Dominant France Sweep Wales Aside

Wales are undergoing a major rebuild under Steve Tandy, but they were dealt a serious hammer blow by Fabien Galthié’s French wrecking ball of a squad.

In front of a record-low Six Nations crowd at the Principality Stadium (57,744), France put in a dominant performance, winning 54-12 as they continue their march toward a Grand Slam. The tone was set before kick-off when the French national anthem echoed around the stadium, highlighting just how many in the crowd were actually there to support the visitors.

France started by far the better side, needing just 90 seconds for centre Émilien Gailleton to open the scoring in superb fashion. Sensational winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey added a second inside the opening 10 minutes, and Fabian Brau-Boirie, making his French debut, crossed five minutes later to truly cement his side’s dominance.

Despite the scoreline, Wales looked marginally better than they did last time out against England. Their perseverance paid off when prop Rhys Carré managed to crash over, causing the Principality to erupt. However, France weren't finished; they wrapped up the try bonus point with time to spare in the first half as fly-half Matthieu Jalibert scored to give the visitors a 26-7 lead.

Galthié’s side are the clear favorites for the title this year, and it is hard to look past them for the Grand Slam. A few years ago, you might have expected Les Bleus to capitulate in the second half, but those days are seemingly gone. A mere three minutes after the restart, Julien Marchand—celebrating his 50th cap—scored France’s fifth of the afternoon to put the game well beyond Wales' reach.

Théo Attissogbe is just 21 years old and certainly a name for the future, but he proved here that he is a force in the present, bagging two tries before the hour mark. The young winger continues to impress in this year’s campaign.

France are blessed with ridiculous depth; their pack effectively featured five back-row options, including Charles Ollivon, who scored France’s eighth and final try of a record-breaking afternoon in the Welsh capital. Wales did manage a consolation score when replacement winger Mason Grady went over shortly before the final whistle.

While Tandy’s side showed flashes of improvement, many questions remain unanswered. A truly damning statistic: under Tandy, Wales have conceded 302 points in just six games. They have now lost 23 of their last 25 internationals, with their only two victories coming against Japan.

Wales have not won a Guinness Men’s Six Nations game in over 1,000 days (since beating Italy in Rome, March 2023). Even more crucially, they have not won a home game in the tournament in nearly 1,500 days—their last home win being against Scotland in February 2022.

Meanwhile, there appears to be no stopping France; they are red-hot and showing no signs of slowing down.

Former England captain Martin Johnson told the BBC:

"France had zero worries because they knew they were going to win. They’re all so comfortable on the ball. When they’re confident and there’s no jeopardy, I was thinking, 'Thank God I’m not on that field.' It’s so difficult to contain them when they don’t feel anything is going to go wrong."

Speaking to BBC Wales, coach Steve Tandy said: "For us, it's transitioning. We're not where we want to be ultimately, but it's about looking at where we have improved and continuing to build."

When asked about the low turnout, he added: "It's our job as a team to get the support here. The general public has been amazingly supportive; I think they understand what part of the journey we're on. The only thing I can say is the effort the boys put in as a young group—they love the support and the connection to our community and our nation."

The home side now turns its attention to a tough test against a Scotland side looking for momentum after a convincing display against England at Scottish Gas Murrayfield. Reports suggest a huge number of tickets remain on sale for the game at the Principality, with many fans "voting with their feet" to voice displeasure at the direction of Welsh rugby at both club and international levels.

France head home to host an Italian side that beat Scotland on the opening weekend and pushed Ireland to the limit. Fabien Galthié has already noted it will be a tough test, stating they "can’t stop moving forward." If this isn't yet a French side at its best, God help everyone else when they deem themselves near perfect.