Wales vs. France: 5 Key Battles That Will Shape 2016 RBS 6 Nations Clash

France travel to Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday evening with a view to ending Wales' victorious run of form against Les Bleus, and each team is hoping to climb to the top of the 2016 RBS Six Nations standings.

Guy Noves' side have lost their last four matches against the Welsh, and it's been six years since France last triumphed in Cardiff, piling even more pressure on the new head coach to reverse their fortunes.

Both sides are unbeaten in this year's tournament thus far, and while Wales are looking to build on a 27-23 win over Scotland, France pulled off a comeback of their own last time out to defeat Ireland 10-9.

Read on as we break down the key battles that will have the greatest impact on Friday's fixture.

1. Alex Cuthbert vs. Djibril Camara

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Both Wales and France have undergone change on the wings this week, with Alex Cuthbert recalled to Warren Gatland's XV in place of Tom James, while Djibril Camara is in place to make his France debut.

Guy Noves has settled on Stade Francais speedster Camara after Teddy Thomas and Marvin O'Connor joined Benjamin Fall on the injured list. However, that wasn't before the French Rugby Federation attempted to call up Castres winger and former New Zealand sevens representative David Smith, per the Telegraph's Daniel Schofield.

Former Toulon ace Smith would have made for a pleasant recruit during their injury crisis, but uncapped Camara could pay off, providing Cuthbert hasn't made a miraculous turnaround in form recently.

The Welsh wing has been far from his best for some months now and can perhaps just be pleased he isn't directly opposite emerging star Virimi Vakatawa, but Camara could be another poster child of Noves' France.

Conversely, there's a chance the Stade man isn't yet ready for the international stage, in which case Cuthbert's sizeable presence could view this as the ideal chance to get his footing back with Wales.

2. Dan Lydiate vs. Wenceslas Lauret

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After lining up with two opensides in the Week 2 win over Scotland, Gatland has shaken up the order once again by handing Dan Lydiate the No. 6 jersey for Friday's clash and retiring Justin Tipuric to the bench.

There, the Ospreys star will come up against former Racing 92 team-mate Wenceslas Lauret, and that sense of familiarity undoubtedly played its hand in the Wales coach's reasoning behind the decision.

In any case, one can see why Gatland would want arguably his finest tackler out there from the start, but the coach suggested this was as much about getting captain Sam Warburton back into his openside abode, per Simon Thomas of Wales Online:

"

It’s just a chance for that loose forward trio to get back together and an opportunity for Sam to play back at 7. 

I thought when he went to openside in the last 10-15 minutes against Scotland there was an opportunity for him to get in the game.

I think it’s been a bit tough for the two guys on the flank with Sam playing at 6 and being a little bit out of position.

"

Racing star Lauret is no slouch when it comes to getting around the pitch, but chop-tackle master Lydiate is a technician in that area and will limit much of France's attempts to open up the park.

3. Jamie Roberts vs. Jonathan Danty

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Friday will see a longstanding leader figure of one Test team clash with a player who could become a staple himself, with Jamie Roberts ready to welcome Jonathan Danty to the Principality Stadium.

The first signs from Stade Francais midfielder Danty in France colours have been positive thus far, and he's been an important figure in giving Noves' men a more adventurous, multi-dimensional attack.

And like Roberts, the 23-year-old has also been reliable in defence, much closer to what one may call "the full package" than the dropped Mathieu Bastareaud might have been.

Roberts, 29, has contributed man-of-the-match-worthy displays in each of his Six Nations outings this year, meaning Danty has a particularly tough task on his hands if he's to guide France to the win.

4. Taulupe Faletau vs. Antoine Burban

While the Welsh flanker choices may chop and change, one constant that remains is Taulupe Faletau—the No. 8 who continues to prove his credentials as one of the world's finest in his position.

Week 3 sees the Tongan-born terror come up against Antoine Burban, who is posed to make his first Test start a little more than two years after he earned the first of his three France caps.

The Stade back-rower, 28, has a monumental challenge in front of him, too, as he seeks to fill the void at the back of France's pack left by Louis Picamoles' hamstring injury, with Faletau waiting on Friday.

There's a real risk we'll see Burban caught with a deer-in-the-headlights look unless he can acclimate quickly, and Andy McGeady of the Irish Times helped illustrate Faletau's flawless tackling record in the competition thus far.

5. Gareth Davies vs. Maxime Machenaud

A lung-gasping try in the win over Scotland last time out saw Gareth Davies bring his incredible Test record to six tries in seven starts for Wales, functioning almost as another centre at times.

And while Gatland is enjoying some stability in the scrum-half role, Noves has opted for change this week and dropped former Toulouse charge Sebastien Bezy in favour of Maxime Machenaud.

French fly-half Jules Plisson has likely wrested away kicking responsibilities for the duration of the tournament, meaning No. 9 Machenaud is free to ensure his priority is getting Les Bleus' back line firing.

However, he'll also have a major defensive responsibility on his agenda, lest Davies finds more of the holes he's been exploiting since establishing himself as Gatland's starting half-back in 2015.