Match report
Luke McLaughlin was our man at the Principality, so I’ll leave you with his match report. Au revoir ...
Four down, one to go. France’s mission for the grand slam, and their first title since 2010 rumbles on, but how Wales made them work for it. Les Bleus were fancied to dominate the defending champions but, as they have demonstrated so often, the Welsh are not easily intimidated.
An early try by Anthony Jelonch ultimately proved decisive but the life was so nearly squeezed from the French grand slam attempt on an incredibly nervy night. But they won ugly, and will welcome England to Paris next weekend going for a clean sweep.
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So, France’s narrow victory tonight means that if they beat England at home next Saturday, they will win the Six Nations title and seal a first grand slam since 2010.
Don’t forget to join us tomorrow for live coverage of England v Ireland. If Eddie Jones’ side win, they’ll set up a title decider in Paris. If Ireland prevail, they’ll need a favour from England and a win over Scotland on the final weekend.
And here’s Wayne Pivac: “Pride and disappointment, you’ve summed it up. We had our opportunities [for a try] in the second half, didn’t get it, were right in it until the end. After a performance like that, we want to get back out there and get the win in front of our own fans.” They end their campaign at home to Italy, so have a big chance to finish on a high.
The BBC has a chat with France’s team manager, Raphaël Ibañez: “It was a tense battle with many mistakes, but winning the game [gives us] a great opportunity next week. Sometimes, you play outstanding rugby ... sometimes you have to have discipline, do well in the set piece.”
Here’s Dan Biggar, probably the standout individual on the pitch even in defeat. “I thought we were the better team for large parts of the game ... but we didn’t nail those big moments, and that cost us the game. I’m so proud of the lads, how they stuck to it against the form team in world rugby at the moment.”
Here are the thoughts of France’s Paul Willemse: “We’re really happy with the result, even though it wasn’t a clean match. We need to work more on the basic stuff, discipline, getting out of our half – we’ll be working on that. This is an amazing team to be a part of, I think we can do great things.”
I don’t think that game was what anyone expected – and a huge amount of credit is due to Wales for dragging France into a gruelling battle. At half-time, it looked like the visitors would either find another gear, or fold under the pressure.
In the end, they did neither, instead holding off Wales’ undercooked attack again and again, and grinding out a win that might be even more satisfying than the swashbuckling wins over Ireland and at Murrayfield.
Full time! Wales 9-13 France
Wales try one final, tired run at the blue wall in front of them – but neither Biggar nor Anscombe can find a gap, and Mauvaka steps up to strip the ball away. Game over – and France are 80 minutes away from the grand slam!
79 mins: Penalty advantage to Wales, and they will take a scrum. There’s a stoppage in play for the physio; when they restart, Wales will have 30 seconds of normal time. It’s now or never.
78 mins: France win a lineout and dig in, taking valuable seconds off the clock. By the time Wales regain possession, they have 90 seconds to cover three-quarters of the field ...
Missed penalty! Jaminet lines it up, looking to stretch the French lead to a converted try. He’s got the distance ... but not the accuracy, his effort drifting a few feet wide left.
75 mins: Wales try to regain some forward momentum, but Will Rowlands gets isolated and Danty intercepts, forcing the penalty. Will Jaminet kick for goal, close to the halfway line? He will!
73 mins: Ireland and Scotland showed that the French defence could be unlocked; the problem for them was at the other end. Aside from Jelonch’s early try, Wales have kept France out – but can’t break their defence down.
The hosts push on from the scrum, but Dan Biggar is short of options and Romain Ntamack intercepts! Wales are caught off-guard, penalised, and the pressure is lifted.
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72 mins: Dupont is off, replaced by Maxime Lucu. That’s a big call from Galthie, trusting his replacement to see out this win.
70 mins: Jaminet collects a high ball, before Biggar and Ntamack exchange kicks. France are still so passive, and now Wales have an offside penalty advantage. Eventually, Rees-Zammit kicks into touch, and Wales opt for a scrum on the French 22. This is the crunch, alright.
68 mins: Wyn Jones is back on for Thomas, with Gareth Anscombe replacing Liam Williams.
