Bull on Jones.
Here’s Rob Kitson’s match report
@bloodandmud i'm not sure i've ever seen a match with so many potential tries held up
— el pibe (@away__kit) March 20, 2021
How many was it, six? Even if it wasn’t six it was still some ridiculous amount within a ridiculous game
Rafael Ibanez is reflecting on the game
“An incredible finish. The intensity was huge and credit to Wales they fought until the end, at times we were under pressure and made some mistakes, but in the end the result is what matters and we scored a great try at the end. We still have a chance to win and we will regroup this week and work hard.”
Alun Wyn Jones is speaking
We didn’t win the game, we were pretty good for 80 minutes, but our indiscipline put a lot of pressure on ourselves as well as the French play. We hope we’ve made people back home proud but we weren’t quite good enough tonight.
Wales perhaps can point to not scoring enough with the monstrous amount of possession they had up to 50 mins, but from where this team came from six months ago they today looked in great form as they did for large parts of the tournament.
This will hurt, but when they go to bed tonight they are still in with the best shout of winning the whole thing and who called that?
Updated
That’s a bonus point win for France, meaning they can win the whole show if they score four tries vs Scotland next Friday and win by 21 points in the rearranged fixture.
I’m not predicting anything after tonight.
Updated
FULL TIME! France 32 - 30 Wales
Ntamack misses the conversion and the game is over!
What a game, what a finish.
TRY! France 32 - 30 Wales (Brice Dulin)
80+2 mins. THE GRAND SLAM IS OFF and France’s championship is back on!
Updated
80 mins. France have the ball on the Wales 22 and come left then right but Wales stand strong for now
79 mins. Wales concede a penalty for sealing off and Ntamack will send the ball into the Wales half for a last chance attack from a lineout.
This is it, folks...
79 mins. France knock it on! Wales have 90 seconds to navigate with the ball to win the Grand Slam!
78 mins. France have the ball in their own half and are probing the left side of the Wales defence.
TRY! France 27 - 30 Wales (Charles Ollivon)
77 mins. Alldritt has a dart, is stopped short but the captain makes no mistake from a few feet out. Ntamack converts.
Wales are now looking ragged and nervous.
Updated
76 mins. France take a scrum on the Wales 5 metre line and Wyn Jones is pinged for collapsing it. Les Bleus ask for another and the clock oozes slowly towards the 80th minute.
YELLOW CARD! Liam Willams (Wales)
74 mins. Actually it won’t be fourteen each as Williams is off his feet in France’s next possession and he’s also given the card treatment.
Updated
YELLOW CARD! Taulupe Faletau (Wales)
72 mins. Ollivon is over the line but is once again held up, which makes three that Wales have held up - some effort. In the build up Taulupe Faletau was offside and as Wales were on a warning he’s despatched to the bin. It’ll be fourteen-a-side for thre rest of the match.
Updated
70 mins. Cammille Chat is on for Marchand and his first contribution is to miss his man in the lineout to let Wales out of their own 22. Impact.
Lots of changes for Wales
Callum Sheedy for Biggar
Elliot Dee for Ken Owens
Leon Brown for Tomas Francis
Willis Halaholo for Jon Davies.
NO TRY AND RED CARD! Paul Willemse (France)
68 mins. The try is scrubbed off and the French second row is out of the game for making contact with the eye area of Wyn Jones. Completely unnecessary from the big lock and he can blame no-one but himself.
Updated
67 mins. Wales are offside in the tackle line from the France scrum five and Les Bleus take another scrum five.
The ball is fed to Vakatawa who is stopped short of the line and France are sending waves of carries at the Wales line and under penalty advantage the ball goes all the way left to Dulin who steps Liam Williams to touch down.
But wait! In a ruck in the build up Paul Willemse cleared out Wyn Jones and put his fingers near his eye so it’s a ref/TMO conference and we wait.
Huge call this.
