before Sunday’s showdown with their Six Nations rivals, and will be out to prove that they are better than the Brighton and Hove scoreline suggested. Recent meetings between these two sides have been closely fought, and fans will be hoping to be treated to more of the same in Exeter this weekend.
Kick-off: 13:00 BST, Sunday, 14 September
Venue: Sandy Park, Exeter
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France team
France’s key player: Gaby Vernier has been one of France’s key players for some time, and that is all the more the case this weekend as she has co-captain Marine Ménager partnering her in midfield, and together they are tasked with keeping quiet the Irish centre pair of Eve Higgins and Aoife Dalton. The midfield battle will be crucial if France are to starve Ireland of their rhythm in attack.
Ireland team
Ireland’s key player: The woman in the number seven jersey – Aoife Wafter. The reigning Six Nations Player of the Tournament has not featured so far at Rugby World Cup 2025 as she has been recovering from knee surgery. Such is her impact within the squad that as soon as her rehab had been completed, she slots straight in for Ireland’s biggest game of the tournament.
What France said
France co-head coach Gaëlle Mignot:
“(The scrum is) going to be a key battle. Every opponent so far has brought a different type of scrum, and Ireland will be no different. They’re a very strategic side and gave us problems in that area during the Six Nations. With the weather as well, we know the set-piece will be a big deal. But I trust my players – they’ve shown they can step up and showcase the strength of our pack. We know it’s a crucial area and we’ve prepared well for it this week. Ireland are not the same type of team as South Africa, so we’ll have to stay sharp right through the game.”
France co-captain Marine Ménager:
“We’ve been building towards this World Cup for three years, ironing things out along the way. We’ve stumbled at times, but those moments made us grow. The idea was to learn from every step. Now, with the weather, with key players able to come in at crucial moments, we’ve worked through so many scenarios – that makes us more calm. This squad knows each other inside out, we built momentum in the pool stage, so yes, we’ve got confidence. But we’re never too relaxed – that doesn’t suit us. We’re keeping our feet on the ground. We know we’ll need a massive performance this weekend if we want to go further.”
What Ireland said
Ireland head coach Scott Bemand:
“We’ve all wanted to see (Aoife Wafer) back on the pitch, she’s been desperate to get out there and give herself to the cause. She’s worked incredibly hard behind the scenes and there’s been huge support for her in getting back to this point. We’re fully confident she’s fit and ready. She’s exactly where she wants to be, and we believe this gives her the best opportunity to get her best game out there at a quarter-final.
“It’s going to be a competitive game right until the end. Things we do early in the game are going to make a difference later in the game, and knockout rugby carries a slightly different feel to it anyway. This is your ultimate winner takes all, we’ve got some ideas around how we can implement the strategy.”
Ireland flanker Fiona Tuite:
“The girls went through war last weekend (against New Zealand), and we took so many positives from that once we pushed the emotions aside from the loss. We played against one of the best teams in the world, we’re now going to play against one of the other best teams in the world, so it’s teed us up nicely from a physicality, speed and tactical point of view. Mentally we need to stay switched on, we stay in the fight, and this is all out war.”