6.50pm - It's all over and despite some late French pressure Ireland hold tight and open their RBS 6 Nations campaign with a remarkable victory over the French.
FULL TIME - IRELAND 30-21
80 mins - Squeeky bum time for the Irish as France edge towards the try line. They switch the ball out the line but there is no way through the solid Irish defence. All over now - past the 80 minute mark and Ireland will win...
78 mins - PENALTY IRELAND - O'Gara pops it through the posts and the smell of victory is starting to seep out of the Croke Park turf...
77 mins - Ireland kick-off and make no mistake this time and push forward with Luke Fitzgerald making a great tackle before France get penalised.
76 mins - PENALTY FRANCE - Ireland give away a penalty in front of the posts and Beauxis makes no mistake. 2007, here we go again!! Murphy on for Kearney who looks like he has an ankle injury.
73 mins - BOD and Kearney break with decent runs and then ROG kicks a hopeful grubber but France clear and ease the pressure.
72 mins - France go wide trying to attack but a rare mistake by Poitrenaud hands Ireland possession after a knock on.
71 mins - Game moves into final ten minutes and France need at least two scores to win this. Can Ireland avoid the heartbreak of 2007 when France grabbed a late try to win?
71 mins - Good defence by France force turn over as Ireland knock on - the ball didn't look like it moved forward though.
69 mins - Ireland win a penalty to ease pressure - ROG kicks to touch to set up another Ireland attack.
67 mins - TRY IRELAND - Super sub Gordon D'Arcy takes the ball from O'Leary and somehow manages to get past four French defenders before twisting a full 360 degrees and over the line to score. ROG converts.
65 mins - O'Connell takes and Ireland build up pressure. Ball makes way out into middle as Irish edge closer.
64 mins - Quick Ireland ball out the line and BOD kicks into 22 and out to touch close to the France try line. France clear but not far and Ireland get line out ball ten yards out.
63 mins - France chip over top and Jauzion almost breaks clear but knocks on - Ireland scrum.
62 mins - Paddy Wallace gets bandaged up but time up for the Ulster centre - D'Arcy back in the middle with the skipper.
57 mins - Comment from RTÉ studio - Brent Pope saying it's one of the greatest games he has ever seen. The Irish tries coupled with the French flair makes for great viewing for the neutral.
56 mins - Ireland ease pressure with possession and win penalty on France 22. ROG misses a kick that should have been a formality. Ball drifts wide of the right post.
54 mins - DROP KICK FRANCE - Beauxis sits out on 22 and waits for the ball - plenty of time to compose himself and drop one over the bar.
53 mins - France straight back from Ireland kick - this time down the left. O'Gara gathers but ball turned over as France put huge pressure on Irish.
50 mins - TRY FRANCE - France go wide right after picking up the breaking ball. Beauxis chips through and the ball bounces right into the arms of Medard in the corner for an easy try. Beauxis misses conversion.
49 mins - Flannery off for Ulster's favourite other Best - Rory.
48 mins - France held up in midfield - great Irish defence keeping it nice and tight. Get the book of stereotypes out and predict that France will start to lose interest and get frustrated.
43 mins - TRY IRELAND - Ireland win line-out and ball goes straight out the line for O'Driscoll to find the gap and jinx past Poitrenaud to score under the posts. ROG converts.
42 mins - Bowe collects at the halfway line and kicks high into the French half. Great take by the Ospreys man and he gets dragged into touch for a France put in.
41 mins - O'Gara kicks off and Wallace reappears for the second half - Ireland knock on - France scrum
HALF TIME - IRELAND 13-10 FRANCE
40 mins - DROP GOAL FRANCE - The number 10 hits from distance and the Irish can only look on as the ball sneaks over the posts as the ref blows for half time.
40 mins - France break with last play of the half - fantastic running by Poitrenaud leads to drop-goal attempt by Beauxis.
39 mins - Chabal breaks at pace, like a thoroughbred with his flowing mane - Kearney beaten but Bowe gets back to take the wind out of his sails - France knock on and miss out great try opportunity.
37 mins - Flannery delays throw in and ref penalises - France clear and this time Flannery wastes no time to throw.
37 mins - ROG kicks beauty to touch - tough as nails these Munster boys
36 mins - ROG heads a Garry Owen back into Ireland possession - thinking outside the box there. Gets a leg injury for his troubles.
34 mins - TRY IRELAND - O'Connell wins line-out ball and after some lovely play by Kearney and Bowe, Heaslip breaks from outside the 22 - skips past a couple like a winger and powers over the line. ROG converts.
32 mins - ROG makes up for Pen miss with a sublimne ball into touch - Nallet takes for France and Beauxis hits a monster kick to clear into Ireland half.
