Match winner: George North
Wales ended an eight-game losing streak with a hard-fought 16-6 victory over an uninspired French side at the Stade de France on Saturday.
A solitary late try from wing George North handed Wales the spoils in a dour game that culminated to the sound of boos and whistles from the Parisian crowd.
The result leaves pre-tournament favourites France rooted to the bottom on the Six Nations Championship standings after their shock loss to Italy last week.
'Crisis' might be too harsh a term to define the French situation at the moment, but all is clearly not well in Philippe Saint-André's camp. Most worrying was the lack of intensity and commitment in the French defence in the last quarter, when the game was still there for the taking.
The pressure was evident in what was a must-win game for both sides, as the fear of failure seemed to dominate the attacking spirit that has served these teams so well in the past.
A first-half characterised by conservative tactics and wasted opportunities on both ends came to a close with the scores locked at 3-3 and the spectators voicing their displeasure.
Wales had enjoyed the lion's share of possession but the French came closest to crossing whitewash, only to fluff two great chances with poor decision making. The only thing worse than the quality of the spectacle was the state of the playing surface which, was once again, took a beating at every scrum.
The French half-back duo of Frederic Michalak and Maxime Machenaud came under heavy fire for their showing in Rome last week and they did their chances of being selected for next week's trip to Twichenham no good with some poor passes and options while full-back Yoann Huget failed to offload to frustrated wing Wesley Fofana on his outside with the tryline begging.
Wales started the second half well though and Leigh Halfpenny was able to give the visitors the lead with his second penalty.
The home crowd howled when Francois Trinh-Duc - playing at full-back after coming on for wing Benjamin Fall at the break - missed an easy drop goal when France were camped on the Welsh line.
Michalak drew the hosts level with a penalty (against the Welsh scrum) with half-an-hour left on the clock.
The hosts' scrum had become their primary weapon but it couldn't help them when Dan Biggar chipped over the top for North, who did brilliantly to evade the touchline and score in the corner in the 71st minute.
A long-range penalty from Halfpenny in the dying moments sealed the deal to leave France with plenty to think about.
Man of the match: Not many stand-out performers but Leigh Halfpenny was very solid, making very few errors and landing crucial kicks.
Moment of the match: There was only one. North's try was the game changer and a rare highlight.
Villain of the match: No nasty stuff, but if you're French, a guy called Philippe won't be on your Christmas card list right now.
The scorers:
For France:
Pens: Michalak 2
For Wales:
Try: North
Con: Halfpenny
Pens: Halfpenny 3
France: 15 Yoann Huget, 14 Wesley Fofana, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Maxime Mermoz, 11 Benjamin Fall, 10 Frederic Michalak, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Louis Picamoles, 7 Fulgence Ouedraogo, 6 Thierry Dusautoir, 5 Yoann Maestri, 4 Jocelino Suta, 3 Nicolas Mas, 2 Dimitri Szarzewski, 1 Yannick Forestier
Replacements: 16 Benjamin Kayser, 17 Vincent Debaty, 18 Luc Ducalcon, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Damien Chouly, 21 Morgan Parra, 22 Francois Trinh-Duc, 23 Florian Fritz.
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Alex Cuthbert, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 George North, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Mike Phillips, 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Justin Tipuric, 6 Ryan Jones (c), 5 Ian Evans, 4 Andrew Coombs, 3 Adam Jones, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Paul James, 18 Craig Mitchell, 19 Lou Reed, 20 Aaron Shingler, 21 Lloyd Williams, 22 James Hook, 23 Scott Williams.
Venue: Stade de France, St. Denis (Paris)
Referee: George Clancy (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Alain Rolland (Ireland), Francisco Pastrana (Argentina)
Television match official: Giulio De Santis (Italy)
By Ross Hastie
Comments
rugby_rockstar says...
That was painful. What an awful, unimaginative, lazy, waste of time. France got the booing they deserved, and Wales were just as poor. Gatland ought to write off a good 70% of that welsh side when it comes to the lions. Absolute drivel from both countries.
