Full-time: Wales 19-10 France
80 min: It’s all over. Wales earn the points after some heroic defending in a very scrappy game. Welsh fans won’t mind the nature of the game, because a win is a win, but from a neutral point of view - at least from this neutral’s point of view - sitting through that match was an ordeal. England are next up for Wales, but first they have to entertain Ireland at Twickenham tomorrow.
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Try! Wales 19-10 France (Guirado try/Trinh-Duc con)
79 min: Line-out in the corner ... France win it and a rolling maul enables their captain Guilhem Guirado to be bundled over the line for the try. It’s too little too late, but he deserves a try, because he’s been outstanding tonight.
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78 min: Wales 19-3 France. France win the lineout and get the ball over the line but are held up. “Clearly held up,” according to Wayne Barnes. They kick for the corner again ...
77 min: Francois Trinh-Duc gallops through the centre into a wall of Welsh resistance but there’s nobody up in support of the substitute outside-half. France win a penalty on the Wales 22 and kick for the corner.
75 min: France lineout halfway inside their own half. “Hands away that ball’s available,” shouts Wayne Barnes, whose name has probably featured far more often in this report than those of the 30 players on the field combined.
74 min: Wales 19-3 France. Brian Moore gives his appraisal of this France performance: “When your game plan’s been drawn up by Inspector CLouseau, it’s never going to be easy. Is it?”
74 min: Liam Williams is replaced by Gareth Anscombe. He’s played well.
73 min: “Whose mad idea at the BBC was it to squeeze both Pitbull and Jiffy into the commentary box?” asks Stephen Davenport-Drake. “I don’t often feel sorry for Eddie Butler, but really. I suppose, though, that it has added the sort of frisson that’s been tediously lacking on the park.” Rhys Priestly kicks deep into French territory finding touch after a brilliant turnover by Gethin Jenkins.
72 min: “That ‘tip tackle’ was no more dangerous than the neck tackle that went unpunished,” writes Alec Cochrane. “I kind of feel France deserve these decisions going against them for being so dull.”
71 min: With the game as good as won, Dan Biggar limps off crippled with cramp, which has clearly been bothering him for the past 10 minutes or so. Rhys Priestland is on for him.
70 min: Wales 16-3 France. Wales replacements: Ken Owens and Tomas Francis on for Scott Baldwin and Samson Lee in the front row. Owens goes in as hooker, with Francis taking up the tighthead role. Gael Fickou comes into the centre for France.
Penalty! Wales 19-3 France (Biggar penalty)
66 min: Wales penalty, which Dan Biggar lines up and scores. It wasn’t particularly difficult, about 15 metres in from the touchline.
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64 min: Having weathered an extended period of extreme French pressure, Wales are back on the front foot. FOllowing a turnover in which Davies robs Danty of the ball, Dan Biggar kicks superbly to send France deep into France territory.
63 min: The TMO gets involved, drawing Wayne Barnes’s attention to a foul tackle, but is over-ruled. France ring the changes: Francois Trinh-Duc replaces Jules Plisson, who has had a match to forget. Front rowers Uini Atonio and Vincent Pelo also luber on to the pitch.
61 min: Play is brought back to halfway inside the Wales 22 after Taulupe Faletau is penalised for being offside. In the BBC commentary box, Eddie Butler, Brian Moore and Jonathan Davies seem mystified by Wayne Barnes’s reasons for awarding France a scrum in that particular area rather than on the five-metre line. It’s a strange decision and not for the first time this evening they seem mystified by what’s going on. My question: if seasoned veterans like those can’t explain or understand what’s going on in the game of rugby , what hope is there for the rest of us mere mortals?
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59 min: Free-kick for France, after Wales push too early. Another scrum and Wales win it and clear their lines. France have had 73% of possession in this half, but scored nothing.
56 min: Wales 16-3 France. Jonathan Davies is penalised for not rolling away and France kick for the corner again. We have a driving maul towards the Wales line, but Guirado is held up by three Welshmen as he attempts to cross it.
55 min: Wales 16-3 France. Guirado picks up the ball and charges to within inches of the Wales line. Scrum for France on the five-metre line. Gethin Jenkins replaces Rob Evans in the Wales front row.
