Pressure mounts on Gatland as France whitewash Wales

01/31/2025 05:35 PM

MATCH REPORT: France got their Six Nations campaign off to a perfect start, a 43-0 white of Wales at Stade de France in Paris on Friday.

Scoring seven tries without reply, the bonus-point win will add more pressure on Wales coach Warren Gatland, who has now suffered 13 consecutive losses.

Wings Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey crossed for two tries, while Julien Marchand, Emilien Gailleton and Gregory Alldritt also scored, Thomas Ramos kicking four conversions.

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Antoine Dupont marked his return to Six Nations duty in stunning style as he underlined his billing as the ultimate all-round player.

He missed last year's championship as he battled for a place on France's Sevens squad for the Paris Olympics.

Needless to say, he made the side and duly scored a brace of tries in the final as France hit gold at their home Games.

It silenced many critics who'd been quick to question the Toulouse scrumhalf's decision to favour Sevens over the national 15-a-side team.

In addition to his Olympic success Dupont last year won a French Top 14 and Champions Cup double with club Toulouse and guided France to an unbeaten November series.

Against Wales on Friday, Dupont showcased the whole array of his playing abilities, from doughty defence to sniping attack, proving a thorn in the visitors' side at any opportunity.

He darted over the tryline after taking a quick penalty early on, but was held up.

The defence was next, a perfectly-timed man-on-ball tackle on Nick Tompkins snuffing out a potential Welsh attack.

Then came a sublime assist, a pin-perfect cross-field kick for unmarked wing Theo Attissogbe in full play.

Dupont turned provider once more for Attissogbe.

A smart break saw Dupont break the defensive line, stepping outside Liam Williams and throwing out a looped pass to the wing for an easy run in.

A grubber through by Dupont almost saw left wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey threaten the line before a knock-on.

But then, on the stroke of half-time, Dupont showcased his vision.

One glance up from the base of a ruck and he threw out a 20-metre pass to Bielle-Biarrey for a simple touchdown.

Three brilliant assists to set up three tries helped France motor into a 28-0 half-time lead, much to the delight of the Stade de France crowd.

Remarkably for Dupont, it was his 37th try assist in 56 Test matches.

It was also the second time he's managed a hat-trick of try assists in a Six Nations match, after having four against Italy in 2021. It took Dupont to 20 assists in the Championship, with only veteran Ireland scrum-half Conor Murray having more.

Linking up with Toulouse teammate Romain Ntamack, making his first France start in 17 months after a string of injuries, Dupont thrived, with Thomas Ramos also linking in well from fullback.

Dupont's run-out came to an end as France coach Fabien Galthie made six replacements in the 49th minute, eager to keep his star player's powder dry for sterner challenges to come.

Man of the match: You can look at the try-scoring wings of Theo Attissogbe, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, and other backs like Thomas Ramos and Antoine Dupont. In a pack that included monsters like Paul Boudehent, Emmanuel Meafou, Alexandre Roumant, Jean-Baptiste Gros and Cyril Baille laid the foundation for the rout. And our award goes to French No.8 Gregory Alldritt - a match-high 18 carries, for 70-odd metres and he made 20 tackles.

Moment of the match: The Theo Attissogbe try in the 17th minute - it was the beginning of the end.

Villain: Only French heroes.

The scorers

For France
Tries: Attissogbe 2, Bielle-Biarrey 2, Marchand, Gailleton, Alldritt
Cons: Ramos 4

For Wales
None

Red card: Romain Ntamack (France, 71 - foul play, shoulder-to-head contact)
Yellow cards: Evan Lloyd (Wales, 31 - foul play, shoulder-to-head contact), Freddie Thomas (Wales, 76 - repeated infringements, offside)

Teams

France: 15 Thomas Ramos, 14 Theo Attissogbe, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Romain Ntamack, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 Francois Cros, 5 Emmanuel Meafou, 4 Alexandre Roumant, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacements: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Georges-Henri Colombe, 19 Hugo Auradou, 20 Mickael Guillard, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Nolann Le Garrec, 23 Emilien Gailleton.

Wales: 15 Liam Williams, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Owen Watkin, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Ben Thomas, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan (captain), 6 James Botham, 5 Dafydd Jenkins, 4 Will Rowlands, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Evan Lloyd, 1 Gareth Thomas.
Replacements: 16 Elliot Dee, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Dan Edwards, 23 Blair Murray.

Referee: Paul Williams (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Andrea Piardi (Italy), Jordan Way (Australia)
TMO: Brett Cronan (Australia)