Posted 16:13 11th February 2013
carpelone says...
Villain of the match? The gardener of the Stade de France.
Posted 14:44 11th February 2013
carpelone says...
Rubbish game. Thanks God for the Super Rugby next week.
Posted 10:33 11th February 2013
jontheref says...
melkdave
I don't obsess over what you post, rather am amused by how you can tie yourslef in knots between topics!
I doubt you watched all the game as you would have seen Adam Jones cleaning up quite a lot.
Not saying he should be Lions prop, but did more in the loose than some of the other fancy dans.
Crossing threads, yes, Garces was poor, especially at the scrum, but England were deserved winners.
Posted 08:31 11th February 2013
mlbp says...
@lyhel:
You're right, Szarzewski played a lot better than against Italy, when he had a shocker. He looks too tired. He needs a rest. He deserves it. Maybe he's carrying one too many niggles.
What I don't like about this new brand of rugby is the idea of changing your front row (and the rest of the players) no matter what. The hooker and one prop know that around the 50th minute they will be substituted, even if they have the upper hand and are controlling the match. It seems as if having physically-fresh players were preferred to quality on the pitch, but maybe the coaches aren't too sure about what line up to bring onto the match and that is why they decide to give everyone a run. That, on the other hand, shows a lot of confidence on the players but it robs us the fans of something. I remember when France started doing that bringing on locks like Thierry Cleda so many years ago, players who were below the standards of the first team but who were physically fresh expecting to make an impact, but they rarely did. They disrupt the team's momentumm, actually. And it can be dangerous for the rest of the players on the field.
I miss those years when substitutions were made when players were injured only. I wrote about it some time ago. The All Blacks don't do this stupid thing of "mechanical" substitutions. I wish the French stopped doing that. I don't know if what they want is to keep all the players happy. "You're in the squad so you are going to play; stay on your toes, and you will also have the chance to enjoy yourself", coaches seem to say.
Guirado is one I have heard rave reviews about but I still have to see him play well. Maybe he deserves some continuity, but who can get any in these circumstances...
As a fan I love it when France play freely. When they are in mental shackles they make me feel frustrated because it's such a waste of talent...
Posted 20:26 10th February 2013
mlbp says...
@rosbif @toulousain @kiwirooster @ lyhel: again thanks for your insight. Your contributions are always really intelligent. Spot on!
If Pape is over thirty and Nallet and Thion captained the team also well into their thirties then Pierre and Millo deserve a chance. Suta looks promising and Maestri is the real thing but has little gas in the tank now. The team is devastated and too tired. The French fans don't deserve what the FFR and the Top14 administrators are doing now. The players are also the ones taking the brunt of all this apparent nonsense, and it's been like this for years.
I loved Lagisquet as a player but as a backs coach he doesn't seem to deliver. What happens in French rugby that players-turned-coaches don't follow their player instincts and turn into apparent scientist who want to brainwash the players instincts and convert them into playing machines? That's what it looks to me, that the French backs are stripped of their creativity by playing systems that don't let them express themselves. I remember the years of Fouroux's follies. I hope this is not a return to that kind of mechanized game.
Toulousain's line up for Twickers looks fine, but that's a big change from what PSA has been suggesting lately. Fresh legs and hungry players out to prove a point. Wielding the axe was a typical French practice years ago and I don't know if PSA would want to to that. I'm not too sure about Dusautoir, though. I love the idea of Freddie covering both 9-10.
Parra knows how to face the English so he would be welcome, but I still have doubts about him. Machenaud looks depleted, it's true.
Is it true that the players have to go back to their teams to play next weekend? I wouldn't count then on having half the squad ready/healthy after injuries, niggles, lack of form and/or excessive mileage...
Posted 20:13 10th February 2013
lacroix says...
