Wales vs Scotland LIVE: Women’s Six Nations result, final score and reaction as hosts secure late victory

“Preparation has been good. There is a massive challenge ahead of us but I’ve got a group of players who are really excited to go out and face it against a great French side.

“We are ready to go hard and play for one another, and play for our country. We’ve got the privilege to represent the people of Ireland on the world stage.”

Last weekend really did feel like the start of a new page for Ireland after so much discussion about the future of the women’s game during the autumn and ahead of this tournament. Everything that we have heard out of the camp has been positive about the new direction, with Greg McWilliams’ more expansive game showing some shoots of promise against Wales. I think they’ll be prepared to play a bit again this afternoon, and I think there is real potential in this side as some of the new combinations continue to bed in. Utilising Stacey Flood as a second playmaker could be really fun, and I thought Aoibheann Reilly had a composed debut at nine.

Some issues aren’t quite sorted yet, though. Those on sevens contracts will leave the squad after next weekend to prepare for the next tournament in Langford in the condensed version of the game, with Ireland keen to qualify for September’s World Cup in Cape Town - where they could have an outside shot at a medal. With no 15-a-side World Cup qualification, the decision was probably slightly easier, but there is probably some frustration that this group won’t be able to stay together throughout the tournament.

As we touched upon earlier, this is a big day for Linda Djougang, who starts again at loosehead for Ireland. The prop left her job as a nurse at the start of this season to play in Clermont-Ferrand, working part-time as a translator and using her savings to survive. It is a reminder of just how much so many of the players in this tournament continue to have to sacrifice to pursue their dreams.

There is only one ASM Romagnat player in the French squad today - classy full-back Jessy Tremouliere is on the bench - but the versatile Djougang will have some insights on plenty of other Elite 1 Feminin stars. Her knowledge of French may come in handy, too.

French rugby know a thing or two about world-class scrum-halves at the moment, and Annick Hayraud usually has two at her disposal. There is little to choose between Laure Sansus and Pauline Bourdon, but the former should get a clear run at the starting shirt during most of this tournament after Bourdon cut her finger while cooking ahead of the tournament. Her injury was described as a tendon issue - which suggests something rather nasty with a knife. Hopefully she may be back soon.

With Bourdon out, it was a bit of a surprise that Sansus was only among the replacements against Italy, but she showed her ability with an influential cameo, adding tempo and control as France eventually pulled away. With Olympic silver medal winning sevens star Caroline Drouin alongside her in the halves, there is no shortage of attacking potential for France this afternoon - can Ireland keep them at bay?

It’s a copy and paste job from coach Greg McWilliams – it’s an unchanged 23 for Ireland despite defeat to Wales last week. The players and coach have heralded this campaign as the start of a new era and there is an outward recognition that that may mean some early growing pains, but there were some really promising signs in the opening round, even if it was ultimately a home loss to kick the tournament off.

In the front row, Linda Djougang, who uprooted her life in Ireland to self-fund a move to France and ASM Romagnat at the start of this season, may be able to impart some inside knowledge of the French squad, while the long-limbed Sam Monaghan will have more opportunity to show her skills in open and tight.

A relatively inexperienced backline gets another chance to display their wares, with the tempo set by Aoibheann Reilly, who made her debut last week. Sevens superstar Amee-Leigh Murphy Crowe would seem an ideal fit for the broader game that Ireland wish to develop – though the continued usage of Beibhinn Parsons, one of the most dangerous strike runners in the world, from the bench does still strike as odd.

Parsons is joined among the replacements by Christy Haney, who didn’t come on last week, and thus still awaits a debut.

Ireland: Considine; Murphy Crowe, Higgins, Flood, Mulhall, Cronin, Reilly; Djougang, Jones, O’Dwyer, Fryday (capt), Monaghan, Wall, McMahon, Hogan.

Replacements: Hooban, Pearse, Haney, McGann, O’Connor, Dane, Breen, Parsons.

It was all a little scratchy for France for slightly too much of last weekend’s opener against Italy, and Annick Hayraud makes a number of changes as she seeks to remedy that slow-ish start. Laure Sansus starts at scrum-half after a typically impactful cameo, with Pauline Bourdon absent for at least the first few rounds of the tournament after a painful-sounding incident while cooking.

Emilie Boulard is promoted from the bench and joined in a potentially potent back-three by the adventurous Cyrielle Banet and Melissande Llorens, while up front there are starts for young prop Coco Lindelauf, hooker Laure Touye and flanker Axelle Berthoumieu.

Lock Safi N’Diaye was back training after injury this week but is not yet ready to return to the matchday squad.

France: Boulard; Banet, Filopon, Vernier, Llorens; Drouin, Sansus; Lindelauf, Touye, Joyeux; Fall, Forlani; Berthoumieu, Hermet (capt), Menager.

Replacements: Domain, Deshaye, Khalfaoui, Ferer, Annery, Chambon, Tremouliere, Jacquet.

Right, kick-off is now less than an hour away, which means it is probably about time that we took a gander at the two 23s named by Annick Hayraud and Greg McWilliams. Let’s kick things off with the hosts...