France begins Six Nations title defense with five-try pounding of Ireland in 36-14 win

PARIS (AP) — France began its Six Nations title defense with five tries and a bonus point after a dominant 36-14 win against Ireland on Thursday.

France scored a tournament-record 30 tries last year and a rout looked on the cards at a rainy Stade de France. France led 29-0 thanks to prolific left winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey's second try, but Ireland rallied with two second-half tries.

Bielle-Biarrey scored the first try in the 12th minute and recalled flyhalf Matthieu Jalibert got the second with just over 20 minutes played.

A slick move worthy of France's backs — but orchestrated at speed by three of its forwards — led to third scored by rampaging lock Charles Ollivon.

Although the opening exchanges were close enough, that was only until Bielle-Biarrey showed just why he was voted the tournament’s best player last year after scoring eight tries.

He broke two tackles down the left wing, including one that briefly dropped him onto his knees, before powering over.

Ramos converted that one but missed his next attempt after Jalibert had cut through a weak tackle from opposite number Sam Prendergast for his fourth international try, one year after a poor performance on his last appearance for France.

A Ramos penalty moved Les Tricolores 15-0 up, and the third try soon followed. Prop Jean-Baptiste Gros picked up a loose ball and passed to lock Mickaël Guillard, who offloaded to give Ollivon his 18th international try, converted by Ramos.

Ireland did not resist for long after the break.

Ramos set up Bielle-Biarrey for his second try with a soccer-style flick with the outside of his foot, sending the jet-heeled winger scampering into the left corner for his 22nd international try in just 23 tests.

“It’s a great result for us, but we shouldn’t get carried away,” Ramos said. “We won the territorial battles and the aerial challenges, which helped us to keep them under pressure.”

Ireland finally got on the board with tries in quick succession from back-rower Nick Timoney and prop Michael Milne, who both came off the bench.

Prendergast's pass allowed center Stuart McCloskey to break the line and he offloaded for Timoney to score, and a strong driving maul allowed Milne to bulldoze over for his try.

Prendergast converted both.

Lock James Ryan flattened Jalibert with a spiteful challenge off the ball in the closing stages. Jalibert recovered and fed Théo Attissogbe in the right corner with seconds left for another converted try.

“We did the basics well and managed to play a bit, too. We combined business with pleasure,” star scrumhalf Antoine Dupont said. “We are sure of our strengths.”

With flyhalf Romain Ntamack still recovering from a kidney injury, Jalibert is likely to keep his place alongside Dupont for the trip to Wales on Feb. 15.

AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby

Ireland's Stuart McCloskey, centre right, and France's Oscar Jegou, centre, challenge for the ball during the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Antoine Dupont challenges for the ball during the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Matthieu Jalibert celebrates after the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Louis Bielle-Biarrey scores a try during the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

France's Theo Attissogbe, centre left, celebrates after scoring a try with Matthieu Jalibert during the Six Nations rugby match between France and Ireland in Paris, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)

NEW YORK (AP) — “The Tipping Point” author Malcolm Gladwell's next book will focus on a long-running tragedy in the country's culture, gun violence.

“The American Way of Killing” will come out Sept. 29, Little, Brown and Company announced Thursday.

"'The American Way of Killing' is an argument for looking in unexpected places when trying to understand the American problem of lethal violence,” the publisher's announcement reads in part. “Gladwell explores the profound absurdity of the way the nation handles gun violence through a series of stories — the miracle of a young gunshot victim in Washington D.C., the legal travails of a 17th century English knight, a professor in Alabama with a terrible secret, and a prison in Germany that would be unrecognizable to any American, among others.”

The book's audio edition, narrated by Gladwell, will be produced by Pushkin Industries and published by RBmedia.

Gladwell, 62, is a onetime New Yorker staff writer who hosts the podcast Revisionist History, from which his new book draws material. His bestsellers beside “The Tipping Point” include “Blink,” “Outliers” and “Talking to Strangers.”

FILE - Writer Malcolm Gladwell attends the screening of "Faces of America With Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr." inNew York on Feb. 1, 2010. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File)