France launched their 2015 European Championship campaign with a 31-14 win over Ireland which went some way to erasing the memory of their defeat to the Wolfhounds in last year's corresponding fixture.
Ireland beat France 22-12 in Dublin last October but there was no repeat in Albi on Saturday as tries from Stan Robin, Jordan Sigismeau, Tony Gigot, Theo Fages and Kevin Larroyer secured victory for Richard Agar's men.
The visitors went into the break level at 8-8 courtesy of Casey Dunne's try and two Liam Finn goals but they had no answer to the French in the second half.
In the other first-round fixture, Wales celebrated a first win in five years on Friday night with an impressive 18-12 success against defending champions Scotland in Wrexham.
