France resist Wales rebound
26 Feb 2010
France nearly surrendered a 20-point lead before settling to secure a 26-20 victory over Wales in Cardiff.
Leading 20-0 and the break and having not been threatened once by an impotent Wales, most, except Wales’ ever-optimistic supporters wouldn’t have given the hosts a chance. But they rallied to within seven points, before basic errors cost them a chance of a miraculous comeback.
The match was a marred by passages of play that infuriated as a result of amateurish handling and poor tactical options. But there were moments which mesmerised, and those ensured you stayed trained on the contest.
Initially Wales couldn’t match France’s clinical attack via their back division, and why they persisted down that avenue of attack in the first half confounds. Their more pragmatic second half approach reaped rewards, and had they resisted the urge to box with the boxing experts, the result may have been different.
However, France built their victory almost entirely on defence – the controlled and aggressive variety in the first forty minutes and desperate scrambling in the second.
With regard to the former variation, Wales were bullied in contact, and as a result rarely got the speed on the recycle they needed to play the type of game they attempted to. France stayed patient in defence, despite a dearth of possession and territory, and capitalised on numerous errors, the biggest of which came in the 7th minute.
France’s speed off the line forced Wales’ attack to veer laterally, and well behind the advantage line. An intercept always looked possible given the careless and rudderless manner in which the ball was being distributed, and wing Alexis Palisson duly poached a floated Stephen Jones pass and ran 65m to score.
Morgan Parra converted and banked two more three pointers to take his side into 13-0 ahead.
At no stage did Wales threaten, and their desperation manifested in collectivism being traded for individualism. This ultimately cost them seven points when, after a mazy solo run, Shane Williams popped up a ball in contact only for flyhalf Francois Trinh-Duc to grasp it and sprint 30m to goal.
Parra sunk the conversion from tough angle, and being 20-0 down with France still having five gears at their disposal, it was effectively over as a contest. Or so it seemed.
Wales’ woes were amplified when they butchered a wonderful scoring opportunity four minutes after the restart – lock Luke Charteris knocking on with the line beckoning and just a wing to negotiate.
Then the drama reached its climax. A multi-phase move culminated in the ball being shifted wide to Leigh Halfpenny, who raced in to the corner. Jones sent the ball sailing through the posts to draw his side to within a converted try.
To compound France’s trouble, Parra was sin-binned for an infringement in the build up to that try, and Wales had a number of chances to punish 14-man opponents, the best of those when Jamie Roberts failed to find a support runner on his outside who would have scored under the posts.
They’d regret that, and if Frederic Michalak’s 70th minute penalty helped France breath easier, Parra’s third in the 78th sealed the result. Williams would score a late converted try, but Michalak simply booted the restart into touch to keep their Grand Slam dream alive.
151 Comments
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26 Feb 2010, 23:38 pm
@grant10: it feels like that’s the game, France back to 15. my money safe
26 Feb 2010, 23:39 pm
@Big Hit: he is getting more annoying as the game goes on and the frogs take control again.
“not a bad welsh scrum”
they were all on their backs in the mud lmao!
26 Feb 2010, 23:41 pm
grant: it’s tense at the moment, france still drilling wales in the scrums but wales were undoing the french with the kick over the defence but they butchered their opportunities…the french switched off for 10min & got punished…but french are awake…back to even contest with 4min to go…
26 Feb 2010, 23:41 pm
@Big Hit: back to 15? its only 12 surely?
23-13
or am i watching a delayed live version?
oh ja, 15 players! ja, frogs seem to betaking control.
26 Feb 2010, 23:42 pm
carol and her man at the game ….tough on them…fark…we all had a bad day today.
BH….my irish boys got you lads tomorrow…may the best team win…i got poms by 5….my great grandad will be spinning in his grave…
26 Feb 2010, 23:42 pm
26-13
game, set…match
cheers all, later.
26 Feb 2010, 23:42 pm
it’s all over rover para about to convert penalty!!
