:00:15. > :00:18.high. Welsh rugby is really after that pummelling in Dublin a couple
:00:19. > :00:23.of weeks ago. Can't the Dragon get off the canvas tonight and deliver a
:00:24. > :01:18.knockout blow to the grand slam seeking French?
:01:19. > :01:29.Settling the grudge is painful. Ireland rudely interrupted the
:01:30. > :01:37.titleholder's defence. Improve, Wales have been told, or else.
:01:38. > :01:43.France have won the crunch. France have discovered a superstar. When
:01:44. > :01:50.friends are on a roll, whoever you are, you were. -- when France are on
:01:51. > :01:56.a roll. Beware. Good evening from Cardiff. The lights are out here in
:01:57. > :02:00.the millennium Stadium as the atmosphere builds towards this
:02:01. > :02:04.match, the seventh match of this year's 6-nation championship. Six
:02:05. > :02:10.down and nine to go, and this weekend, some hopes could well be
:02:11. > :02:14.banished while others will be enhanced with matches tonight in
:02:15. > :02:24.Cardiff and tomorrow at Rome and Twickenham. Here at outside since
:02:25. > :02:27.the Welsh defeat in Ireland two weeks ago there has been a lot of
:02:28. > :02:33.soul-searching in every element of Welsh rugby. How important is it
:02:34. > :02:38.tonight, never mind the performance, how much is tonight about winning?
:02:39. > :02:41.It is certainly about winning and performing better than in Dublin.
:02:42. > :02:45.It is certainly about winning and There has been a lot of honesty
:02:46. > :02:50.spoken in the changing rooms and in the Welsh public and they need to
:02:51. > :03:01.perform tonight for all of Wales. For France, played two, 12, both in
:03:02. > :03:05.Paris. How different is this? It has to be the confirmation of the last
:03:06. > :03:10.two games. We have been good individually but as a team we need
:03:11. > :03:15.to play better and today is a big chance for us to make the
:03:16. > :03:21.difference. We can see the French team assembling in the tunnel. As an
:03:22. > :03:26.impartial observer, this is the kind of game you look at on paper and say
:03:27. > :03:32.this could be a fantastic motivation and a great match. There is a little
:03:33. > :03:35.pressure on both sides. Wales need to win to stay in the competition
:03:36. > :03:43.and France are going for the grand slam, but Wales have to change their
:03:44. > :03:47.tactics. They have to go on or to passes and try to get the ball out
:03:48. > :03:55.much use George North and Jamie Roberts to get it to the flanks and
:03:56. > :04:02.attack France that way. Shame, how important is the battle in midfield
:04:03. > :04:08.where we have for centre three quarters whose average weight is
:04:09. > :04:13.17.5 stone. I am just glad I don't have to play against them. It was
:04:14. > :04:19.always going to be physical, France and Wales, and by picking the
:04:20. > :04:28.centres they are showing that. There will be a lot of physicality. One
:04:29. > :04:31.new piece of team news is that Alun Wyn Jones is missing from the Welsh
:04:32. > :04:35.side because of a foot injury he sustained training yesterday. You
:04:36. > :04:40.can see Sam Warburton there and he issued a warning to his team-mates,
:04:41. > :04:46.a lot of them over 30 years of age, and he told them it is not quite the
:04:47. > :04:52.last chance but there is a sort of Damocles if Wales under perform
:04:53. > :05:00.tonight if they play as they did in Dublin. What are the key areas they
:05:01. > :05:05.have to get right tonight. They made so many errors, key mistakes that
:05:06. > :05:11.lost momentum. Too many penalties. They talk about Dan Lydiate making
:05:12. > :05:22.tackles. You have to keep the penalty count down. They have to get
:05:23. > :05:25.continuity, keep momentum, . Night-time international sport has
:05:26. > :05:33.that extra frisson as the Welsh take to the field. You may have spotted
:05:34. > :05:35.them much publicised Twitter spats between Mike Phillips and one
:05:36. > :05:40.direction after their performance in Ireland. Maybe rugby union have
:05:41. > :05:45.learnt something from Harry and his mate about how to take the stage.