52 min: France win a penalty and kick for the corner, win a lineout on the five and set up a drive for the Wales line that earns them a penalty advantage. Maxime Medard drives for the line after being set up beautifully by Guirado but is held up. It’s back for another five-metre lineout.
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The highlights of this rugby match so far: 1) A comedy try from Wales (2) BBC co-commentators Jonathan Davies and Brian Moore arguing like a pair of fishwives (3) Wayne Barnes making the match all about him, rather than the players and a very distant (4) the actual rugby, which has been largely dreadful.
50 min: Wales 16-3 France. In case you’re wondering, I have no idea why Jonathan Danty wasn’t sent off if the referee deemed his tackle to be a dangerous play. Like I said, it looked a fine tackle to me; not dangerous at all.
TRY! Wales 16-3 France (North try/Biggar con)
Jonathan Davies kicks in behind the France defence from deep and George North is up to chase the bouncing ball about five yards from the France line. Eschewing the option to pick it up, he attempts a cushioned kick over the line, but misses it completely. He gets away with it when a feeble attempt at a clean-up by Plisson enables him to pick up the ball and dive over the line. Biggar converts.
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Wales 9-3 France (Biggar penalty)
43 min: Dan Biggar slots the ball between the posts to extend France’s lead. Correction: It was Jonathan Danty who conceded that penalty. France second-row Paul Jedrasiack makes way for Yoann Maestri.
The second half kicks off: Wales 6-3 France
Wales kick off and win a scrum on the France 22 for a handling error. The ball’s played out left to Dan Biggar, who picks out Jonathan Davies. Taulupe Faletau takes up the running and charges towards the line, into a wall of French resistance. Wales recycle the ball and Vrimi Vakatawa is penalised for a tip tackle on Jamie Roberts. I must confess, it looked alright to me.
Half-time: Wales 6-3 France
A scrappy, very tedious 40 minutes of rugby is put out of its misery, with Wales leading by a solitary score despite dominating France completely. This has been an appalling match in which neither side has impressed. Wales have been kicking the ball out of hand, most of the play has taken place between the two 22s and France have offered practically nothing. The star of the hsow so far has been referee Wayne Barnes, who has been shouting in pidgin French and giving impromptu scrummaging lessons to experienced international props, among other highlights.
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40 min: Barnes resets the scrum again, but only after giving both No2s a long lecture on the finer technical points of scrummaging. Wales are eventually penalised for ... something or other and it’s half-time.
39 min: Wales go for the eight-man drive towards the line and France bring down the srum. Wayne Barnes signals for a penalty and Wales opt for the scrum in the same position as previously.
37 min: Wales 6-3 France. Wales win the scrum on their own halfway line and a stunning burst of speed from Gareth Davies sees him cut inside on the France 22 before kicking the ball towards the corner. Wales put-in at the corner, five metres from the touchline and the same distance from the try line.
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36 min: Wales 6-3 France. Antoine Burban returns to the action as Wales have the put-in. The scrum collapses and Wayne Barnes says “Let’s get this sorted”.
35 min: Wales 6-3 France (Plisson penalty)
Jules Plisson nails a penalty for France after a foolish tackle from Dan Lydiate who doesn’t use his arms.
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33 min: A long overdue moment of excellence from France, who go on the front foot for the first time. Maxime Mermoz charges through the centre and plays the ball in to Vrimi Vakatawa, who trips. Their forwards make their way towards the Welsh line, only to get penalised going off their feet.
Wales 6-0 France (Biggar penalty)
31 min: Wales win another penalty, which Biggar converts ... eventually. In the build-up, Antoine Burban got absolutely steamrollered by Sam Warburton and is forced off for a HIA (Head Injury Assessment). Loann Goujon replaces him. As Burban goes off, one of Warburton’s team-mates congratulates ohim on his big hit and gets a cheeky wink in return.
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29 min: On BBC’s coverage, co-commentator Brian Moore has just described the France performance as “shameful”. He suggests they’re “just making it up as they go along” and says it’s sad to see when you compare them to the France teams of yore, who played with such elan.
