France Player Ratings v Wales - Six Nations
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France will go for Grand Slam glory next week after resisting a determined effort from Wales to snatch a huge 13-9 win in Cardiff.
Going into this game, Les Bleus had not won consecutive games away to Wales since winning their first four such clashes in the Six Nations between 2000 and 2006. They have put two together in a row now, however, after adding this to a 27-23 victory in 2020.
This was a fourth win from four in the 2022 Six Nations and a massive step towards championship glory.
Here is how we rated France as they continue their Grand Slam charge.
15 Melvyn Jaminet - 6.5
After an underwhelming performance against Scotland, Jaminet started the match well, exploiting a hole in the Welsh defence and sparked that attack that led to France's first try and slotted his first two shots at goal.
He would miss just one of his attempts at goal while his overall performance was mixed as he over hit some of his kicks and perfectly placed others.
14 Yoram Moefana - 6.5
Some good touches from the youngster, one of which led to the opening try. Wales did put him under pressure with their klicks, while he didn't see as much ball as he would have liked.
13 Gael Fickou - 5
Wales managed to limit the attacking impact of Fickou with Jonathan Davies shooting up into the face of the Frenchman at every opportunity and had some success in doing so.
Defensively, Fickou was sound and did have moments where he showed how dangerous he could be, but the Welsh defence marked him well.
12 Jonathan Danty - 7.5
Another robust performance from the French centre, continuing to cement his place in the starting XV.
He made two big turnovers that played a role in the match's outcome while he was a headache to mark defensively.
11 Gabin Villiere - 7
He was dangerous whenever the ball came his way with some excellent footwork but didn't see nearly enough ball. Excellent on the defensive.
10 Romain Ntamack - 6
Dan Biggar got the better of the young pivot who wasn't quite up to the tactical kicking challenge. Ntamack wasn't too far off the pace, however, as he did manage to string together some excellent attacking phases.
9 Antoine Dupont - 7
A rapid start to the game saw Dupont test the Welsh fringe defence and was successful in doing so. He kicked well out of hand, too and regularly ran good support lines as he always does.
He wasn't quite able to crack open the Welsh defence as he has done to other sides this tournament, but a good performance nonetheless.
1 Cyril Baille - 6
Busy around the park and strong in the scrum, putting pressure on Tomas Francis. He exited the pitch before the hour mark after a gruelling test.
2 Julien Marchand - 7
Marchand was a strong presence over the ball at the breakdowns while he made a notable impact with the ball in hand. His lineout throws were successfully put under pressure but still a solid enough game from the hooker.
3 Uini Atonio - 5.5
A solid performance from the big man put pressure on Gareth Thomas and Wyn Jones in the scrum. He did have a few neat touches with the ball in hand, too, and he was sound defensively. Solid without being outstanding.
4 Cameron Woki - 5
Woki had a surprisingly quiet game as he was outfoxed by Will Rowlands at the lineout, with the Welshman regularly beating him in the air at lineout time. He made little impact with the ball in hand but did make all of his tackles.
5 Paul Willemse - 8
Willemse was a standout tackler for France as he thundered into tackles with a notable hit on Liam Williams. He was a safe lineout option once Rowlands had worked out Cameron Woki and carried furiously into contact. Another powerful performance from the big man.
Liam Williams running into Jonathan Dany and Paul Willemse 💀 #WALvFRA pic.twitter.com/if2uKswRXY
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) March 11, 2022
6 Francois Cros - 7
A lot of Cros' grunt work will fall under the radar, but he was a titan on defence, making a match-high of 14 tackles. He was key in clearing out rucks and a threat on the opposition ball.
7 Anthony Jelonch - 8
Jelonch rounded off France's opening try as he worked his socks off, running a support line. His grunt work often flies under the radar, but he continues to become an integral part of France's back row. He was busy on defence and a robust ball carrier.
8 Gregory Alldritt - 5
An off night for Alldritt as he was regularly penalised in the opening hour of play. He was targetted by the French defence, which was determined to stifle his ball-carrying impact.
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