:05:46. > :05:51.Wouldn't it be great if we had the best match ever? We are now being
:05:52. > :05:58.rejoined by BBC Wales and our colleagues on the red button who
:05:59. > :06:02.have been listening to other commentators for the last few
:06:03. > :06:08.moments. He will be go with the first match of round three of the
:06:09. > :06:13.Six Nations championship for 2014. It really is still wide open, and
:06:14. > :06:14.this match could have a major airing on who wins the championship this
:06:15. > :06:26.year. # Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i
:06:27. > :06:36.mi. They sing the muscle is -- the
:06:37. > :07:54.French national anthem. # Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i
:07:55. > :08:05.mi. # Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri.
:08:06. > :08:24.# Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mad. # Dros ryddid collasant eu
:08:25. > :08:37.gwaed. # Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i'm
:08:38. > :08:49.gwlad. # Tra mor yn fur i'r bur hoff bau.
:08:50. > :09:25.# O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau. The heat is turned up, lights on,
:09:26. > :09:32.sound up, Ruth shot, Wales ready. The defending champions at home
:09:33. > :09:38.against the French. A late change in the second row, Jake Ball comes in
:09:39. > :09:45.partner Luke Charteris, Alun Wyn Jones out with a foot injury. Behind
:09:46. > :09:49.the scrum, Rhys Webb comes in for Mike Griffiths, George North moves
:09:50. > :10:01.to the centre, Liam Williams onto the wing. Wenceslas Lauret comes
:10:02. > :10:11.into the French macro -- back row, Pascale Pape the cap than in the
:10:12. > :10:19.second row. Not sparkling over a full 80 minutes in the last game,
:10:20. > :10:29.with Remi Tales, outside half on for the first time. Brice Mach will be
:10:30. > :10:30.the first cap if he comes on. Alain Rolland of Ireland, his last
:10:31. > :10:43.international before retirement beckons. The captain of Wales, Sam
:10:44. > :10:49.Warburton, he will remember with a smile, he sent him off in the World
:10:50. > :10:56.Cup final. We're off. Wales against France. A huge sense of dissipation
:10:57. > :11:01.as Huget sends the dummy, comes away, not quite out of his 22 but
:11:02. > :11:19.delivers to Jean-Marc Doussain, scrum-half.
:11:20. > :11:28.Wales have the penalty. Good evening, Jonathan. Alun Wyn Jones,
:11:29. > :11:34.we have mentioned what a huge loss he is. He is a world-class player
:11:35. > :11:38.but it will be interesting how Buster Road goes today because that
:11:39. > :11:49.is where they should target. Work on him, find the gaps, so... Here is
:11:50. > :12:03.Jake Ball, came on against Ireland for his first cap. This his second
:12:04. > :12:07.start. Here is the penalty offence. Interesting that Taulupe Faletau is
:12:08. > :12:15.back. The contact didn't happen against the Irish. They were lacking
:12:16. > :12:16.them. He is a brilliant ball-carrier, Faletau,
:12:17. > :12:26.them. He is a brilliant ball-carrier, and that will give him
:12:27. > :12:32.something extra. Leigh Halfpenny. This is his range. Taking the long
:12:33. > :12:55.ones. Now he takes them from everywhere.
:12:56. > :13:03.Free ball. What a start for Leigh Halfpenny. What a start for Wales.
:13:04. > :13:19.That is a great kick. Jules Plisson puts French into the
:13:20. > :13:27.Welsh half for the first time. Faletau catches.
:13:28. > :13:46.Damn idiots. Jamie Roberts. George North. A little run into Wesley
:13:47. > :13:53.Fofana. Rhys Webb puts on down towards young Jules Plisson. That is
:13:54. > :14:01.a lucky escape for the France outside half. It will be interesting
:14:02. > :14:06.to see how the French, because earlier the anthems, it is the kind
:14:07. > :14:14.of atmosphere that will inspire the French as well. Yes, it is a
:14:15. > :14:17.fantastic atmosphere. Wales tend to run everything so far so they are
:14:18. > :14:21.obviously trying to keep the ball in play. Dimitri Szarzewski plays into
:14:22. > :14:37.the first line-out. Liam Williams, who plays a lot for
:14:38. > :14:52.his region, the Scarlets, at fullback, straight down the middle.
