It was clear from the opening that this match wouldn’t live
up to the veritable orgy of attractive, attacking rugby we’d been treated to
over last weekend and earlier in the afternoon.
A scrappy opening 15 minutes was dominated by handling errors and
countless scrums, which churned the pitch into something which resembled an 11
year old home economics student’s attempt at an apple crumble. The ball was spending most of the time on the
ground, with only two colossal hits by squat centre Mathieu Bastareaud livening
up proceedings, as well as couple of semi-effective carries from Mike Phillips
and Toby Faletau. The only arena in
which any side seemed to have an advantage was the scrum, in which Welsh front
row were under huge pressure, leading to numerous penalties throughout the match
– one of which, awarded against tight-head Adam Jones – was converted after 15
minutes by the infuriatingly inconsistent Freddie Michalak.
The game continued in much the same manner, with dropped passes
the order of the day, but at least some of the collisions between giant centres
Jamie Roberts and Bastareaud shook the teeth of the crowd who by now were
restless at the lack of incision by either side. Soon the French were called offside following
a solid period of Welsh possession, and Halfpenny smashed the kick over to
level the scores.
France had the chance to put an end to the dull monotony
that was transpiring in the centre of the field when full back Yoann Huget
scythed past Faletau and plunged a French attack deep into the Welsh 22. But Huget went from hero to villain in 30
seconds when he found himself in space with a screaming Wesley Fofana unmarked
on his outside, with the full back opting to throw the dummy and take the
contact himself. A superb turnover by Gethin
Jenkins, his first of 2 in the match, saw off the French threat.
Other than that, the first half ambled into the break with
no other action of note. Benjamin Fall
tried his best to inject some flair into the proceedings with a couple of
magnificent catches and half-breaks, but even he was well shackled. The ever-impatient French crowd let their
dissatisfaction be known as the players trudged off the field after 40 minutes,
but unfortunately for them, things were about to get much worse.
In much the same way as the previous week, Les Bleus seemed
to simply switch off as if they assumed their undoubted individual ability
would win the game for them without any application on their part. Once Phillips had jogged through the French
pack straight from the kick off, lock Yoann Maestri lazily went off his feet to
leave Halfpenny with a simple kick to take the Welsh out in front within 2
minutes of the restart. When France did
go down the other end, their execution was about as effective as an inflatable
dartboard – opting to go for a drop goal after fantastic build up play by
Dimitri Szarzewski and Maxime Machenaud, with Trinh Duc (on at full back after
an injury to Benjamin Fall) pushing the attempt wide. It was a waste of quality possession. Once again, the only men with any hold over
the opposition were the front row at scrumtime, who provided Michalak with
another chance to add 3 points following yet another collapse. The fly half duly levelled the scores, but
place-kicking was about the only thing going right for the Toulon man.
Aimless kicks, passes to nobody, missed tackles – Michalak
was symbiotic of a French team slowly imploding under a confidence
meltdown. Wales started to take a
stranglehold over the contact zone, with Ryan Jones and Andrew Coombs carrying
with purpose, and it was with this pressure the one magic moment of this dreary
affair occurred. Dan Biggar, who had
kicked well all game, dropped a delicate-cross kick over the French line to
George North, who gathered in his stride and slammed through Trinh-Duc’s tackle
to touch down superbly in the left hand corner with an inch to spare. It was a moment when you could almost
physically feel the Welsh belief return to them, with the sight of their giant
icon of a wing rising from the Paris turf with a triumphant smile on his
face. Halfpenny, rock-solid throughout,
nailed the conversion from out wide, before adding another 3 points five
minutes later after the panicking French had coughed up possession in their own
half.
France scuffed their way to the 80 minute mark with a series
of ineffectual attacks that were about as threatening as a new-born lamb
nuzzling it’s way out of a placenta.
They drifted left, they drifted right, they drifted backwards – never forwards. At the final whistle, the chorus of boos at
the Stade De France heralded a first win in 9 for the Welsh, and the return of
their confidence. For the French, it
signified the end of another woeful performance, initiated by poor selection
and executed by a lazy attitude that now has them as serious contenders for the
wooden spoon. It was an ugly sound for
Les Bleus, but to the Welsh – like the wretched match itself – it must have
seemed oh so sweet.
France Player Ratings:
Huget – 6 – A mesmerising break was followed by an
inexplicable reluctance to give Fofana a walk-in to the line. Didn’t contribute too much after.
