France Hammer Woeful Wales to Keep Grand Slam Ambitions Alive

France maintained their relentless march toward a Grand Slam with a devastating eight-try, 54-12 demolition of Wales at the Principality Stadium. On a somber afternoon for Welsh rugby, Les Bleus set a new scoring record in Cardiff, leaving the hosts to reflect on a 13th consecutive Six Nations defeat and a mounting crisis on and off the field.

French Flair Silences the Principality

From the opening whistle, the gulf in class was cavernous. Within two minutes, Antoine Dupont and Charles Ollivon combined to release Emilien Gailleton for the opening score. The French onslaught continued as Matthieu Jalibert’s surgical cross-kick found Louis Bielle-Biarrey, who finished for his 23rd international try.

Wales’ tactical kicking was repeatedly punished by the French back three. A searing break from Bielle-Biarrey set the stage for debutant Fabien Brau-Boirie to glide over, handing France a 19-point lead within the first quarter. While Rhys Carre managed to power over from a short-range penalty move to give the home fans a rare moment of cheer, the reprieve was short-lived.

A catastrophic error by Adam Beard, whose attempted clearing kick was charged down by Theo Attissogbe, allowed Jalibert to canter in for the bonus-point try before the interval. France headed into the sheds with a commanding 26-7 lead, having recorded a staggering 19 clean breaks in the first half alone.

Second-Half Procession

The second half was a clinical display of power and precision from the defending champions. Julien Marchand marked his 50th cap by crashing over from a well-constructed driving maul, before Attissogbe finally got the reward his industry deserved, finishing two rapid-fire scores following more Jalibert wizardry.

As the Welsh defense frayed, veteran lock Charles Ollivon added an eighth try, further extending his record as France’s leading forward try-scorer. Wales offered a late, spirited rally through the carrying of Aaron Wainwright and Eddie James, eventually sending Mason Grady over for a consolation score, but it did little to mask the historical nature of the defeat.

Apathy and Records in Cardiff

The attendance of 57,744 marked the lowest non-Covid era crowd for a Six Nations match at the stadium, a worrying sign of the growing apathy surrounding the national side. While France look forward to a home clash with Italy to maintain their unbeaten status, Wales are staring at a third successive Wooden Spoon. With 302 points conceded in their last six outings, Steve Tandy’s men face a daunting task as a rejuvenated Scotland side heads to Cardiff next weekend.

Line-ups

WALES

15-Rees-Zammit; 14-Mee, 13-James, 12-Hawkins, 11-Adams; 10-Edwards, 9-T. Williams; 1-Carre, 2-Lake (capt), 3-Francis; 4-Jenkins, 5-Beard; 6-Wainwright, 7-Mann, 8-Cracknell.

Replacements: Elias, Smith, Griffin, Carter, Plumtree, Hardy, J. Evans, Grady.

FRANCE

15-Ramos; 14-Attissogbe, 13-Gailleton, 12-Brau-Boirie, 11-Bielle-Biarrey; 10-Jalibert, 9-Dupont (capt); 1-Gros, 2-Marchand, 3-Aldegheri; 4-Ollivon, 5-Guillard; 6-Cros, 7-Jegou, 8-Jelonch.

Replacements: Lamothe, Neti, Montagne, Flament, Meafou, Nouchi, Serin, Nene.