:14:53. > :14:58.Halfpenny gives him the instruction to go with the aerial route. That
:14:59. > :15:04.was a difficult kick to take on with two men back there. I have seen
:15:05. > :15:10.France in their previous games, England should have won that game
:15:11. > :15:12.and I didn't see the structure, they scored their tries from two ticks
:15:13. > :15:18.and then a brain right against the Italians, again with no structure
:15:19. > :15:23.and when the ball was loose people like Fofana were brilliant, so it
:15:24. > :15:30.will be interesting to see how they play. Catch and drive was a big
:15:31. > :15:31.strength of theirs. Here is a test. Richard Hibbard to throw into the
:15:32. > :15:53.first line-out. Now the chase is on! George North
:15:54. > :15:54.macro scores! Well, we will seek confirmation but that looks a
:15:55. > :16:13.perfectly good try. REFEREE: Can we just have a check
:16:14. > :16:19.and see that? The question is, tried, yes or no?
:16:20. > :16:28.Graham Hughes has been asked to check for a push. Well, it did not
:16:29. > :16:31.look like a push. The players' reaction was good and the Welsh
:16:32. > :16:40.players have gone back for the conversion. The inside ball, they
:16:41. > :16:49.are targeting... That is not a push. What is a mistake with the fullback.
:16:50. > :16:59.-- that is. A little arm on the shoulder. He has caught the ball and
:17:00. > :17:03.then knocked his head. The try has been awarded. France is in a rare
:17:04. > :17:32.old pickle. What a start for Wales, Martin.
:17:33. > :17:58.Absolutely perfect. George North's inside ball. He put the kick ahead.
:17:59. > :18:04.It's not the perfect start for Wales because Leigh Halfpenny, great
:18:05. > :18:12.surprise, misses the conversion, but it is still Wales eight, France
:18:13. > :18:21.zero. They put their weight on it, plenty of numbers, straight over and
:18:22. > :18:31.that is the channel. Faletau with the safe catch again. Rhys Webb has
:18:32. > :18:46.two use it quickly and sends it-the this time it is one of the France
:18:47. > :18:54.danger men. -- sends it high. Lauret is driven backwards but it is there
:18:55. > :19:06.for Doussain. Leigh Halfpenny and Liam Williams look at each other.
:19:07. > :19:14.Gethin Jenkins was in there first, Sam Warburton not far behind him.
:19:15. > :19:23.Priestland went for the deeper runners. Lauret just about brought
:19:24. > :19:30.him down. Luke Charteris back in the second row. Richard Hibbard, the
:19:31. > :19:55.hooker. France knocked behind the rear feet.
:19:56. > :19:59.And that is the captain. A very quick, quick tempo they are playing
:20:00. > :20:04.at but the French defence is coping very well at the moment. Already the
:20:05. > :20:08.difference in the speed and intensity for the Welsh than two
:20:09. > :20:14.weeks ago. The brake on the ball, so much quicker. Apart from that
:20:15. > :20:25.conversion from Leigh Halfpenny, the perfect start. England had to fight
:20:26. > :20:31.high and at tempo. This is the danger with the French side. They
:20:32. > :20:35.will be used to this and absorb this, and when they get the ball,
:20:36. > :20:42.they will pick the tempo up and attack Wales. Rugby is a game of
:20:43. > :20:47.momentum. At the moment, momentum and bounce of the ball is with them.
:20:48. > :20:52.If it goes with France, Wales will have to defend because this French
:20:53. > :20:55.side will come at them. A bit of free calibration for Leigh
:20:56. > :21:23.Halfpenny. -- re-calibration. Back on form. Wales 11, France zero.
:21:24. > :21:30.Nothing from the game. They are not in it yet. Well, they haven't had
:21:31. > :21:37.any possession. I don't think they've even been in the Welsh half
:21:38. > :21:38.yet. Well taken by Luke Charteris. Faletau not taking that. Outside the
:21:39. > :21:55.22. And he does well to bring down the
:21:56. > :22:06.dangerous number eight again. This time it is the fullback, Dulin.
:22:07. > :22:14.Doussain, the scrum-half. A dangerous path. But is the first
:22:15. > :22:30.danger sign from France. -- collapsed. -- that is the first. And
:22:31. > :22:37.it was held up by Warburton. That is their main man, Picamoles. He will
:22:38. > :22:46.go with the carry. Tackle, a good tackle. France's position slowed
:22:47. > :23:01.down after a slight hesitation. The recycle, the switch, over two double
:23:02. > :23:08.ack. -- over to Dulin. And again, dangerous on the counter. Faletau
:23:09. > :23:30.makes the tackle. Great hands. Ooh, Wales is outnumbered there!