67 mins: Rees-Zammit comes in on the wing, with Adams moving to centre. His first involvement is to make a big tackle to stop French momentum – it’s been that kind of game, strange and unpredictable. Flament, who has only just come on, is penalised for flipping Josh Adams over in the tackle – and is perhaps lucky to avoid a yellow card.
66 mins: France win a lineout and advance upfield, with Romain Ntamack kicking for goal in a bid to stretch the lead to seven. It’s a hooked effort from an awkward spot that drifts just wide.
65 mins: Dylan Cretin and Thibaud Flament are on for France as Galthie tries to reinforce his pack. And for Wales, it’s time for Louis Rees-Zammit, who replaces Davies. The sight of the youngster waiting on the sideline draws a roar of approval from the home fans.
63 mins: Dupont was the man on hand to intercept as the ball came loose – had Davies held it, Dupont was the only man between him and the try-line. What a big chance for Wales.
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62 mins: Ross Moriarty replaces Seb Davies, who has impressed out of position in the back row. From the restart, Biggar kicks out wide to Faletau, who offloads to Jonathan Davies ... but with gaps opening up ahead, the ball squirms from his grasp!
60 mins: Hardy has gone down with an injury after hauling down Danty. He replaced Tomos Williams earlier on; Wayne Pivac will be desparatelt hoping he can carry on. Tomas Francis has gone off, replaced by Dillon Lewis.
59 mins: Jaminet throws a hand up needlessly to tip the ball away from Cuthbert, and from the scrum, Danty knocks on! The penalties are piling up – but can Wales take advantage?
57 mins: Francestill look solid in defence, but ill-discipline costs them in attack as a blue shirt is caught offside. Up in the gantry, Fabien Galthie exhales deeply. The penalty is too far for Biggar to kick for goal; he opts for the touchline, and a Wales lineout.
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55 mins: Ryan Elias’ battling stint at hooker is over, with Dewi Lake replacing him. A rare set-piece error from Wales but they win it back, thanks to a stray boot from Alldritt in the ruck.
54 mins: Peato Mauvaka and Jean-Baptiste Gros are on, so France have a completely changed front row. That’s a sign of how many problems Wales are giving their forwards – but the hosts could use some points on the board in this half.
52 mins: Wales win the scrum and keep knocking on the door, but again France soak it up and Faletau, who has been such a commanding presence, is penalised for a neck-roll on Alldritt.
50 mins: An error under the high ball from Ntamack hands Wales the put-in at a scrum. In the French front row, Mohamed Haouas is on for Uini Atonio.
48 mins: The Welsh maul rolls towards the line but gets broken up, Ryan Elias all alone and engulfed in blue shirts. They actually haul him over the try-line, confident that he’ll be unable to ground it. So it proves, and France can kick clear.
47 mins: Now Wales have a penalty, close to the halfway line, and Biggar continues an excellent display with a precise kick to the corner. Beard wins the lineout ...
Penalty! Wales 9-13 France (Jaminet)
Jaminet slots the three points from under the posts. It’s been a strong start to the second half from France.
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44 mins: Villiere shows his versatility with a smart dummy run to create a gap in the Welsh defence. France get over the gain line, create some pressure and Wales concede a penalty ...
42 mins: After an early kicking battle, Wales try to move forward but find the blue wall unmovable. Cuthbert gets isolated, and Villière is there to wrestle the ball free. France have a penalty regardless, and a chance to turn the screw early in this half.
Second half
Here we go, then – a big test for France’s title and grand slam ambitions coming up ...
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“All of us in Ireland are obviously rooting for Wales tonight,” writes John Rogers. “Wales in Cardiff only a point down at halftime — this is a real test for France. Wales have fight in the belly that Scotland wished they had. On a side note; I love Friday night Six Nations — more please!”
“I haven’t had a chance yet this season to ask for a mention for the late Dan Lucas. He is always in my thoughts at this time of year. A gentleman who will remain hugely missed.” I’m so glad Dan is remembered fondly by many readers – he was a brilliant writer with a huge passion for rugby. He brought so much to our coverage, and he’s in my thoughts too on big nights like this.
This really is a fantastic game of rugby @niallmcveigh. France are both on the cusp of wonder tries and also pretty rattled by a really fired up Wales. The line out and gain line aren't working yet. And can we all just sit back and marvel at the evergreen Taulupe Faleatu. ❤️
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) March 11, 2022
Agreed – France made an ominous start, but Wales’ tactics have worked and the visitors haven’t been able to play their usual game. An intriguing, and very important, 40 minutes to come.
