Wales Faces Uphill Battle In Paris Six Nations Opener Against French
Wales Faces Uphill Battle In Paris Six Nations Opener Against French
Wales takes on France in the Six Nations opener, facing a tough challenge against Fabien Galthie's squad. Can Gatland’s men defy the odds in Paris?
Under the Parisian night sky, surely this must be the start of a romantic hallmark creation where the goofy-but-lovable tourist falls head over heels in love with the suave local.
Surely, this pairing is not destined for one another; she is a high-powered lawyer, and he is but a humble waiter. Alas, of course, in the hallmark world, love trumps all, and they ride off into the beautiful late winter evening.
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For Warren Gatland and his Welsh squad, their hopes of sweeping Fabian Galthie’s success-starved Les Bleus off their feet and into the gutter is about as likely as the above scenario.
Nevertheless, all is not lost for Welsh Rugby fans!
As Springboks boss Rassie Erasmus previously noted, the Welsh are ‘tough f*****’ who, even in what feels like their darkest timeline, will not simply roll over.
Yet, the marker for what will deem Friday night’s opener a success or failure is far removed from the one of years gone by.
Adjusting expectations, the players from Wales will take to the Stade de France turf knowing they are out there for a free hit and will be itching to show improvement on 2024’s home hammering against the same, albeit, Antoine Dupont-less opposition.
Before we digress too far into the weeds of what defines success, let’s get to the pressing points ahead of the Championship’s first fixture.
Team News
Understanding the magnitude of the challenge at hand, Welsh boss Warren Gatland has recalled the experienced pairing of Liam Williams and Josh Adams for the clash. Between them, the pair bring 150 caps worth of experience and, crucially, a link to the golden generation of Six Nations winning squads.
Linking with the experienced pair in the back three is Tom Rogers, who slots in on the right wing.
Locking down the midfield is the experienced Nick Tompkins, who partners with Owen Watkin. Inside this pair are fly-half Ben Thomas and his halfback partner Tomos Williams.
In the pack, last year’s captain, Daffyd Jenkins, returns at lock, while Jac Morgan returns at openside flanker to captain the side. Joining Morgan in the back row are heavy hitters James Botham and Aaron Wainright.
In the front row, Evan Lloyd and Henry Thomas are given their first Wales starts alongside Gareth Thomas, while lock Will Rowlands partners with Jenkins in the second row.
For Les Bleus, Romain Ntamack returns at fly-half to join his Toulouse halfback partner Antoine Dupont as the conductors of the French machine.
Completing the backline is Theo Attissogbe, who replaces the injured Damian Penaud. The 20-year-old speedster joins fellow young gun Louis Bielle-Biarrey and veteran Thomas Ramos in the back three, while Pierre-Louis Barrassi is drafted in alongside Yoram Moefana in midfield.
Up front, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Peato Mauvaka and Uini Atonio form a powerful ball-carrying front row, and they will be backed up at scrum time by the lock pairing of Alexandre Roumat and Emmanuel Meafou.
In the back row, La Rochelle flanker Paul Boudehent fills in for Ollivon and joins Francois Cros and Gregory Alldritt to complete the pack.
Words From Camp
Speaking about the team he has selected for Friday’s clash, Welsh head coach Warren Gatland said, "I'm excited, the boys have been good.
"Ironically, I think there is more pressure on them [France] because of the expectation from their fans. They expect them to go out there, throw the ball around, score tries and entertain everyone.
"From my point of view, sometimes teams can go and overplay, particularly early on, try things and make mistakes and this gives you opportunities.
"We look back at last year, and we were in front for 60 odd minutes, and then their bench came on and had a massive impact in the last 15 minutes of the game; that's why we've tried to get the balance right with some of that experience of our players on the bench.
"I think they [Wales' players] are well aware of the task. We want to go out there, play some good rugby and do some things that potentially France aren't going to expect us to do."
Galthie had a more difficult time when discussing the selections of Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, who both recently were cleared of wrongdoing following their arrest last year in Argentina on allegations of sexual assault.
“There are questions that have been answered a lot,” Galthie said. “I have answered a lot. Today is the announcement of the French team and the players who deserve to play. I will focus only on these questions. We will focus on the match against Wales, on the Six Nations tournament and on the questions that concern rugby.
“I understand, and I hear the controversy that it could provoke, but we take complete responsibility for our decisions. There were necessary and obvious conditions around picking them.
“We only take into account performance. We have a competent coaching staff, and our decisions, our ranking system by position, are decisions that are never easy; it’s sometimes painful, but in the end, it needs to be simple and clear. They are players who have worked a lot to come through this difficult period, which is not over.”
Key Matchup
Across the board, France appears to hold the edge.
One area that certainly is close would be in the back row, where Wales has a group of bona fide ballers in Botham, Morgan and Wainwright. This trio is capable of going toe-to-toe with any combination in World Rugby.
Starting with Botham, who is a seek-and-destroy chop tackler who also brings a power-carrying game that gets his team on the front foot.
Morgan compliments Botham as an out-and-out fetcher who is a breakdown menace and is not impartial to a strong carry or big hit.
Finally, Wainwright is an explosive option off the back of a scrum and has the pace to make moves in open space.
Facing this pairing is a new-look combination in the French back row, albeit all three have incredible talents in their own right, starting with experienced No. 8 Gregory Alldritt, who captained France in last year’s Championship, as well as leading La Rochelle to two Investec Champions Cup titles.
Alldritt is among the truly elite backrows in World Rugby and brings a physical edge to the back of the French scrum that is nigh on impossible to stop with the first attempt under the new World Rugby laws.
His clubmate Boudehent is equally as destructive with the ball in hand and is a nuisance to try and stop from close range. In the tackle, the 25-year-old is a dominant figure, while at line-out time, he is a good jumper.
Completing this combination is Toulouse standout Francois Cros, who too is a good line-out jumper and a breakdown specialist who can pilfer the opposition’s possession at a moment’s notice.
Prediction
Of this weekend’s fixtures, this one on paper appears to be the most clear-cut result, with France as the heavy favorite.
As discussed above, the marker for success is significantly different for Wales than it was five years ago. In reality, this team, while there are signs for positivity long-term, is not at the level of the hosts.
What Wales will need to do is limit the crowd's influence by stunting Les Bleus' ability to get on the front foot. Should they get blown out at the first scrum, or concede an early try, the hosts will have their tails up and from that point, and there will be no turning back.
Being realistic, we can only see one winner. Even if Wales has its moments, this will be a baptism of fire for the new players in the Welsh squad. France by 25.
Team Lineups:
France
Thomas Ramos; Theo Attissogbe, Pierre-Louis Barrassi, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Romaine Ntamack, Antoine Dupont (capt); Jean-Baptiste Gros, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio; Alexandre Roumat, Emmanuel Meafou; Francois Cros, Paul Boudehent, Gregory Alldritt
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Cyril Baille, Georges-Henri Colombe, Hugo Auradou, Mickael Guillard, Oscar Jegou, Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton.
Wales
Liam Williams; Tom Rogers, Nick Tompkins, Owen Watkin, Josh Adams; Ben Thomas, Tomos Williams; Gareth Thomas, Evan Lloyd, Henry Thomas, Will Rowlands, Dafydd Jenkins, James Botham, Jac Morgan (capt) Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Keiron Assiratti, Freddie Thomas, Tommy Reffell, Rhodri Williams, Dan Edwards, Blair Murray.
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