France try-fest piles pressure on Gatland
THE lyrics to Max Boyce’s traditional version of Hymns and Arias see the singer and comedian refer to his country’s team playing ‘a fast and open game’.
It has long been part of the warm-up to Wales home games, and Warren Gatland’s side took notice. They were fast, they were open — but brute Gallic force won the day in the final quarter in the ultimate clash of styles.
The reality for Gatland is that his team have now lost 11 of their last 12 Six Nations matches, and they must beat Italy on Saturday to avoid claiming a first Wooden Spoon since 2003.
‘It’s going to be massive for us but we’ve got to embrace that and not hide away from the challenge,’ said Gatland of facing an Italian side who claimed a famous win over Scotland on Saturday. ‘There is going to be a lot of external pressure. We can’t go into our shell. There were parts of that game that were reasonably good but unfortunately we probably capitulated a little bit in the last 15 minutes.
‘We definitely don’t want to finish bottom of the table. We’re not hiding away from it.’
Italy’s visit in six days’ time will be far from straightforward, especially after their last-gasp victory here in 2022.
These are tough times for Welsh rugby. Gatland is rebuilding his squad but international sport is a results business.
While Wales were competitive — as they have been in all of their Six Nations matches — and led 24-23 going into the last 15 minutes, they eventually shipped five tries and ended up well beaten.
France ramped up the pressure in the last period and Wales could not withstand the heat.
‘We’ve got to learn and learn pretty quickly about these key moments. There’s no doubt there was impact and size coming off their bench,’ Gatland said.
‘We didn’t help ourselves with some easy turnovers and errors that allowed France to wrestle back some momentum in the game. In international rugby, you get punished.’
The Italy game is now huge for Wales. Lose and the patience many Welsh supporters have had with the team so far may evaporate — and quickly.
Wales scored first-half tries through Rio Dyer and Tomos Williams, and Gatland’s men were committed to their attacking approach. They were never going to compete with the behemoths in the French pack if it came down to a forward battle.
Even without their star man and captain Antoine Dupont, France had more than enough.
Tries from Gael Fickou and man of the match Nolann Le Garrec — starting in Dupont’s scrum-half position — cancelled out Dyer and Williams’ efforts.
When Joe Roberts, on just his second cap, scored early in the second half, Wales moved back ahead. Roberts had been surprisingly picked over George North with Gatland leaving out both the experienced back and his fellow centre Nick Tompkins.
But with the game in the balance and helped by their bench, France’s forwards got to work. The brilliant boot of Thomas Ramos helped them too.
Georges-Henri Colombe scored a crucial close-range effort to put France in control and then, four minutes later, Romain Taofifenua charged down Gareth Davies’ attempted clearance.
Two quick scores from two hulking monsters put the game to bed and there was still time for a try from Maxime Lucu.
Cardiff was packed with French supporters yesterday and they went wild at the final whistle as the sound of La Marseillaise and not Hymns and Arias filled the home of Welsh rugby.
France finish their campaign against England in Lyon on Saturday. Their head coach Galthie admitted England’s impressive and shock win over Ireland sharpened his side’s senses.
‘It’s France-England. Just stating the title says it all,’ Galthie said. ‘That sets the stakes for us. We have the opportunity to challenge ourselves against perhaps one of the best teams in the tournament. Everything is possible. We must finish at the same tempo.’
France captain Gregory Alldritt said: ‘It’s always a big game against England. We know our fans always expect a big crunch. We are going to attack this game.
‘We hope to finish with a big performance and a win.’