France cemented their status as the northern hemisphere’s most clinical force on Sunday, dismantling a struggling Wales 54-12 at the Principality Stadium in front of the lowest Six Nations crowd in Cardiff history. On a grim afternoon for Welsh rugby, Fabien Galthié’s side delivered an eight-try masterclass, securing their largest-ever victory in the Welsh capital and leaving Steve Tandy’s rebuilding project with plenty of work still to do.
Key moments:
2′ – TRY FRANCE: Émilien Gailleton opens the scoring after just 88 seconds — the fastest try in the Six Nations since Antoine Dupont’s score against Ireland in 2022. The captain’s delicious pass out of the back of the hand sends Théo Attissogbe charging through, and the wing finds Charles Ollivon on his inside shoulder. French players are queuing up to score and it is Gailleton who takes the final pass to canter over untouched. Thomas Ramos converts from in front of the posts (Wales 0-7 France)
11′ – TRY FRANCE: Louis Bielle-Biarrey extends his remarkable try-scoring record with his 23rd score in just 24 Tests. From a lineout on the Welsh 22, Matthieu Jalibert has all the time in the world to execute a pinpoint cross-kick to the left wing, where Bielle-Biarrey finds himself in acres of space. The Bordeaux-Bègles flyer gathers cleanly and touches down without a Welsh defender within ten metres. Thomas Ramos pushes his conversion wide of the left upright (Wales 0-12 France)
14′ – TRY FRANCE: Fabien Brau-Boirie announces himself on the international stage with a debut try of the highest quality. Bielle-Biarrey steps Dewi Lake with embarrassing ease down the left before the ball is worked right through multiple pairs of hands. Jalibert spots the overlap developing, fixes the defence with a shimmy, and sends the 20-year-old Pau centre racing through a gap. The finish is clinical as Brau-Boirie glides past the cover defence to score. Thomas Ramos converts from wide on the right (Wales 0-19 France)
18′ – TRY WALES: The hosts finally register on the scoreboard after Ellis Mee’s catch from the restart allows Wales to escape their own half for the first time. The wing gallops into the French 22 and when a penalty comes near the line, Dewi Lake opts for a quick tap. The ball is recycled through several pairs of hands before loosehead prop Rhys Carre barges over from close range, using every ounce of his considerable frame. Dan Edwards converts from in front of the posts (Wales 7-19 France)
31′ – TRY DISALLOWED FRANCE: Théo Attissogbe appears to have scored France’s fourth try after gathering Antoine Dupont’s clever chip kick over the Welsh defence. The celebrations are cut short, however, as TMO Richard Kelly correctly identifies that Attissogbe was standing in front of Dupont when the scrum-half kicked. The try is chalked off for offside — a reprieve for the hosts (Wales 7-19 France)
37′ – BRAU-BOIRIE DENIED: The debutant centre looks certain to claim his second try after more brilliant work from Dupont, who glides through the Welsh defence before offloading. Brau-Boirie has the line at his mercy but fumbles with the whitewash beckoning — a rare French error on an otherwise flawless afternoon (Wales 7-19 France)
39′ – TRY FRANCE: The bonus point arrives in farcical circumstances that leave Wales head coach Steve Tandy fuming in the coaching box. After Olly Cracknell wins a thundering turnover and Dafydd Jenkins secures the ball, it finds Adam Beard as first receiver on the narrow side. For reasons only he will understand, the Montpellier lock attempts a clearance kick that lacks both accuracy and space. The ball ricochets directly off Attissogbe and into the arms of a grateful Matthieu Jalibert, who canters away unopposed to score under the posts. Thomas Ramos converts to extend the lead to 19 points at the interval (Wales 7-26 France)
Half-time: Wales 7-26 France
Wales statistics: 35% possession, 32% territory. France: 19 clean breaks, 4 tries, bonus point secured. Wales: 30% tackle success in opening quarter, 1 try from 2 entries to French 22.