:23:31. > :23:43.On his own. Yes. Grabs him and hold him up. Some twists and turns and he
:23:44. > :23:54.gets to the ground but it is slow ball again for France.
:23:55. > :23:58.They are not committing anybody to the ruck so they will have to take
:23:59. > :24:08.it up the middle. Defenders out wide. Tackle by Rhys Webb and George
:24:09. > :24:17.North. A chance for Wales to break it! Will France get a hand to it?
:24:18. > :24:26.Nobody is there! Jamie Roberts can't make the tackle. Have a look at it.
:24:27. > :24:31.And Huget crosses for his third time in the championship but is it a try?
:24:32. > :24:38.I think that will be called a knock-on. In making the tackle. I
:24:39. > :24:45.think it is John Lacey who has made the call. He has called it without
:24:46. > :24:54.going to the table. That's a brave call. The French players know it,
:24:55. > :25:04.don't they? Yeah. A great finisher, this guy. Tremendous. That is good
:25:05. > :25:19.captaincy, that is. Very good. It is a knock-on. By either captain! He
:25:20. > :25:21.knows he has done it! Definite. The captain made the knock-on and then
:25:22. > :25:42.insisted. It is a knock-on. You cannot get any more conclusive.
:25:43. > :25:46.I don't know what he is complaining about! A good ball for France but
:25:47. > :25:52.not making Wales look under pressure, really.
:25:53. > :26:06.The first scrummage. First of the game. It goes the way of so many. A
:26:07. > :26:09.strong scrummage, France. Domingo. Very, very experienced. A big test
:26:10. > :26:45.for the Wales front row. Mas against Gethin Jenkins. John
:26:46. > :26:51.Lacey called in again. REFEREE: Come here. Come in for just
:26:52. > :27:01.one second. We spoke about this beforehand, OK? We asked to keep
:27:02. > :27:34.your head and shoulders above. Here we are. OK? Time on.
:27:35. > :27:43.Free kick to France and Wales going through before the ball came in.
:27:44. > :27:48.Encouraging signs. They are quite confident, look. The French, they
:27:49. > :27:50.think they have the dominance so they will call a scrum now, try to
:27:51. > :28:16.get a penalty. A lovely, inviting blindside off the
:28:17. > :28:28.referee's side of the scrum. Wales turn it the right way. Oh! Penalty
:28:29. > :28:32.against them! Rather ominous for Wales, that. If they are this
:28:33. > :28:39.confident early they could go for a scrum anywhere within the five metre
:28:40. > :28:45.area. What it does do is it just gets into his psyche, the mind of
:28:46. > :28:51.Alain Rolland. They are coming in on the outside and not driving
:28:52. > :28:57.straight, but even so, it is an encouraging sign for Wales. It is an
:28:58. > :29:08.investment. To hurt the French scrum is OK.
:29:09. > :29:16.Left footed, accurate, and France are on the board. 11-3. They have
:29:17. > :29:21.had a lot of pressure, a lot of ball, and they have the momentum, I
:29:22. > :29:35.know. They will come away with some points. Rhys Priestland down into
:29:36. > :29:45.the French 22. And Huget catches and delivers. And Dulin doesn't make too
:29:46. > :29:50.much ground. Can use the tactics, the difference for both sides? Wales
:29:51. > :29:56.just want to keep the ball in hand and kick field, so they do like a
:29:57. > :30:01.set piece, a slow pace, the French. A slow game. If you look at the
:30:02. > :30:06.Welsh backline, if you look at where they are, they are all in midfield.
:30:07. > :30:10.There they go. And they bunch them. Good ball to run, though. Rhys
:30:11. > :30:30.Priestland takes the advantage line. Accidental offside, but running into
:30:31. > :30:38.his old man. France's scum. -- his own man. France's scrum. Definite
:30:39. > :30:46.obstruction, running into his own player. There is Philippe
:30:47. > :31:24.Saint-Andre, France's coach. REFEREE: Crouch. Bind. Set. Penalty
:31:25. > :31:31.to Wales this time. I think Wales had the penalty last time. It looked
:31:32. > :31:41.like a slip but he is giving Gethin Jenkins it look. It has just gone
:31:42. > :31:47.away from him. I saw some of the backs to the ground. It is a new
:31:48. > :31:59.pitch but with the roof on, there is a loss of moisture in the pitch. --
:32:00. > :32:07.a lot of moisture. If there is a lottery in the scrums, it is one
:32:08. > :32:50.apiece. Leigh Halfpenny, kicked number four.
