Ireland full-back Stacey Flood believes their first-half hammering of Italy will have put France on notice ahead of this Saturday's crunch meeting in Clermont-Ferrand.
While it’s nine years since Ireland’s last win against the French, Scott Bemand’s side have come close on two occasions in the last 12 months, losing by a dozen points in their Guinness Women’s Six Nations opener in Belfast last year, while they also let a 13-0 lead slip against France in the World Cup quarter-final in September.
Ireland warmed up for this Saturday’s trip to Stade Marcel Michelin with an impressive 57-20 win against Italy at Dexcom Stadium, where they blitzed the visitors with seven first-half tries.
And Flood (below) believes they have shown just what they’re capable of when they hit the high notes.
"I'd be worried, if I was them," she replied, when asked what the French would have been thinking watching Ireland’s 57-20 win.
"I think we should have confidence going into this game. I'm going to say third time lucky, but we're making our own luck this weekend because we should have had them in the Six Nations last year, could have had them in the World Cup, so I think it's about knowing what we can do and being brave and confident going into the game.
"I think they always respected us. I think if I was them, I'd respect us a little bit more as well, just watching the sort of game we're putting out there.
"It's not just forwards, it's not just backs, it's a mixture and it makes it harder to defend against and play against."
The last six runnings of this championship have seen England and France in a league of their own, but this Irish squad haven’t been shy about their ambitions to break up that Anglo-French dominance.
There has been a bullishness to the Irish camp in recent days; captain Erin King said Ireland would be out for "revenge" in France this weekend, while back row Aoife Wafer spoke about how they will be out to silence the trumpets that will no doubt be providing the soundtrack to this Saturday’s Test.
They may well be left with egg on their faces, but the outward confidence and honesty is a breath of fresh air in an era where players routinely trip over themselves trying to talk up the opposition and portray themselves as the underdogs.
"We want to be breaking into the top two in the Six Nations this year, we want to be in the top four in the world," Flood, who is set to win her 25th cap this weekend, added.
"It's such an Irish thing to shy away from being confident, and I think we just have to trust and believe and be brave in what we want to put out on the field.
"It's not that we're over-confident or whatever, it's that we trust in what we're doing. I don't mind being an underdog, I don't mind going into a game where you're the favourite.
Ireland prepare to take on France in round three of the Women's Six Nations this weekend #RTESport #RTERugby pic.twitter.com/NLaKbeXJen
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 22, 2026
"We're the underdog in this, but do we feel like that? I wouldn't say we've really focused on it a whole lot, but we know that we can take confidence in what we've done in the last two weeks and the last bit of training block that we've had."
Having experienced 77,000 people at Twickenham, and then a record home attendance at Dexcom Stadium last Saturday, there will be another novel venue this weekend, as they travel to one of rugby’s great cathedrals, Stade Marcel Michelin.
The home of Clermont Auvergne has long been one of the game’s most iconic venues, and combined with a late kick-off at 9.10pm local time (8.10pm Irish), it is set to make for a spectacular atmosphere, which Flood is ready to embrace.
Hannah O'Connor believes that Aoife Wafer went into Ireland's Six Nations mauling of Italy with a point to prove and she's hoping for a similar display from the Irish talisman this weekend. #RTErugby Podcast https://t.co/UMqFLpmIEV pic.twitter.com/bzOlYySOgH
— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) April 22, 2026
"I love a French crowd," she added. "At the Olympics we had a French crowd behind us and against us. They support rugby so well.
"It's going to be loud, noisy, there will probably be a band there.
"I think we can take from that as well. Our friends, our family and support will be coming too. They've obviously made it a hard place to get to for us, but that never stops us.
"I don't know if I've played as late, but I think it's such a French thing, isn't it? I think they'll do whatever they can, but to be honest, the heat over there now suits us to play later in the evening, so we won't be wrecked. The Irish summer hasn't kicked in yet.
"I actually take energy from the crowds. I love it. I think it's so exciting when you can feel the crowd when you're playing, but it is important to sometimes just block it out and just focus on what your job is, what your next job is, what you can do for the team to get a performance."
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