Fofana – 5 – I genuinely feel sorry for him. He just couldn’t get into the game, but he is
shunted out on the wing when he is a centre – what does Saint-Andre expect?Bastareaud – 7 – Did what was expected of him, made yards and smashed tackles. Didn’t get the ball enough.
Mermoz – 4 – Utterly ineffectual. Was invisible throughout the match and that is just not good enough for an inside centre.
Fall – 7 – Showed some moments of genuine class and was a threat until he went off.
Michalak – 3 – Appalling. He is a fine scrum half but was lost at 10. He showed no invention combined with a shocking lack of execution from hand and from foot.
Machenaud – 6 – Tried his best to bring his forwards into the game and had a few decent darts.
Forestier – 6 – Helped win a couple of penalties at scrum time, which accounted for all the French points.
Szarzewski – 7 – The hairy hooker carried well and was lively throughout, and part of dominant set piece.
Mas – 6 – Like his front row partner, was partly responsible for all of his team’s points, so he can’t have been bad.
Suta – 5 – The big man should really have more impact with the ball in hand, but his upright body angle means he is stopped far too easily.
Maestri – 6 – The lock ruined his good work in defence, where he had been energetic, by giving away several silly penalties.
Ouedraogo – 6 – Was a lively presence in the carry and on defence but unable to make significant inroads either way.
Dusautoir – 5 – This is the second week in the row the inspirational captain has not been able to raise a performance. He must be getting concerned.
Picamoles – 7 – Carried with purpose and made yards but didn’t get the ball enough to be at his destructive best.
Replacements used:
Kayser – 5 – Carried on the good work in the scrum but
offered little else.
Debaty – 5 – Again, was a threat in the tight but didn’t
contribute in the loose.Ducalcon – 5 – Was anonymous from when he came on, couldn’t break the stubborn Welsh defence.
Taofifenua – 4 – A large waste of space. He should be crashing through tackles but instead he stops and waits for contact before trying impossible offloads and throwing the ball away.
Chouly – 6 – Carried well whenever he got the chance but unfortunately for him, it wasn’t too often.
Parra – 6 – Looked sharp when he came on and tried to inject some urgency, but nobody was on his page.
Trinh-Duc – 4 – A missed drop goal and a missed tackle were his contributions, but he is a fine fly half being forced out of position, so it is difficult to be harsh on him.
Fritz – Not enough time to make an impact.
Wales Player
Ratings
Halfpenny – 7 – A rock under the high ball and an absolutely nerveless place kicker. Also made a break which was a joy to see in this game.
Cuthbert – 5 – Struggled to get involved and impose himself on the game, but it wasn’t that sort of match.
Davies – 6 – Better from the Scarlet, took the right options at the right time without being spectacular.
Roberts – 5 – Came off second best against Bastareaud. When was the last time he had a real impact on a game?
North – 7 – Almost invisible throughout and then – bang – world class finish. The sign of a top-level winger.
Biggar – 8 – Kicked intelligently throughout, and laid on the perfect kick for the Welsh try. Man of the match.
Phillips – 7 – a much improved performance, making an impressive break. However, still threw some awful passes
Jenkins – 7 – Struggled at scrumtime a bit but forced a couple of turnovers which was great work for the prop
Hibbard – 6 – His coach at Ospreys says he is the best hooker in Europe. He isn’t. Solid at the lineout, despite a few wobbles, but would have liked to have seen more of his carrying.
A Jones – 5 – Struggled in the scrum and offered little elsewhere. I am continually fed up with people who put him in a Lions XV when he hasn’t been fit or in form for nearly a year now.
Coombs – 8 – In my opinion, a revelation for Wales. An absolute workhorse who carries and tackles with relish.
I Evans – 7 – A very strong defensive effort from the big man, throwing himself around with some force.
R Jones (captain) – 7 – A good performance by the veteran, despite being smashed backwards a few times early on. He carried well in the 2nd half and led the defence with conviction.
Tipuric – 7 – Didn’t get the open game he was hoping for and struggled to have a big impact in that sense, but his tackle count was superb.
Faletau – 6 – A solid game from the 8, couldn’t quite break free of the French shackles though.
K Owens – 6 – An able replacement for Hibbard, hit his rucks with real aggression
P James – 6 – Not the best day in the scrum but acquitted himself well in defence.
Mitchell – No time to make an impact.
Reed – No time to make an impact.
Shingler – No time to make an impact.
L Williams – No time to make an impact.
S Williams – No time to make an impact.
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