:32:51. > :33:07.Taulupe Faletau takes the pass off Alex Cuthbert.
:33:08. > :33:22.What a difficult man Louis Picamoles is to bring down. It used to be the
:33:23. > :33:28.number eight was bigger than the winger, but not any more. A very
:33:29. > :33:32.good kick, good chase, Picamoles is the main man. He has had to take it
:33:33. > :33:44.in. Wales have to rebuild from a
:33:45. > :34:38.standing start after the line-out. Dan Lydiate and Sam Warburton
:34:39. > :34:55.hunting together. This put the centres under pressure. Nyanga does
:34:56. > :35:01.well, but now it's loose. This is good French interlinking play.
:35:02. > :35:06.Gethin Jenkins gets back to make the tackle, but France are on the move.
:35:07. > :35:24.Advantage to France. France had a great opportunity
:35:25. > :35:32.there, lovely break but it was a poor pass to Buster row and it took
:35:33. > :35:36.the whole pace out of the movement. A couple of glimpses, they do kick
:35:37. > :35:53.loosely, Wales. There is big Mathieu Bastareaud. The
:35:54. > :36:04.penalty was awarded. The pass is behind them, which them forced him
:36:05. > :36:24.to go back inside. Nicolas Mas is 33 but scampering around.
:36:25. > :36:38.That is a bad miss. International goal kickers don't usually miss
:36:39. > :36:54.those. It is a let off for Wales, that Best Buy France's scrum-half
:36:55. > :37:12.Doussain. -- that Miss by Doussain. Liam Williams clings onto Doussain.
:37:13. > :37:29.Brice Dulin Reddit well. He still has work to do, Wales pile forward.
:37:30. > :37:38.That is very well played. He leaves it for his scrum-half, and France
:37:39. > :37:44.clear after all that. This is all coming down to people who watch the
:37:45. > :37:53.line speed, Wales putting the French under so much pressure. It is also
:37:54. > :37:58.the quality of the French passing, great chase by George North but the
:37:59. > :38:01.French do very well. This centre and the wing by their against the Welsh
:38:02. > :38:08.backroad and they held their own and on the ball. A driving maul by Wales
:38:09. > :38:20.is now a rock. Charter Ross ticks up. -- Luke Charteris picks up. He
:38:21. > :38:37.takes on Nicolas Mas and goes past him.
:38:38. > :38:46.Good skills by Huget, but they are still deep in the 22 with the scrum
:38:47. > :38:48.advantage. There is a certain release of pressure now for France
:38:49. > :39:07.as they come out through Thomas Domingo. Gethin Jenkins storms up on
:39:08. > :39:18.Nicolas Mas. They go back a long way to Brice Dulin. France are putting
:39:19. > :39:21.themselves under pressure. They haven't got the greatest tech
:39:22. > :39:25.lengthwise, and this is a great tackle, Nyanga read that very well.
:39:26. > :39:40.George North saw him coming. A long throw has worked well for
:39:41. > :39:51.Wales. Sam Warburton at the tail, Dan Lydiate behind him.
:39:52. > :40:06.Warburton loses out in the air. Dimitris Rusedski has taken out Rhys
:40:07. > :40:23.Priestland -- Dimitri Szarzewski. No chance to line up a French defender.
:40:24. > :40:31.Good charge by the French forwards. He tries to go around the edges. It
:40:32. > :41:14.is the kick from Jules Plisson. Good take. The bounce is important,
:41:15. > :41:26.not on, Wales can counter. It is too slow. Richard Hibbard and Dan
:41:27. > :41:42.Lydiate over the ball. Five seconds, Sam Warburton to Gethin Jenkins.
:41:43. > :41:51.Advantage is over. No advantage now. Back to where the kick was. The line
:41:52. > :42:00.of the kick. That is a poor kick but the pressure was on him. The French
:42:01. > :42:05.are really dropping men back into their spaces around the fullback.
:42:06. > :42:10.Good played either French. The bounce of the ball went Wales's way.
:42:11. > :42:20.It nearly bounced into Hugo Bonneval's hands.