44′ – TRY FRANCE: France’s power game proves irresistible as they extend their lead within minutes of the restart. From a lineout deep in Welsh territory, the visitors establish a textbook driving maul that the home pack simply cannot repel. The blue-shirted bodies surge forward and hooker Julien Marchand — celebrating his 50th cap — emerges from the back to touch down. Thomas Ramos converts from near the touchline (Wales 7-33 France)
49′ – TRY FRANCE: The try of the match showcases everything magnificent about this French side. Bielle-Biarrey collects a clearance kick near his own 22 and immediately counter-attacks. He exchanges passes with Thomas Ramos — the full-back’s overhead return pass a moment of pure genius — before speeding away down the left touchline on a 50-metre burst. With defenders scrambling, Bielle-Biarrey looks inside to find Théo Attissogbe, who has tracked across from his opposite wing to take the scoring pass and sprint clear. Thomas Ramos converts to take France past 40 points (Wales 7-40 France)
57′ – TRY FRANCE: Attissogbe completes his brace after another moment of magic from Jalibert. France win a lineout inside the Welsh half and work the ball through multiple phases before the fly-half spots the mismatch wide on the right. His cross-kick is weighted to perfection, bouncing kindly for Attissogbe, who finds himself in splendid — and frankly ridiculous — isolation. The wing gathers and touches down without a Welsh defender within 15 metres. Where was the home defence? Thomas Ramos converts from wide on the right (Wales 7-47 France)
61′ – TRY FRANCE: Charles Ollivon caps a magnificent 50th appearance with France’s eighth try. The visitors’ forwards establish close-quarter dominance near the Welsh line, with replacement Rodrigue Neti going agonisingly close near the posts. Baptiste Serin — on for Dupont — shifts the ball right and Ollivon is on hand to crash over from close range. The captain’s try takes France past their half-century. Thomas Ramos converts to complete a flawless afternoon from the tee (Wales 7-54 France)
64′ – ADAMS DENIED: Wales threaten briefly as Eddie James carves through the French midfield and releases Josh Adams with a try beckoning. The veteran wing attempts to ground the ball but fumbles as he stretches for the line — the ball bobbling forward from his grasp. France survive and will have a scrum on their own five-metre line (Wales 7-54 France)
78′ – TRY WALES: A late consolation for the home supporters who have stayed until the end. Wales work through multiple phases near the French line, with Taine Plumtree held up over the whitewash. The referee was playing advantage for offside, and from the subsequent tap penalty, the ball is worked wide right. Louis Rees-Zammit produces a sharp left-foot step to beat one defender before firing a pass to an unmarked Mason Grady, who crosses in the corner. Jarrod Evans pushes his conversion attempt wide of the right upright (Wales 12-54 France)
Full-time: Wales 12-54 France
The 54 points represented France’s highest ever score against Wales, surpassing the 51 they managed at Wembley in 1998. For Wales, whose near three-year wait for a Six Nations victory continues, it was another chastening experience that extended their Championship losing streak to 13 matches — a run now stretching back 1,072 days to when they beat Italy in Rome in March 2023.
The official attendance of 57,744 was the lowest for a Six Nations fixture in Cardiff, falling below the previous record of 58,349 against Italy in 2002. Swathes of empty seats told the sorry story of Welsh rugby’s malaise, with the public losing interest amid turbulent times on and off the field. More than 50% of the Welsh Rugby Union’s turnover comes from money made from men’s home internationals, making the apathy all the more concerning.
Lightning start stuns Cardiff into silence
The contest was effectively over as a spectacle within the opening quarter. France’s speed of foot and thought was simply too much for Wales, whose defence could not reset against the visitors’ relentless offloading game.
It took just 88 seconds for Les Bleus to breach the Welsh line. Antoine Dupont engineered space on the right for Attissogbe with a pass out of the back of his hand that epitomised French flair at its finest. The wing found Ollivon on his inside shoulder, and with French players queuing up to finish, it was Gailleton who accepted the final pass to canter over untouched. Ramos converted and the rout was underway.