26 Feb 2010, 23:43 pm
penalty in front of the posts, 26-13 to come, frogs to win easily.
78 mins.
over.
26 Feb 2010, 23:43 pm
@Transformation: 103
Ta my man
i am so moeg and a long day tomorrow….but hanging in here….hows the little lady doing Rangerman?
26 Feb 2010, 23:43 pm
@grant10: it will be tight, later g10
26 Feb 2010, 23:44 pm
@Big Hit: cheers Bh …GREAT FRENCH WIN….SEEMS THE FRANCE …ENG GAME MAY BE THE DECIDER…ALTHOUGH MY IRISH MAY MESS THAT UP.
26 Feb 2010, 23:44 pm
shane williams, the little hobbit try!
26-18, conversion to come, over!
is there time?
26 Feb 2010, 23:45 pm
@Big Hit: 110
JA…ENJOY TOMORROW…I AM OUT WHOLE DAY ….CHEERS
26 Feb 2010, 23:46 pm
@grant10: awesome thanks, ok, game over and feeding time, pleasnt evening all!
26 Feb 2010, 23:46 pm
@rangerman: 112
***** BELLS….CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!
26 Feb 2010, 23:46 pm
@rangerman: gOOD …CHEERS NOW…OUTTA HERE AS WELL
SEE YOU ALL….CHEERS TRANSIE .
26 Feb 2010, 23:47 pm
Great game who would have thought there would be more tries in a 6 nations game than a super 14..
26 Feb 2010, 23:51 pm
I’m no Wales/Williams fan but that try he just scored a minute from time was a pearler…might have lost a FEW yards but great feet still.
Loose trio of Bonnaire,Dusseautoir,Harinodiquoy is class..great balance.would like to see Chabal at 8 as supersub.he is no lock.
26 Feb 2010, 23:52 pm
Well done France – unfortunately I forgot to make the superbru selection in my hurry to get home and watch the Stormers lose.
K#k day.
26 Feb 2010, 23:54 pm
@mshiniwami:
As far as no 8′s are concerned Harinodiquoy and Parisse have no equals in rugby today.
26 Feb 2010, 23:55 pm
if both these teans were playing jake white’s boks there wouldn’t have been any tries, we would’ve defended them into submission.
26 Feb 2010, 23:57 pm
Well, finally my i-net connection resumed. Congrats, France (jubilation!), still kudos for Wales – did a good job in the 2nd half.
As for irritating Davies, OK, his voice is not the music in the ears, still I think it’s great to have positively ‘biased’ commentators with emotions.
Like Aussie mob (Kafer, Kearns and Martin). Or the great Hugh Bladen. Or Kiwi Mexted and Stu Wilson (Nisbett and Johnson are OK, too, they are just too “polite”). Or late Bill Maclaren.
If only Davies had a slightly different voice…
26 Feb 2010, 23:58 pm
He’d still be annoying ..
27 Feb 2010, 00:00 am
@gunther: Probably. Still give me him over Stransky and Brosnihan any day.
27 Feb 2010, 00:00 am
cheers grant…
27 Feb 2010, 00:01 am
@gunther: And Garth Wright.
They may be greats as a players but I hate commentators who FORCE you to WATCH all the time not to miss a score. They are so life-less.
27 Feb 2010, 00:02 am
Those three made for each other throw in andy capastagno the postman and you have your hall of fame right there…
27 Feb 2010, 00:03 am
hi-lites of the saders & sharks on NOW, i gotta see this demolition!
27 Feb 2010, 00:05 am
@gunther: Right. I would put Andy on higher level because he use to say informative things, too. i like him more than aforementioned gentlemen.
Still, for an English speaking foreigner, nobody beats Hugh Bladen from SA commentators. He may be drunkard but I like him very very much.
Wish he could cover all the games in SA, not just those in highveld.
27 Feb 2010, 00:06 am
Harinodiquoy has tightened up his game from his early days when he exploded on the scene in 2002.has taken him a while but he is now a complete 8.gained size as well.Parisse is as elegant as they come,great skills set but has had discipline problems in recent times.great 8 though.these 2 play behind 2 excellent scrums-it helps.