30 mins - Heaslip breaks forward as Ireland move into France half - Tommy Bowe runs into trouble but does well to maintain possession and wins a penalty. ROG fails to take advantage from place kick - short and wide of the right hand post.
28 mins - Wallace goes off with a face full of blood and Gordon D'Arcy on as a blood replacement. Ouedraogo also getting a bit attention - contact lense seems to have gone awol.
26 mins - Wallace and O'Gara break from Ireland 22 - Ireland fail to find touch twice but win a penalty as France hold onto the ball - quickly taken as Ferris and O'Connell try to hold onto possession. O'Gara kicks wide but easy for France. Poitrenaud kicks long to clear danger and ball goes dead over end line.
24 mins - Fitzgerald breaks down the left wing and kicks long into France 22 - Irish get ball back and try to run back into French half - good play by Ireland as BOD forced into touch.
22 mins - France keep Ireland pinned back in the 22 - Kearney clears to touch. France knock on from line-out and give Ireland chance to clear lines
19 mins - First ball out the Irish line and Kearney knocks forward after a bad pass
17 mins - PEN Ireland - ROG slots over from in front - one point game
16 mins - France offside from restart - chance for O'Gara to reduce deficit to a point.
14 mins - TRY France - Great France play in midfield - quickly played out to Chabal and support by Harinordoquy to go over in the corner. Beauxis kicks a beauty to convert the try.
12 mins - Great hands by Harinordoquy - basketball style pass - but France play into touch - Ireland take ball but O'Leary kicks again deep into France half - O'Gara not being used at the moment.
10 mins - Ferris takes good lineout ball and O'Connell drives forward up to half-way line. France turnover and break - Chabal on the charge as France regroup and maintain midfield possession. Beauxis goes for the Garry Owen but Kearney mops up beautifully.
8 mins - O'Leary delays and hands France back advantage - great defence from Irish and win turnover. O'Leary - take two... France offside - O'Gara to kick to safety...
6 mins - Long throw from France - Hayes takes at back of the line out and clears. Another France throw in - good pressure from Ireland but ref spots infringement and France get scrum. Poitrenaud breaks as France approach Ireland try line - knocked on - Ireland scrum.
4 mins - Kearney clears from the 22 but slices kick to touch gaining only 15 yards or so. France take possesion and Beauxis kicks into Ireland 22 and to touch...
3 mins - PENALTY IRELAND - ROG on form to slot the ball over from about thirty yards out just to the right of the posts - classic O'Gara.
2 mins - Good work from O'Connell driving in the midfield, wins a penalty for Ireland.
5.07pm - Game on. France to kick off - Ireland playing into the Hill in the first half. Ireland win scrum to settle the nerves.
5.05pm - Phew! Made it through. Ireland's Call is worth it just to watch the Munster boys trying to look enthusiastic! ROG looks like he'd rather be on the Cork Hurlers' march back in the Rebel County...
5.00pm - Ah La Marseillaise, you can't beat it. Unless you're Phil Coulter that is. Here comes the Irish playlist...
4.55pm - And.... we're back. So England open with an easy win at Twickenham so it's over to Croker for a proper game of ball, once we get through the national anthem medley. Here come El Presidente - on your feet lads.
2.30pm - The 2009 RBS 6 nations tournament is almost upon us and first up for Ireland is the visit of perennial favourites France.
Ireland boss Declan Kidney gets his first taste of tournament football as national coach and he will be hoping for a dream start to the campaign against a formidable France side.
The weather in Dublin is sunny but very cold and the winter sun will be long gone by the time game time comes around.
It should be bitterly cold at Croke park this evening although the lasck of wind should make for a very entertaining game of rugby.
Teams:
Ireland: R Kearney (Leinster); T Bowe (Ospreys), B O'Driscoll (Leinster, captain), P Wallace (Ulster), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O'Gara (Munster), T O'Leary (Munster); M Horan (Munster), J Flannery (Munster), J Hayes (Munster), D O'Callaghan (Munster), P O'Connell (Munster), S Ferris (Ulster), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster).
Replacements: R Best (Ulster), T Court (Ulster), M O'Kelly (Leinster), D Leamy (Munster), P Stringer (Munster), G D'Arcy (Leinster), G Murphy (Leicester).
France: Clement Poitrenaud, Julien Malzieu, Florian Fritz, Yannick Jauzion, Maxime Medard, Lionel Beauxis, Sebastien Tillous-Borde, Lionel Faure, Dimitri Szarzewski, Benoit Lecouls, Sebastien Chabal, Lionel Nallet, Thierry Dusautoir, Fulgence Ouedraogo, Imanol Harinordoquy
Replacements: Benjamin Kayser, Nicolas Mas, Romain Millo-Chluski, Louis Picamoles, Morgan Parra, Benoit Baby, Cedric Heymans
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Assistant referees: Dave Pearson (England) and David Changleng (Scotland)