Wales were unable to catch their breath before the visitors struck again. From a lineout in the Welsh 22, Jalibert executed a cross-kick of pinpoint accuracy to the left wing, where Bielle-Biarrey had somehow found himself in acres of space. The 22-year-old’s try was his 23rd in just 24 Tests — a quite remarkable conversion rate that underlines why he is considered the most dangerous finisher in world rugby.
The gulf in class was personified by France’s third try, as debutant Brau-Boirie showcased the talent that had seen him likened to former Les Bleus great Yannick Jauzion. Bielle-Biarrey stepped Lake with such ease it looked like choreographed performance rather than competitive sport, before the ball was worked right through multiple pairs of hands. Jalibert spotted the overlap, fixed the defence, and sent the 20-year-old racing through. The finish was clinical, the statement emphatic: France had arrived with serious intent.
“It was a dream day in this great stadium,” Brau-Boirie said afterwards. “This week, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and I prepared well. When you enter the stadium and sing your first Marseillaise, it’s quite special. With my parents in the stands and all those people, this score — for a first cap, it’s crazy.”
Wales offer brief resistance
To their credit, the hosts managed to stem the tide momentarily. Ellis Mee’s strong take from the restart allowed Wales to escape their own half for the first time, and the Scarlets wing galloped into the French 22 with real purpose. When a penalty came near the line, Lake opted for a quick tap, and after sustained pressure near the whitewash, Carre powered over from close range. Edwards converted to reduce the deficit to 12 points.
For a period, Wales competed with greater intensity than they had managed in their 48-7 capitulation against England the previous weekend. Their set-piece showed marked improvement, with the scrum rock solid and the lineout functioning well. The discipline, too, was better — no yellow cards this time after collecting four at Twickenham. Eddie James regularly got his side on the front foot with powerful carries in the midfield, while Aaron Wainwright had another fine match in the back row.
France thought they had scored their fourth try on the half-hour when Attissogbe gathered Dupont’s clever chip kick, but the TMO correctly identified that the wing had been standing in front of the scrum-half when he kicked. The reprieve was brief, however, and moments later Brau-Boirie was denied what seemed a certain second try when he fumbled with the line at his mercy after more brilliant work from Dupont.
Beard’s blunder gifts bonus point
Any hope of a Welsh comeback was extinguished by a moment of madness just before the interval that left head coach Tandy visibly furious in the coaching box. After winning a hard-earned turnover through Cracknell’s thundering tackle and Jenkins’s quick hands, the ball found Beard as first receiver on the narrow side.
For reasons that defied explanation, the Montpellier lock attempted a clearance kick that lacked both accuracy and space. The ball ricocheted directly off Attissogbe and into the arms of a grateful c, who cantered away unopposed to score under the posts. Television cameras caught Tandy appearing to shout angrily in response — his frustration entirely understandable given his side had worked their way back into the contest.
“You probably saw my reaction and that’s why you’re asking,” Tandy admitted afterwards. “It’s disappointing. That’s not aimed at anyone. But we worked our way back in and had some moments. That’s the thing we worked on all week — if we have a transition, we want to move it. To concede off it as well, those are the moments in Test rugby where teams punish you.”
The bonus-point try, scored in such farcical circumstances, gave France a 26-7 lead at the interval and removed any lingering hope of a Welsh revival. The visitors had made 19 clean breaks in the opening 40 minutes; Wales had managed just two entries to the French 22, scoring once.
Second-half showcase
There was no let-up after the break as France turned to their power game. Within minutes of the restart, Marchand was celebrating his 50th cap with a try from a textbook driving maul that the Welsh pack simply could not repel. The hooker emerged from the back of the blue-shirted bodies to touch down, and Ramos converted from near the touchline to extend the lead to 26 points.
