Can we Slam Les Bleus?

[normanski]

Well after all the excitement of the weekend we are now down to the short strokes of the 6N.

It’s a them and us shoot out for the top prize.

I desperately want us to win and win well but I guess even a losing bonus point would give us the championship.

I have a feeling we will do well and confound the critics.

[Buggaluggs]

Tough to call. When France scored against England they looked unstoppable. Then they follow that up with 15 mins of nowhere ball rugby. We need to be patient and chip away.

[Sandydragon]

It’s going to be massive and I can’t call it. France are the favourites and probably deserve to be, despite yesterday and especially with home advantage. Then again we beat France a few times despite them being the ‘better team’ in the eyes of everyone not playing.

Discipline will be key again and we have been very good in that area thus far and have also been hugely clinical. It might become a bit of a kick fest as both sides have been comfortable without the ball.

If Ireland beat Scotland then their campaign is pretty much over. France need a bonus point and to make up some points difference. That said, they are quite capable of beating us and Scotland at home by tidy scores and getting four tries in one or both of those games. Equally we could pickup a LBP or win on Saturday.

It’s just a huge shame that we might have to wait until the following Friday for the final positions.

[Sandydragon]

So it’s us or France for the title then.

[Sandydragon]

Wales 19 points
Ireland 11
England 10
France 10
Scotland 6
Italy 0


Assuming Scotland take 5 points from Italy then really it’s Ireland, Scotland and England competing for third place.

I wonder if Scotland losing today might affect their intensity for their game to France?

[normanski]

Wales 19 points
Ireland 11
England 10
France 10
Scotland 6
Italy 0


Assuming Scotland take 5 points from Italy then really it’s Ireland, Scotland and England competing for third place.

I wonder if Scotland losing today might affect their intensity for their game to France?

Scotland were rusty today after a month’s layoff. They outscored Ireland three tries to two and looked dangerous at times especially in broken play. They have another game next week but a lot will depend on how long after next Saturday they have to wait to play France.

There’s only thing to happen next week - a Wales win to take take the GS.

[Son of Mathonwy]

After the England-France match I see us as marginal favourites to beat France. While there will be considerations about the points we need to win the championship even if we lose the match (ie a 3 point gap is okay), we will be playing to win and tactics will be decided with that in mind (these things should only matter if we face tricky decisions in the last 5 minutes eg playing for an easy draw rather than an unlikely win).

Losing the slam would be painful though. And having to wait for the Scotland match would be a nightmare.

[Sandydragon]

I have no doubt that we will be playing to win. Although as you say if we need a last minute penalty to get a BP or a draw to win the championship then hopefully we are level headed enough to make the right call.

I was under the impression that the France Scotland game was the Friday after super Saturday.

Edit. Just checked and apparently not confirmed yet. Hopefully not postponed until the Autumn which would be annoying.

[francoisfou]

Bonjour, mes amis gallois!

The answer to the question is, yes, but highly unlikely!
This is a French team that is learning with each match, a team that got a hard-earned win in Dublin and lost at Twickenham when cool heads in the last ten minutes would surely have won the game. Having said that, your team must be respected and if you are to beat France, your best chance is now because they'll be even better next season and hopefully more so in World Cup year 2023.
A couple of changes to the squad have already been announced. Prop Uini Atonio and centre Arthur Vincent have been drafted into the squad. Second row, Bernard Le Roux is due to have a scan this morning to see if he'll be able to make the squad, and let's hope he makes it because he's an important player to the squad. I'd imagine that the only change to the starting XV would be Le Roux - if fit, with Taofifénua on the replacements' bench.
I'm really looking forward to Saturday night but it's a shame that the Stade de France will be empty for such an important game.
I expect a bonus point win for France and similarly against Scotland on the 26th, but as Sandydragon says above, we're waiting for confirmation.

[normanski]

Bonjour, mes amis gallois!

