Welsh woes still exposed

A SIX NATIONS investigation into Wales’ dramatic 20-18 defeat by France and the controversy surrounding the farcical nature of the 20 minutes of added time cannot mask the disappointing nature of the Welsh campaign.

Fifth place is Wales’ worst finish since 2007. Their points total and tries scored are the lowest since 2011.

Never mind the courage Wales showed in a match settled by Damien Chouly’s try and Camille Lopez’s conversion in the 100th minute. There is little fresh blood in the system with the World Cup just two years away and the pressure on the coaching team is now huge.

Stand-in head coach Rob Howley was seething after opposite number Guy Noves replaced Uini Atonio in the 80th minute.

A member of the French coaching staff appeared to pass a message to medic Philippe Turblin, who then removed Atonio arguing that the prop needed a head injury assessment.

With Rabah Slimani coming back on, France’s stronger scrum eventually opened the way for Chouly’s try.

Six Nations officials are looking into the incident and George North’s claim that he was bitten.

A Six Nations spokesperson said: “With regards to the biting incident, an independent match citing commissioner will be reviewing all the major incidents and he has 48 hours to do so.

“As for the replacement of France’s prop, we are aware of the concerns surrounding the use of the head injury assessment protocol. We are looking into the matter.”

Noves denied his team had been up to no good, but was unable to confirm what injury Atonio had.

Centre Jonathan Davies said: “If the prop is complaining about a head injury, player welfare is important. But it just didn’t seem right.”

Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones is sweating on his Lions place after suffering a left shoulder injury. He will have a scan this week to determine the severity of the problem.