Then came the try of the match — a moment that showcased everything magnificent about this French side. Bielle-Biarrey collected a clearance kick near his own 22 and immediately looked to counter-attack. He exchanged passes with Ramos, the full-back’s overhead return pass a moment of pure genius that allowed the wing to burst clear down the left touchline.
With defenders scrambling to cover, Bielle-Biarrey had the awareness to look inside, where Attissogbe had tracked across from his opposite wing to take the scoring pass. The Pau flyer sprinted clear to score, and at 40-7, France had matched their highest total against Wales with half an hour still to play.
Attissogbe soon had his second after collecting another Jalibert cross-kick. The fly-half’s vision had been a feature of France’s attack all afternoon, and this time his execution was again perfect, the ball bouncing kindly for Attissogbe, who found himself in splendid isolation wide on the right. Where was the Welsh defence? The question went unanswered as the wing touched down unopposed.
Ollivon completed France’s blitz with the eighth try on the hour, crashing over from close range after sustained forward pressure. The captain, also celebrating his 50th cap alongside Marchand, now boasts eleven tries in the Six Nations — extending his record as the leading French forward try-scorer in the Championship. Ramos converted to take the visitors past their half-century with still a quarter of the match remaining.
Late consolation for loyal supporters
Wales at least managed to find the line once more in the closing stages, providing some cheer for the supporters who had stayed until the end. After James was held up on the line following a surging break through the French midfield, the hosts maintained their pressure.
Plumtree was held up over the whitewash, but the referee was playing advantage for offside, and from the subsequent tap penalty, the ball was worked wide right. Rees-Zammit, who had been one of the few bright spots for the hosts throughout, produced a sharp left-foot step to beat one defender before firing a pass to an unmarked Grady. The replacement wing crossed in the corner to secure a consolation try that the long-suffering home supporters gratefully acknowledged.
Evans missed the conversion from the touchline, but the final score of 54-12 scarcely did justice to France’s dominance. The statistics painted a brutal picture: France made 28 line breaks to Wales’s seven, beat 47 defenders compared to just 14 by the home side, and missed only 15 tackles to Wales’s 30. With 45 minutes of ball-in-play time, this was rugby played at a pace with which Wales simply could not cope.
Jalibert orchestrates masterclass
Player of the match Jalibert was the outstanding performer for Les Bleus, laying on a pair of tries with his pinpoint cross-kicks while also scoring himself. His partnership with Dupont, who created havoc throughout before making way for Baptiste Serin in the 58th minute, allowed France to slice into space on numerous occasions.
“We find each other well on the field,” Dupont said afterwards. “Our forwards are taking on more and more importance in this system — they play well and are useful to the system through their good running lines. Our defence also allows us to get turnovers that we exploit, so far, in the best possible way.”
The scrum-half paid tribute to the travelling supporters who made the Principality Stadium feel like home. “At the end, when we heard them singing the Marseillaise, we felt like we were at the Stade de France. It’s an immense honour for us to represent all these supporters on the field.”
Attissogbe, who finished with a brace of tries, reflected on an afternoon of free-flowing rugby. “There was a lot of rhythm, it was tiring! But with the big work from the forwards, it was easier with players like that around us to play our rugby. We try to be threatening everywhere. That’s what we want to work on — this ability to be dangerous everywhere, to be as unpredictable as possible.”
Brau-Boirie and Gailleton thrived in their first Test start together, the Pau centre pairing showing the cohesion that attack coach Patrick Arlettaz had predicted earlier in the week. Bielle-Biarrey, meanwhile, continued his remarkable form, proving strong in the aerial battle and devastating on the ground as he cut the Welsh defence to shreds with his speed and sharp footwork.
Tandy remains optimistic despite record defeat
For Wales, this was another humbling experience that extended their losing streak under Tandy to six matches, during which they have conceded 302 points and 42 tries. The head coach attempted to find positives despite the scoreline, pointing to improvements in discipline and set-piece work.
