Wales vs France - Round 3 “Redemption”

First topic message reminder :

Getting your backside kicked and realising your faults can make you a far better and stronger team. Should you go on for a lengthy period without teams finding the flaws in your game you are likely to get a big surprise one day when said period ends..!

Ireland played really well last Saturday, they found flaws in wales defence and attack. I think we all knew our set piece hasn’t been world class but that has been the case for a long time.

Next we face the French, now one of only two teams who can claim a grandslam should their winning run continue and they look pretty handy. They neither look like the french teams of old, Sella, Penaud, Blanco and St Andre nor do they look like the recent sides of Vahmina, Basteraud and an endless stream of different flyhalfs.

Both teams are new to their coaches, both teams are looking to push on from their past and polish their game. France look better than this time last year, Wales maybe not so much...!

Sure going to be a great game.

Wales:

15. Leigh Halfpenny (87 Caps)
14. George North (93 Caps)
13. Nick Tompkins (2 Caps)
12. Hadleigh Parkes (27 Caps)
11. Josh Adams (23 Caps)
10. Dan Biggar (81 Caps)
9. Gareth Davies (52 Caps)

1. Wyn Jones (24 Caps)
2. Ken Owens (75 Caps)
3. Dillon Lewis (24 Caps)
4. Jake Ball (44 Caps)
5. Alun Wyn Jones (C) (136 Caps)
6. Ross Moriarty (43 Caps)
7. Justin Tipuric (74 Caps)
8. Taulupe Faletau (74 Caps)

Replacements:
16. Ryan Elias (11 Caps)
17. Rob Evans (37 Caps)
18. Leon Brown (8 Caps)
19. Will Rowlands (Uncapped)
20. Aaron Wainwright (20 Caps)
21. Tomos Williams (18 Caps)
22. Jarrod Evans (5 Caps)
23. Johnny McNicholl (2 Caps)


France

15. Anthony Bouthier (Montpellier)
14. Teddy Thomas (Racing 92)
13. Virimi Vakatawa (Racing 92)
12. Arthur Vincent (Montpellier)
11. Gaël Fickou (Stade Français)
10. Romain Ntamack (Toulouse)
9. Antoine Dupont (Toulouse)

1. Cyril Baille (Toulouse)
2. Julien Marchand (Toulouse)
3. Mohamed Haouas (Montpellier)
4. Bernard Le Roux (Racing 92)
5. Paul Willemse (Montpellier)
6. François Cros (Toulouse)
7. Charles Ollivon (Toulon) (c)
8. Grégory Alldritt (La Rochelle)

Replacements:
16. Camille Chat (Racing 92)
17. Jean-Baptiste Gros (Toulon)
18. Demba Bamba (Lyon)
19. Romain Taofifenua (Toulon)
20. Dylan Cretin (Lyon)
21. Baptiste Serin (Toulon)
22. Matthieu Jalibert (Bordeaux-Bègles)
23. Thomas Ramos (Toulouse)

Gregory has lost the head there. Just too much adrenaline?

Could be an important end to the half now

It’s the same penalty from France every time we’re here. Surely another yellow?

Guess what.

France are offside nearly every ruck

Oh well another 10 penalties given away by France since their yellow. Crap attack from Wales though.

Both teams at every ruck are just falling over the top. It's a mess

Wales should of took the 3 points there.

Also only 3 mins of the yellow left

Wales should have settled for the guaranteed three and got to within a score. Now they’ve wasted half of the sin bin period and got nowt.

Great half of rugby.

Oh dear. Terrible from Wales.

France have payed some great rugby ion the first half....if they can play like that in the second half Wales will be on the end of a thrashing.

France tailed off in their previous matches and Wales are the come-back kings so this is far from over ...

Wales will be kicking themselves at the end there. France are really pushing it with their defending and pens. Some clearing of the heads at half time and I suspect they are well set to win this.

majesticimperialman wrote:France have payed some great rugby ion the first half....if they can play like that in the second half Wales will be on the end of a thrashing.

Recent 2nd halves by France would suggest the opposite.

Too much intensity also lead to penalties. Would be surprised if France can keep their stamina after tackling 135 times.

Cyril Baille injured and replaced at HT.

Credit to France here, they’re doing pretty well just running the clock down.

Dillon Lewis, forget show boat... that was a dream boat!

Nice try by Wales.

See if France are as unfit as some think they are now. Wales will go to the end..

Oh dear...i spoke to soon.

Sh’t.

Blimey.

Great intercept try by France....Wales could be in trouble here.

Romain is pulling the strings tonight.

I think the intercept is probably enough. The coaching staff will just have France defend now, and their defence looks like it’s enough to win this game.

Thomas has managed to be more useless tonight than usual. Looks like he scared of the ball.

mikey_dragon wrote:I think the intercept is probably enough. The coaching staff will just have France defend now, and their defence looks like it’s enough to win this game.

I'm not sure it's in the French player's nature to just defend.

formerly known as Sam wrote:

mikey_dragon wrote:I think the intercept is probably enough. The coaching staff will just have France defend now, and their defence looks like it’s enough to win this game.

I'm not sure it's in the French player's nature to just defend.

Depends if they wanna deal with Edwards after the match.

If Edwards has his say this would be the last game of Thomas for France

whocares wrote:If Edwards has his say this would be the last game of Thomas for France

Good attacking player but quite erratic in defence.

Got’away with murder here

Only thing that saved him was he managed to do it without looking directly at the ball

Terrible call. It was clearly slapped down.

Well that’s a talking point.

Think the ref is right, taking a lead out of footy rule book and saying it’s not clear and obvious to overturn the original call of knock on.

Everyone who plays rugby knows that Willimese intentionally knocked it on disguised as a tackle, he just fooled everyone very very well

Huge call but the correct one I think - he was going for the tackle. O'Connell and jiffy getting a bit carries away IMO.

Could easily have gone the other way though - really difficult one to call.

Not a high tackle at all and barely a slap down. Penalty try? No way.

Well I’ve wanted to see Biggar at 12 for a while. Now I get my wish.

The commentary in this game in particular is absolutely dreadful.

Ha ha Jiffy shwing his bias..."Penalty try!!!! YELLOW CARD!!!!" Lol

Literally no idea what’s going on now.

GeordieFalcon wrote:Ha ha Jiffy shwing his bias..."Penalty try!!!! YELLOW CARD!!!!" Lol

Love it - commentators go on about how bad a scrummager the French replacement is, he then eats his opposite man alive!

Commentators curse Rdw...ha ha

Awful reffing has just killed a game, penalty to france was embarrassing of a call.

Penalty try was debatable, but I'm not sure a bout you guys I've never slapped downward in the tackle

I said Carre should have been in over Evans. Another wrong call from Pivac. Him and Hayward need to be held accountable.

France for the grand slam.

I don't think he grounded that...i tihnk there was a hand under the ball

Crazy tmo decision

Exciting last 5 now

Yeah but Biggar never loses possession apparently. That's a gift to Wales. Looked like he fumbled it onto the arm of the French player to me.

Rowlands is a class ‘Welsh’ player isn’t he.

Collapse2005 wrote:Crazy tmo decision

But the one for Ireland wasn’t, jeez open the other eye.

And Ntamack goes off after a Welsh player clatters him nowhere near the ball after Biggar goes over. Not sure what the TMO has been watching this game.

He let the French lock get away with that knock in as well.