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Will Greenwood with skaters in London yesterday. Betfair.

Cold case: Ireland beat France in first rugby game on ice

Will Greenwood was on the whistle as skaters from both countries faced off.

IRISH RUGBY FANS and players may have been left disappointed by the late, late postponement of their Six Nations clash in Paris last month.

But the two teams get to get down to business  at last this Sunday in better conditions.

In the meantime, Betfair have staged what they say is the world’s first ever rugby international played on ice, to glean some insight into what might have been on that freezing Saturday night.

French and Irish skaters yesterday met at a neutral ice rink in London to play out the ‘what if’ scenario, with former England favourite Will Greenwood in the middle.

Here’s what happened:

YouTube credit: Betfair

“There was no quarter asked or given,” said Greenwood afterwards, “and while it took the Irish lads time to warm up, they caught the French cold when it really mattered. Ultimately Ireland had too much skating power at the breakdown for Les Bleus this time around.’

”As for my own involvement, referees come in for a lot of stick but, given the conditions, this match was refereed spectacularly well, even if I say so myself!”

Click here for more of TheScore.ie’s SixNations coverage

Team news: Luke Fitzgerald back in the fold for Leinster

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