:42:21. > :42:39.Dmitri Rusedski goes long. It's been quite an odd word half hour for the
:42:40. > :42:45.French. The platform from the French five is not as strong as you would
:42:46. > :42:51.believe. We should put the tempo into this game but at the moment the
:42:52. > :42:59.Welsh are everywhere. It is the panic button in the French team to
:43:00. > :43:03.slow the tempo of the game. There is no control or composure coming from
:43:04. > :43:10.the French half, that is the problem. They are not using the
:43:11. > :43:17.confidence they usually have. One for you, one for us, penalties.
:43:18. > :43:23.Gethin Jenkins singled out, going straight down. It is a big kick for
:43:24. > :43:43.Doussain. He needs to put this over. Wales have buried their tactics.
:43:44. > :43:50.Change of kicker. Jean-Marc Doussain has been relieved of duties and
:43:51. > :43:53.Jules Plisson has taken over. He has missed one in front of the post. If
:43:54. > :44:01.you have that confidence, your job is to kick goals full of you can
:44:02. > :44:06.just missed one and handed over on the right-hand side of the field for
:44:07. > :44:13.the left butter. -- for the left foot.
:44:14. > :44:46.Why doesn't he start kicking, then? Wales lead. 14-6.
:44:47. > :45:01.Liam Williams with a follow-up tackle. Luke Charteris Arnold over
:45:02. > :45:05.-- bundled over. Doussain just didn't want to take control and
:45:06. > :45:12.responsibility, and ended up giving the scrum away. He obviously has
:45:13. > :45:19.some demons at the moment. He is lacking confidence. It doesn't
:45:20. > :45:35.really help in the stand-off. He is shaking his head still. Wales seem
:45:36. > :45:44.to get the nod. Good scrum there. Sam Warburton like that. That looked
:45:45. > :45:47.like a slip from Gethin Jenkins. But they were going forward, which is
:45:48. > :45:55.good news for Wales, but they are due a penalty. Is Richard Hibbard
:45:56. > :46:00.striking for the ball was like I don't think he struck for that ball,
:46:01. > :46:04.just went straight over. When he strikes for the ball he loses his
:46:05. > :46:06.weight and momentum, so it looked as if he kept his weight down that
:46:07. > :46:27.time. Faletau this time picks up. At pace.
:46:28. > :46:33.It is quick enough for Wales. Now it slows down, now it has slowed down.
:46:34. > :46:41.They don't want the advantage, they want the points. Good move by Wales.
:46:42. > :46:53.Good scramble. There is a righty in their play as well. -- variety. You
:46:54. > :47:01.can see they are running at Fofona. Clever play. He made it clear early
:47:02. > :47:12.on, you have to roll away as quick as you can, but clever play from
:47:13. > :47:18.George North. 14-6. Wales lead. They haven't shaken France off. Early
:47:19. > :47:30.try, George North. Taking advantage of some confusion.
:47:31. > :47:39.Kick number five for Leigh Halfpenny. Three more points for
:47:40. > :47:54.Wales. The easiest. I think the English and Irish will
:47:55. > :48:11.be happy with this scoreline. At 35 and it is. Change of kick. -- 35
:48:12. > :48:17.next. Had to cover for the centre. And again, Nyanga makes the tackle.
:48:18. > :48:28.You could throw a blanket over the Welsh players now. Cuthbert with a
:48:29. > :48:44.chance to stretch those long legs. A great tackle, that is. They lined
:48:45. > :48:59.him up... Here they go. Wrong ball. We have been there before. Same for
:49:00. > :49:05.both sides, mind. He understood every word he said! They want some
:49:06. > :49:08.clarification at the scrummage, and for the French to even pose the
:49:09. > :49:11.question reveals doubts about their scrummage. A line-out ball and
:49:12. > :49:35.Nyanga the provider. Ooh! Webb just pauses. Priestland
:49:36. > :49:45.left footed. Back for France. That was a better kick. Long kick, good
:49:46. > :49:48.kit. -- kick. They will be happy with that, Wales. They will set the
:49:49. > :50:02.tempo and control the game again. I tell you one thing that looks
:50:03. > :50:07.good, Jonathan. The pitch. It looks good but I still see some of the
:50:08. > :50:11.boys slipping. It is better than it would have been with the roof open.
:50:12. > :50:26.It hasn't stopped raining for the last month. And there it is for
:50:27. > :50:36.Webb. And a knock-on. Now, then, two captains called over.
:50:37. > :50:42.REFEREE: The scrums are a mess. I'm giving you the opportunity to do
:50:43. > :50:52.what you need to. If it continues I will have to get somebody else on.