If England were smart they’d play the athletic Haskell at8 instead of tub of lard that is Easter.he must stick to delivering meat.Haskell possibly on athletic fwd in England.excellent speed/explosive power.would be a gem in SH.
27 Feb 2010, 00:07 am
Nils
Hugh is a national treasure
27 Feb 2010, 00:09 am
@Nils:
Yeah, I use to despise old Hughie but as the new breed of local commentators appeared on the scene I realised how good he actually is.
27 Feb 2010, 00:10 am
Mshini
Haskell is handy behind a camera as well as the scrum
He was expelled from school for making a porn video
27 Feb 2010, 00:12 am
@gunther:
Hopefully he did not also act in the movie?
27 Feb 2010, 00:13 am
Give him a break rob
It’s not easy watching rugby through the bottom of a him and tonic glass
The lemon gets in the way
27 Feb 2010, 00:15 am
@gunther:
#135
Ja shame, the blurred vision and lemon also once made him miss the edge of a balcony.
27 Feb 2010, 00:15 am
I think he did
Him and a mate filmed each other with this bird
A believe premiership footballers refer to this as a spit roast
Whatever can they mean?
27 Feb 2010, 00:20 am
@Robzim: if van Niekerk was eligible for France he would be in the team, everywhere I go and people find out I am South African all I hear is Joe is so good, why can’t he play for France?
Parisse being out injured this 6 Nations is massively disappointing I was looking forward to seeing him play in an improving Italian team.
27 Feb 2010, 00:22 am
@gunther:
Lol, jissus, I am not sure, sounds dodgy, you tell me
27 Feb 2010, 00:23 am
@Robzim: @gunther: He was the first one SA man with a microphone I listened to while watching rugby. At first his vocal tones annoyed me, then I listened to a few other guys (Campostagno, Pierce, the grey haired guy with moustache who covers WP/Stormers games, Stransky, Skinstad, Brosnihan, etc. etc.) and I realised that old Hugh beats them all hands down. When I saw him debating with Aussie colleagues during the 3N game in Australia (a few years ago), I liked him even more.
He is a man with knowledge and passion for SA rugby and, most important, he SHOWS it. He really cares. I honestly like him very much.
27 Feb 2010, 00:24 am
Robert
I am a cuntry boy
Let’s just agree that haskell is a class act and leave it at that
Went to the greatest rugby school on England
27 Feb 2010, 00:26 am
@fish out of water:
I am also a huge fan of Joe but I guess he has burned his bridges with the current SA rugby regime. Pity, at his best he would walk into the Bok team imo.
27 Feb 2010, 00:28 am
Robert
I am a country boy
Let’s agree that haskell is an exciting prospect
My Boet played with him at school
27 Feb 2010, 00:30 am
@Nils:
I believe he was not a bad flyhalf in his days either. He played for TvL (nowadays the golden Lions) and I think also for the Junior Boks in his younger days.
27 Feb 2010, 00:31 am
Matt pierce had irritated me recently he really has become quite parochial
27 Feb 2010, 00:37 am
@gunther:
I also love the country
Specially the (lack of) traffic.
I will keep an eye on Haskell tomorrow.
He was brilliant against Wales – indeed an exciting player.
I am out – see u.
27 Feb 2010, 00:44 am
See you all tomorrow, take care and have a good time!
27 Feb 2010, 02:51 am
@grant10: Hi Grant, the Welsh had us screaming at the end…..Shane Williams pulled out another fantastic try in the dying minutes of the game!!
The ref was ‘harsh’ on the Welsh!!
…..and I come back to find the Stormers have lost too!
27 Feb 2010, 02:52 am
@Robzim: See your 7mm of neopreme kept you safe from sharks today!!
27 Feb 2010, 07:25 am
carol….what a disaster rugby day yesterday…sharks…stormers …wales….
i need to overdose on happy pills…
feels like i lost a body organ…heart ripped out!
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