Half time! Wales 9-10 France
Jaminet tries for a drop goal, drifting low and well wide. That was a little desperate, and will give Wales more encouragement after a stirring first-half effort. France lead by just one.
Penalty! Wales 9-10 France
France concede the penalty underneath the posts and Hardy, now back in the middle of things, considers a quick restart – but they opt for the unmissable three points, Dan Biggar cutting the gap to one.
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36 mins: Wales win the lineout and work the ball swiftly from right to left, with Liam Williams filling in at scrum-half as Hardy is caught out of position ...
34 mins: After what had been a pretty routine spell of northern hemisphere rugby, both teams push up and engage in an unexpected passing duel after Dupont’s kick is blocked. Not one, but two French front-rowers pull off back-handed passes, but the end result is a Biggar kick downfield, into the corner, and a big swing in momentum. It’s a ‘50-22’ kick, bouncing before going into touch, so it’s a Wales lineout.
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32 mins: Gareth Thomas is back on, with Wyn Jones returning to the bench.
31 mins: Wales get the scrum in a good field position, retain the ball and rumble downfield – but France hold firm and Adam Beard gets isolated. France penalty, and they can clear the lines.
29 mins: This game feels finely poised, with Wales standing up well and France not quite clicking into gear. The sides exchange free kicks as Carley clamps down on the scrums. Biggar launches a high, spiralling kick and Gregory Alldritt knocks it on ...
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27 mins: Wales edge the next kicking battle, and end up with a scrum in midfield. Another tricky play off the training ground, with Hardy attacking the blind side and trying a grubber kick, which just evades Alex Cuthbert on the right flank.
24 mins: Wales go again, still finding pockets of space in the French defence, and Owen Watkin kicks through to the corner. A France lineout, and Wales have had some joy with these so far. But not this time, Woki rising highest to collect.
22 mins: Wales are whistled for a knock-on in the build-up, so France get a scrum – and the Welsh pack collapses, to the sound of a collective sigh from the stands.
21 mins: Alex Cuthbert absolutely leathers a kick downfield, which results in a Welsh lineout. From it, Wales spring forward and Hardy launches a high up and under from five metres out. It causes a flutter of panic in the French defence, batted beyond the try-line, but all-action wing Gabin Villière collects.
20 mins: Thomas has to go off for an assessment, so Wyn Jones replaces him in the front row. This is hard enough for Wales without injuries piling up ...
18 mins: France’s approach so far has been to kick, soak up Welsh pressure and then push back with interest. Gareth Thomas produces a fine tackle to stop Dupont in his tracks, with both players needing a look from the physio afterwards.
Penalty! Wales 6-10 France (Biggar) Reasons to be cheerful for the home fans here, though – after standing up in the scrum, they get downfield and force a penalty. Biggar converts from close range to cut the deficit.
“Cracking game so far, but just wondering why so many empty seats?” asks David Carroll. It’s thought that the Principality is about 10,000 below capacity tonight, with most of the empty seats at one end.
There are a few factors, as far as I can tell – tickets are around £100, while the kick-off time and Covid concerns are also issues. Perhaps, also, pessimism among Welsh fans over the outcome.
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12 mins: Williams is off, replaced by Kieran Hardy at scrum-half. It looked like a problem with his right knee, but I can’t be sure. All in all, that was a damaging passage of play for Wales.
TRY! Wales 3-10 France (Jelonch)
Jaminet collects and immediately offloads, sparking a blue wave downfield. They scurry to the right, with Tomos Williams going down with an injury. Dupont recycles the ball and France have numbers out on the left, with Jaminet finding Anthony Jelonch on the overlap. They made that look frighteningly easy, and Jaminet adds the extras.
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8 mins: France lose momentum and there’s a brief exchange of kicks, before Liam Williams launches one that’s high and short ...
6 mins: Wales have the ball for the first scrum, but France get a free kick as Tomos Williams delays his put-in. France take another scrum, looking to gain an early edge in the forward battle ...
Penalty! Wales 3-3 France The hosts get an immediate chance to make amends, France penalised for obstruction after Gregory Alldritt spills the ball. Dan Biggar kicks the points, and we’re all square.
