This Saturday’s talk is all about Ireland and a potential Grand Slam, which is only the fourth in their history, but can France ruin the party? Given the performance, it’s probably too far a bridge for them to leave Aviva with a win and stop Ireland from getting bonus points, but it’s possible.
A big win for France here and a bonus point would see them overtake Ireland for at least 80 minutes and put Andy Farrell’s team under firm pressure.
Last year’s Grand Slam champions France came into the match on the back of a 53-10 win over England a week earlier. Their performance was the best Six Nations to date and a true masterclass from start to finish. That gives them a lot of confidence going into this game in front of a packed Stade de France, and definitely a scare to Warren Gatland’s Welsh team and their supporters.
Gatland’s return was hailed earlier in the year, but the turn of fortunes was not as swift as many, including the New Zealanders, had hoped. Thanks to the giving Italian team, they finished the weekend in 5th place at the Six Nations.
They had scored just 27 points against Ireland, Scotland and England before their victory over Italy, so doubling that total would have been a welcome relief. Although they say they will never return, Gatland’s homecoming was not as successful as he had hoped, but a win in French territory against this great team would be enough to end the tournament. It’s going to be a great sign-off.Go into the World Cup campaign this fall with a positive mindset.
In many ways, the pressure to leave Wales is 20 points underdog at the bookies and given how exciting France was last week, the weight of public expectations doesn’t rest on them. That might free them up to play their best rugby against a French team that until last weekend was not up to the level of performance we’ve grown accustomed to.
France dominated Italy in the opening weekend, suffered a fairly convincing defeat to Ireland the following week, and then took advantage of a Scottish mistake to defeat Finn Russell’s men in Paris. If there’s anything we’ve learned about France from the Nations form, it’s that even if they were the best team on the planet at the time, they weren’t consistently the best.