Updated
65 mins. It’s a catch and drive from France before Marchand crashes over from the back of the maul, but it looks like a combination of Rees Zammit, Tomos Williams and Faletau hold the big man up. The call on the field is held up and the TMO can see nothing to change it.
Fantastic clutch defence from Wales.
63 mins. France have a good attack up into the Wales 22, forcing the visitors to concede a couple of penalties which will see the home side have another go at the line from a lineout on the Welsh 5m line.
PENALTY! France 20 - 30 Wales (Dan Biggar)
59 mins. Dan Biggar calmly extends his team’s lead once again.
If Wales lose this from here then I don’t know anything about this game anymore.
YELLOW CARD! Mohammed Haouas (France)
58 mins. Wales are back in the France 22 and Justin Tipuric wins a clean lineout that leads to a huge rolling maul that the French defence halt. The ball is sent right to Louis Rees Zammit who gets the ball down in the smallest amount of space available which is an inch away from being an unbelievable finish.
However, the maul was deliberately stopped by Mohammed Haouas who is sent to the bin for his trouble.
Updated
57 mins. Liam Williams puts Dulin under pressure with a kick into coffin corner but the France fullback runs it out to the 22, beating seven players in the process. This sets up an attack on the left touchline that nearly puts Thomas away but for a brilliant covering tap-tackle by Biggar.
The Wales 10 is having a wonderful game.
Cory Hill is on for Adam Beard.
PENALTY! France 20 - 27 Wales (Romain Ntamack)
54 mins. France have their first proper phased possession of the half and are slowly inching further into the Wales half before Vakatawa’s offload can’t find Penaud’s hands and drifts into touch. However, there was a no-arms tackle from Tipuric earlier and France have a penalty back in midfield on the 22 which Ntamack slots through the sticks.
TRY! France 17 - 27 Wales (Josh Adams)
5o mins. There is no clear evidence, try given!
Biggar converts.
TMO! Potential Wales Try!
49 mins. France have a few phases after the restart but Navidi clamps on and Wales have a penalty to clear their lines. From the lineout another big box-kick is put up and this time Teddy Thomas can’t grab it and Wales will have another attack from a scrum in the Blue half. They bring it all the way left and Tipuric sends a lovely kick into the 22. The ball is on the ground with bodies diving on it; Tomos Williams, on for Gareth Davies just moments ago jumps on it, feeds Josh Adams from the floor who scrambles over with two French tacklers trying to hold him up.
Luke Pearce has given the try, so the TMO has to find clear evidence of no grounding and on the evidence there’s not much clearly to suggest absolutely not grounded.
PENALTY! France 17 - 20 Wales (Dan Biggar)
46 mins. In the shadow of the posts North has a carry and on an advantage they are probing the right side of the French defence before Ref Pearce blasts hard on his whistle. Biggar adds another three points.
Wales look very relaxed and confident, like this is just a training run out, particularly in attack.
Updated
43 mins. Wales continue in possession for the first few minutes of the second period with more of a lean towards kicking to contest that in the first half. So far it’s working as they’ve won two and the latest one gives them a scrum in the France half that Taulupe Faletau makes metres from with a strong carry from the base.
Updated
SECOND HALF!
40 mins. We recommence.
Wales had 60-plus percent territory and possession in the first half. If that continues you have to fancy they’ll pull it off.
Half time musings
Wales will be very happy. They came back hard and proficiently from an early setback, are getting over the gainline regularly at will using a high number of runners, including utilising their wingers cleverly.
In a tight game like this it will be about the game management increasingly and for that reason France will be in a better position having lost Jalibert as Ntamack is supreme competence personified for such an occasion.
HALF TIME! France 17 - 17 Wales
40 mins. Dulin punts it off the field to bring a pulsating, enthralling, top quality half to a close.