26 min: Wales 3-0 France. Liam Williams challenges for the ball less than 10 metres from the French try line. Maxime Machenaud pings the ball back to Plisson, who fails to find touch. Wales make their way back into the France 22, where Antoine Burban and Paul Jedrasiak combine to hold up Warburton and strip the ball from him. Scrum for France, just inside their own 22.
24 min: George North isn’t quite quick enough to react to a darting run through the blind side from Jamie Roberts and fumbles the ball. France were exposed on the blindside there and if North had been more alert, he could have been in for a try.
Wales 3-0 France (Biggar penalty)
Biggar splits the posts with his effort and Wales take the lead.
19 min: Wales 0-0 France. Wales lineout on the halfway line. Alun Wyn Jones wins it for Wales and the ball’s passed out wide, then back inside. Wayne Barnes spots a late tackle - a shoulder charge by Paul Jedrasiak - and wards Wales a penalty after they fail to make use of their advantage. Dan Biggar steps up for another impromptu performance of River Dance.
17 min: Wales 0-0 France. Plisson misses from the halfway line.
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15 min: Wales 0-0 France. Referee Wayne Barnes is behaving like an overly officious prat here. He takes an age to settle a Welsh scrum, then penalises Wales for engaging too early. “Nexty time it’s a penalty,” he warns their front row. He tries to set the scrum again, but takes an absolute eternity before allowing the two packs to engage, then - on the advice of his touch judge JP Doyle - penalises the Welsh incorrectly for bringing down the scrum. Penalty for France.
14 min: Dan Biggar’s pre-penalty routine is now bordering on the preposterous, such is the huge the number of shoulder wiggles he executes before addressing the ball. BBC pundit Jonathan Davies reckons it can’t be in any way helpful.
11 min: Wales 0-0 France. With 10 minutes gone, Wales have had the best of a very scrappy affair, but it remains scoreless. France in possession at the moment, while referee Wayne Barnes has given every indication that he’s going to be very fussy about scrummaging tonight.
9 min: Woeful stuff from Plisson, who puts a free-kick, wehich he clearly thought was a penalty, straight into touch. Wales win a penalty and Dan Biggar steps up to do his little pre-kick dance. It’s a fiarly straightforward kick at goal, but he pulls it wide of the upright. It remains 0-0.
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7 min: Not for the first time, France fail to deal with a high ball from Dan Biggar and France full-back Maxine Medard is unable to catch it cleanly. Biggar follows up to clatter him, the ball bounces out of play and Wales win a scrum just inside their opponents’ half.
4 min: Wales continue to dominate, but France win a penalty for a turnover at the breakdown after a period of Welsh recycling over 11 phases. Jonathan Davies is looking very impressive for the Welsh so far.
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3 min: Dan Biggar sends a beautiful grubber kick towards the French try line, but there’s just a mite too much welly on it and Maxime Medard touches it down for a 22 drop-out.
2 min: France are penalised just inside their own half when Plisson hurls a forward pass the way of Djibril Camara. Scrum to Wales on the 10-metre line, which they dominate.
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Wales v France has kicked off ...
1 min: Wayne Barnes blows his whistle and Jules Plisson kicks the ball towards the Wales 22, where it’s caught by Liam Williams.
National anthems ...
La Marseillaise is played first and the French players give it the full gun as they roar along. The Principality Stadium is stuffed to the rafters tonight, for what should be a great occasion. Next up it’s Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau, better known in some quarters as Land Of My Fathers.
Not long now ...
The players are in the tunnel preparing to make their way out on to the field, where an extravagant light and pyrotechnics show is currently under way. Sam Warburton leads the home side, while Guilhem Guirado skippers the French. Before the anthems, there’ll be a minute’s silence for the 42 people who lost their lives in the cyclone that hit Fiji last weekend.
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The Welsh fans are in fine voice ...
They’ve just given a rousing rendition of Delilah, an upbeat ditty about a cuckolded man who stabs his lover to death after discovering doing the four-legged boogie vibe with another man and confronting her about same, only for her to laugh in his face.
A BBC pundit gets his excuses in early ...
The former France outside half and Guardian columnist Thomas Castaignede is working as a pundit and points out that since their match against Ireland, the French players have had to play championship games for their clubs and haven’t had much time to work together. He still reckons they’ll put up a decent show.