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Penalty! Wales 0-3 France (Jaminet) Melvyn Jaminet lines up the kick, tilts his head and slots inside the left-hand upright. France lead!
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1 min: France are first to surge forward, Dupont finding a gap, offloading to Paul Willemse and getting Wales in early bother. Navidi is penalised for holding on, and it’s an early chance for three points ...
Kick-off
With the atmosphere suitably turned up to 11, referee Matthew Carley toots his whistle and France get us started.
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Both sets of players are out, standing together in solidarity against racism, and also showing their collective support for the people of Ukraine. Now it’s time for the anthems, two classics of the genre.
The Principality Stadium is not sold out tonight but it’s filling up nicely, with Bread of Heaven blasting out over the PA. Ten minutes to kick-off ...
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Here’s the Wales head coach, Wayne Pivac: “Looking forward to this one, certainly a great match last time out ... Seb Davies is a big guy, he’s good in the wide channels and will help in the lineout.
“We’ve talked about playing in the right areas, we don’t know if the rain will come down but if it does, making sure we apply some pressure, get some territory – making sure we make a good start, and discipline comes into that as well.”
Looking ahead to Saturday’s action quickly, here’s Gerard Meagher on England, and Eddie Jones trying to find a balance between Six Nations success and preparing for next year’s World Cup – in France.
Tomas Francis starts tonight, despite suffering a head injury against England – a move that has sparked some controversy. Wayne Pivac defended the decision earlier this week:
“We have a very experienced medical team who we think are world class. The return-to-play protocols set by World Rugby have been followed. They are very stringent.
“We have gone the extra mile in terms of Tomas and got an independent concussion specialist involved. He has the history of the player, has looked at the footage of the match and understands the protocols, and he is supportive of the fact that the player has been cleared to be selected.
“It is not something we do lightly, because a player’s health and well-being is in the forefront of all these decisions.”
The Wales captain for tonight’s game, Dan Biggar, knows what his side are up against.
They’re the real deal. We realise that this French team is different to the previous French teams that we’ve played over the years. The size of the pack, the in-form players that they’ve got, the coaching setup and who they’ve brought in.
Read more in Daniel Gallan’s match preview:
Team news
Four changes for Wales, with Josh Navidi back after five months out. Seb Davies, Jonathan Davies and prop Gareth Thomas also come in, with Tomas Francis clearing concussion protocols after suffering a head injury at Twickenham.
France’s captain and scrum-half, Antoine Dupont, has overcome a training injury but Damian Penaud is absent after contracting Covid-19; Gabin Villière starts in his place.
Wales: L Williams, Cuthbert, Watkin, J Davies, Adams, Biggar (c), T Williams; G Thomas, Elias, Francis, Rowlands, Beard, S Davies, Navidi, Faletau.
Replacements: Lake, Wyn Jones, D Lewis, Moriarty, Morgan, Hardy, Anscombe, Rees-Zammit.
France: Jaminet, Moefana, Fickou, Danty, Villière, Ntamack, Dupont (c); Baille, Marchand, Atonio, Woki, Willemse, Cros, Alldritt, Jelonch.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Gros, Haouas, Flament, Cretin, Lucu, Ramos, Lebel.
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Preamble
In the era that bridged two centuries, when the Five Nations became Six, it was hard to imagine France ever enduring a barren decade in the tournament. Les Bleus won the grand slam in 1997, 1998, 2002 and 2004, also winning the title in 2006 and 2007. Another slam followed in 2010 but defeat in the 2011 World Cup final marked a long, slow decline.
The appointment of head coach Fabien Galthie and an influx of young talent have led to a dramatic resurgence and after two second-placed finishes, this free-scoring French side are two wins from ending a 12-year wait for the title, and the slam. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves – before facing England in Paris, they have to get a result under the lights in Cardiff.
France’s 27-23 victory here in 2020 was a major milestone in their revival, and one of a number of titanic tussles with Wales in recent years. Wayne Pivac’s defending champions were overrun in Dublin but have found their inner grit, and will relish the chance to end France’s grand slam dream after being cruelly denied in Paris last year.
In short, it’s on. Kick-off is at 8pm (GMT).