The answer to the question is, yes, but highly unlikely!
This is a French team that is learning with each match, a team that got a hard-earned win in Dublin and lost at Twickenham when cool heads in the last ten minutes would surely have won the game. Having said that, your team must be respected and if you are to beat France, your best chance is now because they'll be even better next season and hopefully more so in World Cup year 2023.
A couple of changes to the squad have already been announced. Prop Uini Atonio and centre Arthur Vincent have been drafted into the squad. Second row, Bernard Le Roux is due to have a scan this morning to see if he'll be able to make the squad, and let's hope he makes it because he's an important player to the squad. I'd imagine that the only change to the starting XV would be Le Roux - if fit, with Taofifénua on the replacements' bench.
I'm really looking forward to Saturday night but it's a shame that the Stade de France will be empty for such an important game.
I expect a bonus point win for France and similarly against Scotland on the 26th, but as Sandydragon says above, we're waiting for confirmation.

I admire your confidence that France are on an upward curve but I’m not so sure!

On Saturday, at Twickenham, there were two heavyweight but mediocre sides slugging it out to see who could make the least mistakes.

A telling statistic is that France did not get into the England 22 with ball in hand for the whole of the second half - forty minutes without posing a single close-in opportunity. Sacre Bleu!

While they flatter to deceive so far, France will feel the weight of Wales’s upward curve of this season and end up on the wrong side of a team who are improving by leaps and bounds in every game they play.

France, I think, believe the hype of your press and the English press who give you the status of your exceptional and glory teams of the past. You ain’t nowhere near that level quite yet.

One thing about us too, all teams will score tries against Wales (even Italy managed one on Saturday) because that is the Pivac way. But Wales are discovering the knack of scoring far more from very limited opportunities. Look at our stats of tries scored against time in the 22.

Underestimate Wales at your peril because we’re coming for you on Saturday!!! It promises to be one hell of a game.

Bon chance, monsieur!

[Son of Mathonwy]

Bonjour, mes amis gallois!

The answer to the question is, yes, but highly unlikely!
This is a French team that is learning with each match, a team that got a hard-earned win in Dublin and lost at Twickenham when cool heads in the last ten minutes would surely have won the game. Having said that, your team must be respected and if you are to beat France, your best chance is now because they'll be even better next season and hopefully more so in World Cup year 2023.
A couple of changes to the squad have already been announced. Prop Uini Atonio and centre Arthur Vincent have been drafted into the squad. Second row, Bernard Le Roux is due to have a scan this morning to see if he'll be able to make the squad, and let's hope he makes it because he's an important player to the squad. I'd imagine that the only change to the starting XV would be Le Roux - if fit, with Taofifénua on the replacements' bench.
I'm really looking forward to Saturday night but it's a shame that the Stade de France will be empty for such an important game.
I expect a bonus point win for France and similarly against Scotland on the 26th, but as Sandydragon says above, we're waiting for confirmation.

On Saturday, at Twickenham, there were two heavyweight but mediocre sides slugging it out to see who could make the least mistakes.

I did a double-take when they showed the weights of the opposing packs. Not too worried though: France has played a massive pack against us before and run out of steam.

[normanski]

Bonjour, mes amis gallois!

The answer to the question is, yes, but highly unlikely!
This is a French team that is learning with each match, a team that got a hard-earned win in Dublin and lost at Twickenham when cool heads in the last ten minutes would surely have won the game. Having said that, your team must be respected and if you are to beat France, your best chance is now because they'll be even better next season and hopefully more so in World Cup year 2023.
A couple of changes to the squad have already been announced. Prop Uini Atonio and centre Arthur Vincent have been drafted into the squad. Second row, Bernard Le Roux is due to have a scan this morning to see if he'll be able to make the squad, and let's hope he makes it because he's an important player to the squad. I'd imagine that the only change to the starting XV would be Le Roux - if fit, with Taofifénua on the replacements' bench.
I'm really looking forward to Saturday night but it's a shame that the Stade de France will be empty for such an important game.
I expect a bonus point win for France and similarly against Scotland on the 26th, but as Sandydragon says above, we're waiting for confirmation.