39 mins. Fickou is this close to going in for a try after Alldritt finds a gap but the France centre can’t hold onto the number eight’s offload with the line begging. In Fickou’s defence, the pass was slightly behind him
37 mins. back in the France 22 quickly Wales are using a multiplicity of carriers to punch into the defensive line of Les Bleus before the ball is turned over, allowing Dulin to clear, but only as far as Williams who brings it back. The ball is eventually in touch and France have a penalty for Gareth Davies offside at the lineout.
Wales will be happy to get to half-time honours even, but first they’ll need to defend and France attack from a lineout in their Welsh half.
PENALTY! France 17 - 17 Wales (Romain Ntamack)
33 mins. Penalty France after Biggar’s hand slips up onto Fickou’s neck in the tackle. Ntamack runs his fingers through his lustrous hair, beckons the kicking tee and caresses the ball over from 30 metres. And we’re all square again.
30 mins. Wales can do nothing with the next possession as Liam Williams knocks on. In the midst of the attack Jalibert took a bang to the face which will bring Romain Ntamack into the game with his insouciant, confident, consummate box of tricks. He promptly knocks on, of course.
But France have a penalty that gives them possession in the Wales half
Updated
27 mins. Oh dear this is not good from Jalibert who boots the ball dead that will give Wales a scrum back on the France 10m line. The ball is a clean heel and goes left for a big North carry, then all the way right for a clever grubber kick from Rees Zammit to force Dulin to run into touch near his own line.
PENALTY! France 14 - 17 Wales (Dan Biggar)
24 mins. From a scrum in midfield, Jon Davies has a sniff of gap and makes the most of it before France scramble to snuff out the chance. But Wales retain possession and a few phases later France infringe at the breakdown and Biggar takes full advantage. That’s Wales ahead for the first time and it feels like a big moment in the match.
Updated
2o mins. Early sub for France, Romain Taofifenua is replaced injured by Swan Rebbadj.
This has the complexion of a Sevens game so far with possession equalling points for both sides. Such high scoring games early often have a sense of high farce about them, but make no mistake this is quality stuff from each team.
TRY! France 14 - 14 Wales (Josh Navidi)
19 mins. Wales back on the attack after another strong carry from Biggar and some left and right spreading of the ball sees them up into the France 22. The forwards take over and after a couple a bumps at the line Navidi has a turn and muscles over.
Biggar is emphatic from the tee to level the scores.
Updated
TRY! France 14 - 7 Wales (Antoine Dupont)
15 mins. Brice Dulin joins the line and chips over the top for the chasing Jalibert to gather for him to pass that man Dupont (who else?) in support to walk in under the posts.
Jalibert adds the two. Breathless stuff so far.
Updated
TRY! France 7 - 7 Wales (Dan Biggar)
13 mins. France now have to defend a Welsh scrum five. The forwards take it from the base and drive at the line a few times before Biggar comes on an out to in angle to take the ball and crash over from three metres like an extra flanker.
He dusts himself off and converts his own try.
Updated
10 mins. Wales are over the line with Gareth Davies carrying in-goal under a tackle from Ollivon. Luke Pearce says held-up, no try and the TMO has a look and can’t see anything obvious to overturn it. A wonderful tackle from Ollivon, there.
TRY! France 7 - 0 Wales (Romain Taofifenua)
7 mins. The Welsh defence can’t stop the big second row this time as he busts over from inches out to put his team ahead. Jalibert converts.
It’s still early but Wales conceded a lot of penalties there and that won’t be the last time France pressure their line is that way.
Updated
5 mins. Josh Adams’s tackle on Dupont is a little high as France pile on the phases and Dulin puts it deep into the Wales 22. The Blue forwards drive it from the lineout and Wyn Jones puts a huge tackle in on Romain Taofifenua to stop him inches short, before France are over but held up.
However, there’s another penalty and here come France again at the Wales line.
3 mins. A settling half a dozen phases for Wales ends with Biggar putting a big bomb up in the air, before each side takes a turn to probe with some high kicks. Advantage France as Dulin chases and grabs his own kick to out France on the attack in the Wales half, but the Welsh defence is containing it thus far.
