France fear they have lost battle over date

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The French Rugby Federation released a statement last night confirming the fixture, which was originally called off on Saturday because of poor weather conditions, will be played in three weeks.

Six Nations officials today said the French had been hasty in their announcement as no decision had been made, however, they admited the weekend of March 3/4 is more than likely to be the one chosen.

The decision is a blow to Phillippe Saint-Andre's side who will now have to play four matches on consecutive weekends at the back end of the tournament.

Coach Saint-Andre had suggested the match should be this Sunday, the day after Stade Francais play Toulon in a Top 14 match in the Stade de France.

Ireland, meanwhile, were pushing for the match to be in March because of the logistical difficulty of returning to Paris at short notice.

They also believed that holding the match later in the year would make a repeat of the freezing temperatures, which made the pitch unplayable on Saturday night, less likely.

For these reasons, the French always felt it probable they would be unable to convince the tournament organisers to agree to their demands and were therefore incensed from the moment the game was postponed.

French Rugby Federation president Pierre Camou spoke strongly against English referee Dave Pearson's decision to call the game off while there were reports a senior French figure verbally abused a Six Nations official in the tunnel, minutes after the cancellation.