@toulousain -on medard and poitrenaud being withheld by Noves...i can well believe it. there's discontent and in-fighting in many parts of the french camp, i understand. the fans are not the only ones questioning players picked out of position and some strange omissions.
i was at the game yesterday and wish i hadnt been. france were poor in th first half , wasting 4 good positions , and dreadful in the second. i feel sorry for players like picamoles who give their all when players around them look genuinely disinterested.
these are after all some of the best paid rugby players in the world- ever.
england should put 50 points past france at twickenham.i actually hope england perform at their best , and we don't get a freak result- nothing could be worse for this squad of spoilt brats to get a result they don't deserve.
yes PSA is responsible in part- the whole game plan yesterday looked flawed- but the execution was just dreadful and seeing the way they butchered two golden chances in broken play was tragic.
as clive woodward said france have become predictable and that is sad enough ...but predictably bad , lethargic and with no sense of real pride in the jersey thats pathetic.
Posted 17:00 10th February 2013
Iyhel says...
@mblp: Guirado (Perpignan) improves every year and is at least on par with Kayser, he should have his chance; maybe Swar deserves some rest, but he didn't perform that bad.
Millo ain't so old: 30 this spring which is usually when locks reach their peak... Pierre is 32, that would be 34 for the WC, not so old either - that said, I think Maestri's above him at the moment.
In the back row, Nyanga is a no brainer - except for Saint-André it seems! Whoever joins with him and Picamoles remains open, it's not like we don't have plenty of options, young and old, there.
We have a fundamental disagreement on Parra: I don't find him slow and most important he's knows better than any other SH how to drive his pack. And I'd give him the captaincy to yell at others when they keep their fingers stuck where you know. Machenaud needs some rest to clear his mind, Tillous-Bordes could be an option but he lacks game time in Toulon, maybe Paillaugue should be tested - it's not like we've got anything to lose now.
Michalak with TD as back-up is fine, they're not the one dropping the ball with the line in sight.
At centre we really have some "problèmes de riches", I'd like to see Fofana and Mermoz paired. There the problem is not with the players but with the coach: Lagisquet is a great defence tactician (it showed in the Autumn) but check Biarritz record in attack over the last five years and it's easy to understand where our attacking issues come from.
In the back three we have plenty of talent too, with restless players able to play on the wing or at the back, so again, whoever will do provided the gameplan isn't explained by Lagisquet...
And the aim is the future, Rosbif is right, just send the U20 to Twickenham, can't be worst.
@ Toulousain: I really hope these are just rumours...
Posted 14:33 10th February 2013
Toulousain says...
@rosbif @mlbp @kiwirooster @RobinMasters i agree with all of what you are saying but think psa will keep mostly the same players. to change now, would be to admit he was wrong before. and he is not strong enough to do that i imagine!
the team i would like to see (and that is in some way possible because there are not too many changes) in 2 weeks time would be:
1 domingo 2 szarzeski 3 mas
4 suta 5 maestri
6 dusautoir 7 nyanga 8 picamoles
9 parra 10 ftd
11 huget 12 fofana 13 fritz 14 clerc
15 buttin
16 kayser 17 debaty 18 ducalcon 19 taofifenua 20 chouly 21 michalak 22 bastareaud 23 medard
the guys who are "dropped" are forestier, machenaud, mermoz.
the "injured" are pape, ouedraogo, fall
the "new blood" is domingo, nyanga, clerc, buttin, medard
let's see what happens at team announcement on monday.....
Posted 14:01 10th February 2013
Rosbif says...
Ah @mlbp, my post crossed with yours :-) You make many valid points as ever. Really hard to know whether to stick with continuity and try to salvage something from the remaining games, or just go for broke and play the U20s team! In my post I mention names like Rougerie and Poitrenaud. These guys are clearly not the future, but they could at least do a job. So could Bonnaire and Servat!!
On another story (re Basta making the starting XV) I set out a group of elite players that I thought should be centrally contracted ahead of 2015. I missed a few like Palisson, Malzieu, Martin and Paillaugue, but essentially I think those are the names to focus on.
Then it's all about managing the season, the demands on players, time together etc etc.