Updated
KICK OFF!
1 min. 8o minutes from a Grand Slam for Wales, or for a chance to play another week to win the Tournament for France is underway.
The camera passes down the line of Wales players as Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau booms from the sound system. In the quiet the voices can be heard and on this evidence the stereotype that all Welsh people can sing is unequivocally false.
Updated
Here come the teams, walking through a ground-level mist of dry ice, like a fancier version of the foot bath at an 80s swimming pool but with less verrucas.
I hope.
If Wales win tonight with a bonus point they will be in the strange position of having accumulated the highest points total in Six Nations tournament history while simultaneously being considered the worst Grand Slam winners ever.
A bonus point win remains a huge if, of course, but this stat certainly highlight a reality/perception schism is around this team.
Updated
What a year for Wayne Pivac and today he has the change to go from maligned to magnificent to put himself in the same bracket at Mike Ruddock and Gatland as Wales coaches who won a Grand Slam early.
If it does go his way today the jury is probably still out on whether the remainder of his Wales career will echo that of the soon sacked man from Mumbles or the long reign of the colossus from Aotearoa
Pre-match calming reading.
Our man Rob Kitson is trying to settle us all down with this talk of no clear winner today. I’m not sure it will work, but have a read and see what you make of it.
Are there any sober Wales fans out there, or have you all be nerves-drinking since breakfast? If you can still type, then feel free to email or tweet @bloodandmud with your thoughts and/or prayers.
Teams
Not much to report here as Fabien Galthie sticks with the same starting XV as last week. Uini Atonio, Swan Rebbadj and Arthur Vincent are the changes on bench.
Wayne Pivac makes just one change to the opening team, with Adam Beard reclaiming his spot at lock from Cory Hill after his rest last week. Hill is among the replacements along with the returning James Botham and Tomos Williams.
FRANCE: Brice Dulin; Teddy Thomas, Virimi Vakatawa, Gael Fickou, Damian Penaud; Matthieu Jalibert, Antoine Dupont; Cyril Baille, Julien Marchand, Mohamed Haouas, Romain Taofifenua, Paul Willemse, Dylan Cretin, Charles Ollivon (captain), Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: Camille Chat, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Uini Atonio, Swan Rebbadj, Anthony Jelonch, Baptiste Serin, Romain Ntamack, Arthur Vincent.
WALES: Liam Williams; Louis Rees-Zammit, George North, Jonathan Davies, Josh Adams; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Tomas Francis, Adam Beard, Alun Wyn Jones (captain), Josh Navidi, Justin Tipuric, Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: Elliot Dee, Nicky Smith, Leon Brown, Cory Hill, James Botham, Tomos Williams, Callum Sheedy, Uilisi Halaholo
Preamble
It’s the Grand Slam game! Welcome to Paris for our coverage of Wales’s latest attempt at the clean-sweep.
Much chat already abroad about what a lucky Six Nations win this will be for Wales if they achieve it with plenty getting their lack of credit in early. But call it what you like, the #JamSlam, the #Jampionship, Wales won’t care if they win either of those tonight in Paris.
And just how fortuitous have they been exactly? A couple of opposition red cards and some ref mischief vs England are regularly pointed at without context (Wales won the final twenty minutes of that England game 16-0, without a single ref controversy required) or consideration for what the team have done with what is within their control: possession. Seventeen tries and a healthy scoring return as a ratio of entries into the opposition 22 speaks to a team who are clinical and know their own onions in attack - they have a points difference not far off double that of Ireland after four games.
France are the only team now capable of preventing a Welsh Grand Slam, and have the chance of winning the Championship themselves with a convincing win here and then vs Scotland next week in the rearranged fixture. They are not here simply to play the trumpets for the red parade and will be smarting after a maladroit second half at Twickenham saw their lead overtaken late on.
Strap yourselves in, it’s going to be emotional.