Some pre-match reading
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Michael Aylwin: Five reasons France may struggle in Cardiff
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Paul Rees: Novès seeks blend of romantic past and hard-nosed present
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The Breakdown: England’s clash of styles with Ireland can determine fate
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Gatland blames fitness levels for demise of French flair
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Paul Rees: Jamie Roberts is perfect prescription for Wales
Stadium roof news ...
The Wales RFU have announced that due to a technical fault, the roof at the Principality Stadium will remain open tonight. A WRU statement read: “The Principality Stadium roof will stay open for this evening’s Six Nations clash between Wales and France. Both teams have been informed of the situation. A technical problem occurred early this morning and has not been able to be resolved despite engineers working on a solution throughout the day.”
France team news
Having got his reign as France manager off to a satisfactory start with two wins from two, Guy Noves has made five changes to the team that robbed beat Ireland. Scrum-half Maxime Machenaud did enough in his cameo against Ireland to earn a starting berth and replaces Sebastien Bezy, while Rabah Slimani comes into the front row. Behind him, Paul Jedrasiak replaces Yoann Maestri in the second row, while Antoine Burban is in as openside flanker. Following the eligibility shambles regarding David Smith, the emphatically French Djibril Camara, who was born in Juvisy-sur-Orge, will win his first cap on the wing at No11.
Wales team news
Warren Gatland has made three changes from the side that beat Scotland. Second row forward Luke Charteris is out after failing a fitness test and is replaced by Bradley Davies. ELsewhere in the back row, Dan Lydiate comes in for Jason Tipuric, which means captain Sam Warburton can move back to his preferred position of openside flanker. In the back line, Alex Cuthbert returns to the wing in place of Tom James.
“The changes we have made will suit the game France will potentially bring,” said Gatland. “We thought we would have to wait until later in the week to have a final update on the injuries, but after knowing where we were earlier than expected we were able to announce the side.”
The head coach added: “It is set to be another huge Six Nations weekend. France come to Cardiff unbeaten in the campaign so far having been impressive under Guy Novès. We are looking to continue our unbeaten run and want to take a step up after beating Scotland.”
Wales v France line-ups
Wales: Liam Williams; Alex Cuthbert, Jonathan Davies, Jamie Roberts, George North; Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Taulupe Faletau, Sam Warburton (capt), Dan Lydiate; Alun Wyn Jones, Bradley Davies; Samson Lee, Scott Baldwin, Rob Evans.
Replacements: Ken Owens, Gethin Jenkins, Tomas Francis, Jake Ball, Justin Tipuric, Lloyd Williams, Rhys Priestland, Gareth Anscombe.
France: Maxime Medard; Vrimi Vakatawa, Maxime Mermoz, Jonathan Danty, Djbril Camara; Jules Plisson, Maxime Machenaud; Damien Chouly, Antoine Burban, Wencelsas Lauret; Alexandre Flanquart, Paul Jedrasiak; Rabah Slimani, Guilhem Guirado (capt), Jefferson Poirot.
Replacements: Camille Chat, Uini Atonio, Vincent Pelo, Yoann Maestri, Loann Goujon, Sebastien Bezy, Francois Trinh-Duc, Gael Fickou
Six Nations: France v Wales
It’s time for the third round of fixtures in this year’s Six Nations and Wales and France get this weekend’s rugby union party started at the Millennium newly renamed Principality Stadium in Cardiff. With England topping the table on points difference ahead of their set-to with Ireland at Twickenham tomorrow, France sit in second place after narrow wins over Italy and the Irish. A point behind them in third place, their hosts began their campaign with a draw against Ireland before beating Scotland 27-23 a fortnight ago. With home advantage and four consecutive wins over the French since the Rugby World Cup in 2011, Wales are red hot favourites to emerge triumphant from this evening’s encounter, with the handicap suggesting bookies reckon their winning margin will be nine points. Should Wales win by even one point, their fifth successive win over the French would be their first since the 1950s. Kick-off in Cardiff is at 8pm (GMT) but you can tune in for build-up and any pre-match news an hour before that.
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