Wales vs. France: Score and Reaction from 2016 Six Nations Round 3
Wales moved to the top of the Six Nations standings on Friday night as they emerged as 19-10 victors against France in Cardiff.
The only Welsh try of a gritty clash came from George North in the second half; the Welsh also benefitted from the boot of Dan Biggar, as he slotted 14 points. A try from France captain Guilhem Guirado, who didn't deserve to be on the losing side, came too late for the visitors.
Friday's victory left Wales on five points after three games, two ahead of France, whom they leapfrogged after the win. England can retake the top spot on Saturday at Twickenham, though, as they face struggling champions Ireland.
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After both sides secured morale-boosting wins in the last round, the opening stages of this one were always going to be intense and fiercely contested.
The early exchanges pointed toward a game in which defence would be on top, too. Wales had the majority of territory, testing France’s vulnerability under the high ball and keeping them penned in with an effective blitz defence. But coach Warren Gatland may have been disappointed his players didn’t make more of their chances.
Eventually, the French did lose their discipline, and Biggar was able to capitalise. The No. 10 was able to kick two penalties in the 21st and 30th minutes to give his side a 6-0 advantage, although Jules Plisson halved the deficit not long after, as Dan Lydiate conceded the softest of penalties.
It was developing into an attritional affair, and as former England international Matt Dawson noted midway through the first half, the early exchanges weren’t easy on the eye:
A squandered opportunity for Wales deep in France territory in the last action of the half summed up a frustrating first period for both teams.
Tom Hamilton of ESPN Scrum thought the performance by Liam Williams was a positive but was underwhelmed by Les Bleus:
The hosts flew out of the traps after the break, putting together some slick interplay in the opening minute, which was illegally halted by the French. It gave Biggar a simple kick to extend the lead back to six points, and there was more to come shortly after.
France were caught in possession high up the pitch, and when Wales snatched the ball back, a pinpoint kick from Jonathan Davies landed perfectly in North’s path. And although the winger seemed to have fluffed his lines with an air kick initially, he gathered at the second attempt and tumbled over to score.
England international Nick Easter enjoyed the remarkable sequence, as Biggar’s conversion gave Wales a 16-3 lead:
After taking the lead, the French mounted a prolonged spell of massive pressure on the Welsh defence, with the hosts conceding a succession of penalties after some last-ditch defending.
The visitors kicked for touch on four occasions, looking to drive off the lineout, but the hosts showed extraordinary defensive fortitude to keep their try line intact after being penned back inside their own 22 for around 12 minutes of play.
Former England international Will Carling praised the hosts' diligence, although he didn't have much positive to say about Les Bleus' attacking ingenuity:
To compound the visitors' frustrations, they quickly conceded a penalty, and the ever-reliable Biggar added the three points, giving the men in red a 19-3 lead with 14 minutes remaining. After such a shift in momentum, the game looked to be up for the French.
That was evident in the latter stages of the game, with both sides growing increasingly sloppy in their overall play. Wales did have a couple of chances to add to their tally but were halted by France skipper Guirado. And it was fitting that he got on the scoresheet late on, although it proved to be too little, too late.
Although England can retake the summit when they face Ireland on Saturday, for Wales, temporarily going top will be a significant confidence boost.
They had to work hard for their two points, and while it wasn’t pretty at times, any team looking to win this tournament will always have to grind out an ugly victory. With a trip to Twickenham next up, the scene of their famous World Cup triumph last year, Gatland will feel as though they have a brilliant chance to take a stiff grip of this Six Nations.
Reaction
Wales captain Sam Warburton admitted the match was a bit of a grind, although it gives the side some crucial momentum looking ahead to their next fixture, per BBC Sport:
"It was a very ugly way to win a Test. We kept fighting for territory in the second half. Fair play to France, they kept going for 80 minutes. The plan was to wear them down but it didn't happen.
From our point of view, we played a team with two wins from two and we're undefeated. It really sets it up for Twickenham.
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Gatland, however, said it was a match he quite enjoyed. "I thought it was brilliant," the Wales coach said, per BBC Sport. "It's what Test rugby is all about. We defended brilliantly in the second half. Things we had worked on looked really good for us."
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