By Joseph Terry
Ireland are chasing a third Six Nations title in four editions in 2026 but enter the competition as an unknown force with the lowest expectations in years.
The Irish endured a difficult autumn, one coloured by incredibly poor discipline, but they are still likely to be locked in a three-way dance for the crown alongside France and England.
Ireland’s Six Nations preparations
The November internationals raised more questions than answers for Ireland, especially after the failure to claim the 2025 Six Nations.
Defence coach Simon Easterby, deputising for head coach Andy Farrell who was on British & Irish Lions duty, led the Greens to second place and a Triple Crown in last year’s competition by defeating all other home nations.
A comprehensive 42-27 loss to France in Dublin, however, dashed hopes of what could have been a fourth Grand Slam as undefeated champions.
In the summer, reserve Ireland squads defeated Georgia 34-5 and demolished Portugal 106-7 for a record winning margin, although neither of those fixtures can be considered representative.
The Irish then fell to a 26-13 defeat to New Zealand at Soldier Field in Chicago in the opening match of the Autumn Internationals, with Tadhg Beirne sent off after just three minutes.
A six-try 41-10 win against Japan preceded a record 46-19 triumph over Australia, but the Irish were incredibly ill-disciplined in losing 24-13 to reigning world champions South Africa.
James Ryan was red-carded that evening alongside four yellow cards, with there only 12 Ireland players on the field at halftime.
Another angle of uncertainty is the underwhelming start to the season for Dublin-based provincial side Leinster.
Leinster players made up 19 of the 34 players in the squad for the autumn series, yet the current URC champions and 2025 European Champions Cup semi-finalists have underperformed in the domestic league so far.
Sitting fifth in the table, Leinster have already lost to the Stormers, Bulls and provincial rivals Munster but did recently pick up three consecutive wins against Irish sides.
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Path to the title
Round 1: France vs Ireland – Stade de France, Paris; February 5 (20:10 GMT on ITV)
Round 2: Ireland vs Italy – Aviva Stadium, Dublin; February 14 (14:10 GMT on ITV)
Round 3: England vs Ireland – Allianz Stadium, London; February 21 (14:10 GMT on ITV)
Round 4: Ireland vs Wales – Aviva Stadium, Dublin; March 6 (20:10 GMT on ITV and S4C)
Round 5: Ireland vs Scotland – Aviva Stadium, Dublin; March 14 (14:10 GMT on ITV)
Ireland’s start to the 2026 Six Nations doesn’t get more difficult as they travel to a packed Stade de France on the opening matchday to face the defending champions France.
An added challenge to an already daunting task is that the game will be played on a Thursday evening – a Six Nations first – which may upset routine.
Returning home for round two, a bonus-point victory against Italy will be expected and essential to likely match their title rivals.
Ireland’s final away trip of the tournament takes the Shamrocks to Twickenham for a clash with England, meaning the two most difficult away trips arrive within three weeks of each other.
If Ireland win those two early tests of their title ambitions, a seventh crown may be on the way as well as a fourth Grand Slam.
However, failure to secure points could leave the Irish waiting on the result of round five’s finale between France and England.
In the end, at least two wins are essential from the opening three rounds before the week break.
The second half of the season offers home comforts, with the Irish hosting Wales and Scotland in two fixtures they should control.
If the title fight goes down to the wire, the prospect of Ireland attempting to supercharge their points difference against weaker opposition by scoring as many tries as possible is plausible.
Ireland’s final-round tie against Scotland kicks off Super Saturday, and if they are still to be in contention for a record-equalling Six Nations crown, fans and players will have to wait until the evening game in Paris for a conclusion.
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Irish players to watch
Players from the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia are all expected to appear.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and James Lowe feature in the backline, while Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose provide strength in the centre.
Elsewhere, James Ryan will be involved in the locks, with Andrew Porter and Tadhg Furlong looking to make hard yards in the scrum.
Uncapped Nathan Doak, meanwhile, is the third-highest point-scorer in the URC, opening the chance for a debutant to be named in the squad.
We will also see the return of Andy Farrell to the Ireland hotseat for Six Nations action.
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Adam Peaker 
Newsjustnews writers 
Carmela Calling