CARDIFF, United Kingdom, Feb 21, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – France head into round
three of the Six Nations this weekend atop the table having kicked off their
campaign with victories over England (24-17) and Italy (35-22).
Fabien Galthie’s men will be seeking a first win in Cardiff since 2010 on
Saturday when they take on Wales, who blanked Italy (42-0) before falling to
Ireland (24-14).
Here AFP Sport picks out three key factors that could have an impact on the
outcome at the Principality Stadium:
Scrum wars
Wales prop Wyn Jones ripped open a can of worms by accusing France of
illegal tactics at the scrum.
“We know they will hit and chase and cheat,” Jones said, conveniently
ignoring the point that all teams try to get away with as much as they can at
the scrum.
His comments evoked a terse response from France team manager Rapahel
Ibanez, capped 98 times as hooker for Les Bleus.
“It is a rude and puerile attack from another age,” Ibanez said. “We have
referees, these are the tournament referees with whom we work well, very
intelligently.”
Wales coach Wayne Pivac sought to play down Jones’ words.
“We’re working solidly on our scrum,” the New Zealander said. “We’re
looking to paint clean pictures and be squeaky clean.”
Return of ‘le petit general’
France scrum-half Antoine Dupont has, arguably, been the stand-out player
of the championship this season.
The French love their number nines, often referred to as “le petit general”
and often considered more influential in playmaking than the fly-half.
Dupont, an adept sniper with a keen eye for a gap, has been a key cog to
the French revival, combining perfectly with Toulouse clubmate Romain
Ntamack.
His opponent on Saturday will be Gareth Davies, chosen for his linespeed in
defence, over replacement Tomos Williams, with ex-Toulon player Rhys Webb not
making the match-day 23.
“Clearly, we’ve got three quality nines,” said Pivac. “But Gareth’s the
right one to start in this game.”
AWJ’s Bokke-flavoured lock down
Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones will win his 137th cap when he leads out his
side against France.
The 34-year-old lock is a talismanic figure for the Welsh, a stalwart in
defence who showed his versatility when he delivered a deft offload that led
to a Tomos Williams try in the 24-14 defeat by Ireland.
“It’s massive what he’s done with Wales,” France’s South African-born lock
Bernard Le Roux said of Jones.
“He started in 2006 when I was still in school. He made more than 20
tackles in his last game. He’s a leader, he’s everywhere. He’s a nuisance on
the field.”
Le Roux will be partenered in the French boiler house by fellow South
African Paul Willemse, and the pair will have their work cut out to shut down
the Welsh skipper.