On Saturday, at Twickenham, there were two heavyweight but mediocre sides slugging it out to see who could make the least mistakes.

I did a double-take when they showed the weights of the opposing packs. Not too worried though: France has played a massive pack against us before and run out of steam.

Yes. And that man mountain of fat, Antonio is back in the squad. I never really believe the pack weights ‘cos they’re taken at the start of the season and bear no relationship to the actuals on the day.

[Sourdust]

I've been a little surprised how the press - even the Welsh press - have responded to the Eng-Fra match. France scored a couple of lovely tries; England dug deep and pulled out a really impressive win; but I can't see where all this "classic match" hype comes from. I saw a decent game between two decent sides, with a lot of positive intent but also a lot of mistakes. For my money Sco-Ire was a better match, albeit between two average teams both hell-bent on losing it.

If anything, I'd be concerned with just how beatable France looked. We'd much rather be going to Paris with no chance, wouldn't we? In that last 20 at Twickenham I was very confident England would win even though they were behind. France looked like they'd emptied their clip.

I'm genuinely worried by their attacking flair, and fear they could shred us in the first half and leave us too much to do. But if we get to 60 minutes within a score... I'd probably back them to blink first. Let's see.

[Sandydragon]

I've been a little surprised how the press - even the Welsh press - have responded to the Eng-Fra match. France scored a couple of lovely tries; England dug deep and pulled out a really impressive win; but I can't see where all this "classic match" hype comes from. I saw a decent game between two decent sides, with a lot of positive intent but also a lot of mistakes. For my money Sco-Ire was a better match, albeit between two average teams both hell-bent on losing it.

If anything, I'd be concerned with just how beatable France looked. We'd much rather be going to Paris with no chance, wouldn't we? In that last 20 at Twickenham I was very confident England would win even though they were behind. France looked like they'd emptied their clip.

I'm genuinely worried by their attacking flair, and fear they could shred us in the first half and leave us too much to do. But if we get to 60 minutes within a score... I'd probably back them to blink first. Let's see.

That would be my reading of it as well. France aren’t unbeatable but they are dangerous and will be sore after losing. They will come out the blocks at us fast and we need to match the early aggression and physicality and not leave ourselves with too much to do in the last 20. If we are in the game in the last quarter then we can win it.

[Digby]

I've been a little surprised how the press - even the Welsh press - have responded to the Eng-Fra match. France scored a couple of lovely tries; England dug deep and pulled out a really impressive win; but I can't see where all this "classic match" hype comes from. I saw a decent game between two decent sides, with a lot of positive intent but also a lot of mistakes. For my money Sco-Ire was a better match, albeit between two average teams both hell-bent on losing it.
.

Well one of those games was played at pace, fast even for a pacy game actually, the other had Scotland and Ireland in it. If those games don't look fundamentally different I really don't know what to say.

Perhaps you prefer the slower grind we saw yesterday, there's nothing wrong with that, it just shouldn't be surprising many people prefer the faster (and to my mind more exciting) game

[Son of Mathonwy]

I've been a little surprised how the press - even the Welsh press - have responded to the Eng-Fra match. France scored a couple of lovely tries; England dug deep and pulled out a really impressive win; but I can't see where all this "classic match" hype comes from. I saw a decent game between two decent sides, with a lot of positive intent but also a lot of mistakes. For my money Sco-Ire was a better match, albeit between two average teams both hell-bent on losing it.
.

Well one of those games was played at pace, fast even for a pacy game actually, the other had Scotland and Ireland in it. If those games don't look fundamentally different I really don't know what to say.

Perhaps you prefer the slower grind we saw yesterday, there's nothing wrong with that, it just shouldn't be surprising many people prefer the faster (and to my mind more exciting) game

Very different matches, both enjoyable for the (sort-of) neutral. England-France was definitely the higher quality match but hardly a classic.

