France crushes Wales in Six Nations clash
Wales were crushed by France at the Principality Stadium on Sunday in a humiliating Six Nations defeat, with the visitors winning 54-12, reports BritPanorama.
The visitors wasted no time in asserting their dominance, with Émilien Gailleton crossing the line after just 88 seconds, marking an explosive start to the match. Antoine Dupont produced a sublime no-look offload to Theo Attissogbe, who weaved through Welsh defenders before finding Charles Ollivon, who then executed a two-on-one to send Gailleton over.
Les Bleus ultimately ran in eight tries during the afternoon, completely overwhelming their hosts in Cardiff. The 42-point margin underlined the gulf between the two sides, as Louis Bielle-Biarrey extended the French advantage with his 23rd try in 24 Tests, latching onto a pinpoint crossfield kick from Matthieu Jalibert after the maul had been repelled.
Debutant Fabien Brau-Boirie then added a third score within 15 minutes, receiving an inside pass from Jalibert after the fly-half had glided past defenders on the outside. Wales found themselves 19-0 down in familiar fashion, but Gareth Carre provided a response when the 131kg prop powered over from close range following a tap penalty.
Ellis Mee had claimed the restart brilliantly, and France were penalised twice for offside in their scramble defence. The second period brought further misery for the Welsh faithful as France extended their lead ruthlessly. Julien Marchand celebrated his 50th cap by touching down from a powerful driving maul.
As the match unfolded, the French wingers combined spectacularly from 70 metres out. Thomas Ramos displayed composure to collect loose ball and offload for Bielle-Biarrey, who raced clear before linking with Attissogbe for the score. Attissogbe then completed his brace with another crossfield finish, with Louis Rees-Zammit positioned far too narrow to prevent it.
Jalibert benefited from Adam Beard’s inexplicable decision to kick following a turnover, the ball blocked and sitting up perfectly for the fly-half to coast over unopposed. Ollivon added the eighth try after replacement scrum-half Baptiste Serin created the initial break. Mason Grady secured a late consolation for Wales, touching down in the corner after being fed selflessly by Rees-Zammit following good set-piece work.
However, the try merely put a slightly more respectable gloss on a thoroughly one-sided contest. France’s attacking statistics told the story of their dominance, with 21 offloads and 19 clean breaks producing 533 metres gained over the advantage line by half-time alone.
In the end, the match highlighted how a single team’s resolve can eclipse another’s, serving as a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of sport.