But I fear I agree with your final phrase "France look uncoachable and have done so for so many years".
I guess that's why French we have such strong emotions when we follow our team. Always the Ups and Downs....
Courage mon vieux :-)
P.S. @Toulousain, if that's true about Noves, it's really quite shocking, although even if it isn't, the mere fact that people are murmuring it, makes the whole situation pretty dire. Quelle honte as you say!
Posted 13:41 10th February 2013
Rosbif says...
Notes for PSA to prepare le crunch.
1. Do not let the players go back and play for their clubs next weekend in T14 - keep them in camp like all the other nations do.
2. Give them some rest instead of extra training - they need it.
3. Pick club combinations, eg Clermont front row (bring back Domingo) or Racing (bring in Ben Arrous), ST back row (bring back Nyanga), MontPol half backs (bring in Paillaugue), ASM centres (bring back Rougerie), ST back 3 (assuming Clerc and Medard are fit again).
4. Pick the players in their club positions.
5. Have a specialist 9 10 and 15 on the bench.
6. Have a recognised goal kicker on the field at all times.
7. Practice/prepare to be without the ball for long periods of time - and then be clinical with the 1 or 2 turnover/counter-attack opportunities that will come your way.
8. Practice set pieces and re-starts, and have a clear kicking/territory game plan, especially when in your 22.
9. Attack the breakdown without giving away penalties.
10. Don't blame the ref, talk up the opposition, whinge about your unfair schedule, complain about injuries, in fact, don't say anything to the press for 2 weeks....
Et voila. Pride restored. Or if not, do the honourable thing and resign?
Posted 12:38 10th February 2013
mlbp says...
And what about the back three? PSA has to make decisions because he has to decide if he wants to build for the future (thinking of RWC2015) or salvage the pride of this team.
Buttin looked promising last year. Médard is out of form, Dulin ruled out, Poitrenaud doesn't like like a player for the next RWC. Huget is a decent player for 11 and acceptable for 15. PSA has a difficult decision to make.
Where is Malzieu? Fall and Malzieu can wear 11, Clerc is sorely missed at 14... O'Connor wasn't considered for selection. Would PSA even have Fritz play on the wing (I think he did some years ago)? Bonneval?
How a couple of bad results can be so energy and confidence-sapping... The French fans must be devastated. I hope the players feel even worse and decide to turn that frustration into energy and together with the management they can build something decent for the rest of the tournament. I don't think the players trust the management and the players don't seem to gel. It's as if they are not a team.
Unfortunately, France look uncoachable, and have looked so for so many years... But this is what I have been able to see all these years from the distance.
Posted 12:31 10th February 2013
mlbp says...
What can PSA do now? I wonder what he can do given the physical situation of their players. They look as if they had too many miles in their odometres. The forwards look worrying. Picamoles and Chouly could start together as 8 and 6 and Nyanga should come as 7. Fresh legs, power, energy in the breakdown. France demote their captain (Dusautoir should be dropped based on form and leadership) and lineout capability though, but you can have a fast man arriving at the tackle area (Nyanga) and energy for the tight (Chouly) and three excellent ball carriers.
Kayser doesn't seem to improve on Szarzewski, but he deserves a run. Forestier was really good in November but now maybe Domingo should come on (he was the best 1 some years ago). Mas is not as mobile and he is a bit suspect in defence (missed some crucial tackes against Italy and Wales that cost France dear). Ducalcon is not better than him, though.
Maestri is out of form. Suta played well and Taofifenua needs more mobility. France have a problem if Pape is not back soon. I know Millo-Chluski and Pierre are veterans but I think they are sorely missed.
Machenaud doesn't have a platform to launch any decent attacks. He is not in such a good form but I always prefer him to Parra. Parra slows the game too much for my liking. He didn't make any impact when he came on against a tired Welsh team that had tackled for their souls.
Michalak is better than what he showed during the match. Trinh-Duc is good when he can go forward, but currently France have no spark. Michalak can make the right tactical decisions and Trinh-Duc has always struggled.