[Zhivago]

I back us to win, just like we polished off Ireland in 2019. We are the opposite of Grand Slam chokers.

[Spiffy]

I've been a little surprised how the press - even the Welsh press - have responded to the Eng-Fra match. France scored a couple of lovely tries; England dug deep and pulled out a really impressive win; but I can't see where all this "classic match" hype comes from. I saw a decent game between two decent sides, with a lot of positive intent but also a lot of mistakes. For my money Sco-Ire was a better match, albeit between two average teams both hell-bent on losing it.

If anything, I'd be concerned with just how beatable France looked. We'd much rather be going to Paris with no chance, wouldn't we? In that last 20 at Twickenham I was very confident England would win even though they were behind. France looked like they'd emptied their clip.

I'm genuinely worried by their attacking flair, and fear they could shred us in the first half and leave us too much to do. But if we get to 60 minutes within a score... I'd probably back them to blink first. Let's see.

I think the classic match hype came from the first 20 mins or so, which were tremendous from both sides. But things did go down after that. Fair play to England, but France really let that one slip.

[normanski]

There will be great expectation on France to win at home just as there was for them to put their Twickenham bogey to bed on Saturday.

They ran out of steam in the second half against England who in turn could barely pull up their socks to grab the game by the scruff of the neck and score a resounding win.

This isn’t a classic France side of yore, they are getting better slowly but they are still some way off.

Wales in comparison are improving in leaps and bounds each game they play and with some 1,000 caps in the side have been there, done it and got the GS tee shirts.

Providing we suffer no major injuries in the first fifty minutes, particularly in the back row, then I believe we will win. Not by a big margin but enough to derail French ambition this year.

[francoisfou]

Yes, there is expectation of a win. However, France may have been slight favourites at Twickenham on Saturday, based on recent form, but great expectation, no.
Sure, this side is in development, but it's a side capable of a bonus point win against Wales, make no mistake!

[normanski]

Yes, there is expectation of a win. However, France may have been slight favourites at Twickenham on Saturday, based on recent form, but great expectation, no.
Sure, this side is in development, but it's a side capable of a bonus point win against Wales, make no mistake!

The English press will be bigging up France for the game as payback for Wales’s temerity to put 40 points on England aided by dodgy tries and a blatantly biased ref.

Can France live up to the expectation? We’ll see but it promises to be a great game with so much at stake and I firmly believe that this is our year for another Grand Slam.

[francoisfou]

Good man, Norm! I admire your confidence in your team ! At Cardiff, however, the ref wasn’t so good, was he, and he admitted to his mistakes, although I firmly believe the result would have been the same with a narrower victory margin. Next Saturday night, France should be favourites (must check the odds !) but your team have an outside chance

[normanski]

Good man, Norm! I admire your confidence in your team ! At Cardiff, however, the ref wasn’t so good, was he, and he admitted to his mistakes, although I firmly believe the result would have been the same with a narrower victory margin. Next Saturday night, France should be favourites (must check the odds !) but your team have an outside chance

Only an outside chance? We’ve had that thrown at us in the first three matches and look where we are.

Interesting fact: 25 of the Wales squad have been involved in Grand Slam sides. That’s one heck of a number. How many of the France team have had that kind of experience, let alone with a realistic chance of winning one.

Bon chance mon ami. May the best side win.

[Zhivago]

Yes, there is expectation of a win. However, France may have been slight favourites at Twickenham on Saturday, based on recent form, but great expectation, no.
Sure, this side is in development, but it's a side capable of a bonus point win against Wales, make no mistake!

I'm sure no one here disputes that, it just depends which French side turns up though, doesn't it?

[Sandydragon]

Yes, there is expectation of a win. However, France may have been slight favourites at Twickenham on Saturday, based on recent form, but great expectation, no.
Sure, this side is in development, but it's a side capable of a bonus point win against Wales, make no mistake!

You may well score four or more tries against us. But we can do the same. I’m certainly a lot more confident about this game than I was six weeks ago.