“Obviously disappointed with the scoreline. You’ve got to tip your hat to France and what they brought,” Tandy said. “There was more in us today. Parts of the game, I know you’re all looking at me like I’m stupid, with the path we’re on, I thought there were glimpses. With the set-piece and the intent of how we wanted to go after the game. We’ve come up against a class team.
“There was enough today where we can go back on Tuesday and work on things. It’s not the scoreline we want but it’s part of the journey we’re on. Every nation is at different stages. We’ve got to focus on the things we did better today. Discipline and set-piece was better. Obviously there’s still areas we need to grow.”
When asked about the lowest Six Nations crowd in Cardiff history, Tandy acknowledged the wider malaise affecting Welsh rugby. “The only bit I can control is the team. I understand there’s lots going on and has been in Wales for a really long time. We’re a small nation, we need everything to be flowing in the right direction. We all need to play our part in how we get there.”
Captain Lake echoed his coach’s sentiments while acknowledging the supporters’ frustration. “I guess it’s a step forward, we were a lot better than last week, but there’s still lots to work on. France are a team at the very top of the world. They can create things out of absolutely nothing. They scored some world-class tries today.
“It’s our job to make people want to come and watch games, and at the minute we’re not getting results. All I can ask is that they come along on the journey with us and support us — we want to get better.”
Championship implications
France now sit top of the Six Nations standings with ten points from two matches, their bonus-point victories over Ireland and Wales marking them out as clear favourites to claim their first Grand Slam since 2022. They are the only team for whom the clean sweep remains possible. With 90 points scored after two rounds, Les Bleus have registered their highest total at this stage of the competition since the Six Nations began in 2000.
“Arriving and winning all the matches in this competition is what we’re preparing for,” Dupont said when asked about Grand Slam aspirations. “But until the last round, the Championship won’t be won. We see the intensity and difficulty of the matches every weekend. We have to take these matches one by one — there’s no other way forward.”
For Wales, the search for a first Championship victory since March 2023 continues. They remain in Cardiff for a Round 3 clash against Scotland next Saturday, a fixture that represents perhaps their best chance of ending their drought. But the Scots arrive rejuvenated after their stunning 31-20 victory over England, and on this evidence, even that task appears daunting.
The record books will show that France recorded their highest ever score against Wales, that the Cardiff crowd was the smallest in Six Nations history, and that the gap between these two nations has never appeared wider. Wales have now shipped 50 points at home for the fifth time in just under a year. A third successive wooden spoon surely awaits.
France, by contrast, continue their march towards potential glory. With Dupont orchestrating, Jalibert creating, and Bielle-Biarrey finishing, they possess a potency that no side in this Championship can currently match. These truly are desperate times for Welsh rugby; for France, they could scarcely be brighter.
Wales (7) 12
Tries: Carre, Grady. Con: Edwards.
France (26) 54
Tries: Gailleton, Bielle-Biarrey, Brau-Boirie, Jalibert, Marchand, Attissogbe 2, Ollivon. Cons: Ramos 7.
Wales: L Rees-Zammit; E Mee, E James, J Hawkins, J Adams; D Edwards, T Williams; R Carre, D Lake (capt), T Francis, D Jenkins, A Beard, A Wainwright, A Mann, O Cracknell.
Replacements: R Elias, N Smith, A Griffin, B Carter, T Plumtree, K Hardy, J Evans, M Grady.
France: T Ramos; T Attissogbe, E Gailleton, F Brau-Boirie, L Bielle-Biarrey; M Jalibert, A Dupont (capt); J-B Gros, J Marchand, D Aldegheri, C Ollivon, M Guillard, F Cros, O Jegou, A Jelonch.
Replacements: M Lamothe, R Neti, R Montagne, T Flament, E Meafou, L Nouchi, B Serin, N Nene.
Referee: James Doleman (New Zealand)
Wales host Scotland next Saturday at the Principality Stadium (kick-off 2.15pm GMT). France welcome Italy to Lille on Sunday (kick-off 3.00pm GMT).
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