The centre partnership should definitely include Fofana, maybe with Fritz. I am not a big fan of Bastareaud. I want more creativity from the midfield, but maybe you can have a battering ram next to a fast distributor, so they can be an interesting combo.
Posted 12:17 10th February 2013
mlbp says...
@kiwirooster, rosbif, toulousain: great analyses and great contributions as ever. Thanks for letting me learn so much from you.
The governing bodies in FFR and Top14 have to decide if they want glory for their national team or money for the sport.
Another dismal performance from the French. Hard work from the Welsh. That's my summary of the match.
Dismal performance because again I saw no passion, no urgency, no flair, no creativity... France need leadership (have needed it for years) and I never considered Dusautoir or Pape as great leaders. Dusautoir is so out of form he is a shadow of the player he was two years ago.
I have been following France as a team for more than twenty years and I have always felt that as individual players they tend to be more sensitive to their teammates' performance than other teams. This can be a French characteristic, I don't know, but many times I can predict the score of a France match just by looking at the first exchanges and the players' body language in relation to one another. They seem to gain momentum if they suddently become possessed by one of those flashes of energy they usually find (November is an example). This time they looked the opposite.
We cannot blame everything on Michalak. He can conduct things but he needs a platform to work from. The ball was so slow coming out of rucks that there was no momentum. No number 10 would have done much more than him. Out of frustration as the game went on he started making mistakes, but you have to blame the lack of energy shown by the team around him. Maestri looks empty, the same as Szarzewski, Dusautoir or Ouedraogo. The others look too tired as well, and the substitutions don't make an impact either.
Mermoz is useless and anonymous. No energy or creativity. Fall was the pick of the backs. Huget tried his all but he didn't find help from his teammates.
Posted 12:02 10th February 2013
Stellenbosched2 says...
It would have been interesting if both teams playing yesterday had dug trenches on each side of the halfway line. Then they could have passed the ball to each other in 5 minute spells, and run up and down their trench, Looking at the state of the grass, it wouldn't have been difficult to dig those trenches either.
Hey, I think I have just described a rugby league game.....
Posted 11:04 10th February 2013
Toulousain says...
...and plenty of talk of match fixing here in france following this weekend's results in t14.... money is indeed a strange poison, alluring at first, then intoxicating, addictive and finally morally destructive....
quelle honte
Posted 10:37 10th February 2013
Toulousain says...
thanks to all for the many interesting posts. to add a flavour of mischief and politics to the debate, i understand from my sources at stade that medard and poitrenaud both "refused" their selections in the national team after pressure from guy noves.
how much longer until vern cotter tells parra, fofana etc that they cannot make themselves available for national duty?
this begins to remind me of the france football team of domenech. too many "stars" not wanting to play for their national coach. too many club owners not wanting to release their "stars" for the joke national team.
where else but france could this happen?
ca sent la révolution les gars....
Posted 10:15 10th February 2013
Kent says...
This is an article about the France v Wales game yesterday - not about bloody England
Posted 09:56 10th February 2013
jontheref says...
kybone
Wales needed to win, pretty, ugly, didn't matter, needed a win.
They truly need to cut out the errors, and as you would have seen by the captains post match interview, the players are not getting above themselves.
When muppet Mohammed suggested they woul win the title, Ryan Jones laughed at him.
Sounds a cliche, but one game at a time.
I have seen nothing from Scotland or Italy to be fearful, so we go there with a chance.
last game v England?
All comes down to "as long as we beat England"
It will be a belter anyway!
Posted 09:53 10th February 2013
Rosbif says...
...was it any wonder that Noves and Galthie both turned down the job of French coach? (and they didn't even dare ask Cotter...)
...given Biarritz's sparkling (!!) back-play in recent seasons under Lagisquet , and Toulon's underperformance under PSA despite all the riches, is it any wonder that France now seem bereft of ideas?
Grrrrrrr.......
Posted 09:52 10th February 2013