:50:53. > :51:06.Do you want to sort it out? OK? It is the card warning! Nothing new
:51:07. > :51:12.there, then, is it? Just a mess. Just willing everybody to stay up.
:51:13. > :51:15.The Welsh have come under a lot of criticism this week in their
:51:16. > :51:18.performance against the Irish. By thing they have really stepped up in
:51:19. > :51:36.this first half. -- I think. It is rolling... Wales get it.
:51:37. > :51:41.Faletau eventually comes away with it and you can hear the stadium
:51:42. > :51:53.erupted. And that is just for a scrummage one!
:51:54. > :52:01.And think they've got to be conscious of the clock now. A minute
:52:02. > :52:12.and a half left. It penalty, three points. -- a penalty.
:52:13. > :52:20.Psychologically, that scrum is huge. Total deflation for the French. That
:52:21. > :52:31.is great. The drive is on, the French don't strike. Eventually get
:52:32. > :52:37.his hands on it. And you haven't seen Picamoles on the front foot,
:52:38. > :52:45.have you? He is the ball-carrier. Wales are winning the back and the
:52:46. > :53:59.moment. -- and the front at the moment. -- and the front at the
:54:00. > :54:00.puts Wales into a 20-6 lead. It has been
:54:01. > :54:07.six against France. STUDIO: So, crisis, what crisis?
:54:08. > :54:07.six against France. minutes also, a messy next 25
:54:08. > :54:28.minutes but the Welsh won't be minutes also, a messy next 25
:54:29. > :54:38.this ever reliable rugby. But you can see Huget for -- thought he had
:54:39. > :54:45.scored. The responsibility was later handed over to Plisson. But after
:54:46. > :54:50.that kick at half-time it means Wales have that advantage. And I
:54:51. > :54:55.suspect that even though you look at possession and territory and it
:54:56. > :55:01.looks even Stevens, it is all Welsh. A real contrast this week. Change in
:55:02. > :55:09.tempo. Players like George North and others getting into the game far
:55:10. > :55:13.earlier than in the Irish game. And they are getting over that game
:55:14. > :55:19.line. Very busy around the rugged areas and creating mismatches.
:55:20. > :55:27.And the score reflects that. But the crisis across the channel! The worst
:55:28. > :55:33.first half from a French team in a very long time. Everything is going
:55:34. > :55:38.wrong, to be honest. The front five we thought would be dominating, you
:55:39. > :55:42.know, we lost a ball in the scrum, a vital ball. And then when we have
:55:43. > :55:46.the ball we don't know what to do with this ball. And our strength is
:55:47. > :55:51.on the wings and we don't get them any goals. So from the Welsh team we
:55:52. > :55:56.played average but we were so bad they looked really good!
:55:57. > :56:05.In the second half, you might do the kick-off! I have been impressed by
:56:06. > :56:14.Wales. To my mind, they haven't changed their game plan. They are
:56:15. > :56:22.getting over the gain-line. Everybody is running good lines.
:56:23. > :56:29.There is an appetite, a good energy. This is what they did to strength --
:56:30. > :56:34.with strength from the off. There is a huge amount of space, he is
:56:35. > :56:39.saying, guys, guys, we have an overlap. Lovely hands from George
:56:40. > :56:45.North and then Leigh Halfpenny spots the gap. He can't run into it. The
:56:46. > :56:48.defenders go in. There is confusion in the French defence. They have
:56:49. > :56:54.been confused for 40 minutes, actually. Usable hands from George
:56:55. > :57:04.North. Williams in there. Leigh Halfpenny spots the space. I think
:57:05. > :57:13.they have to sort that out. Yes, the fullback should know that Dulin need
:57:14. > :57:20.some help. But then it is do late. France did score a try but then it
:57:21. > :57:25.was ruled out. -- too late. That was the right decision? It was. That is
:57:26. > :57:30.one of the moments where we were quite aggressive in defence. Even if
:57:31. > :57:34.the Welsh didn't play very well. But you can see Pape made a very good
:57:35. > :57:38.tackle on Priestland and finally we managed to score the try. But too
:57:39. > :57:42.little for the French team. Every time we have the ball, we are slow.
:57:43. > :57:49.The structure of our game is not there. We look like a team who has
:57:50. > :57:54.never played together. I think that has been France's DNA so far. The
:57:55. > :58:00.first two tries, quite a lucky bounce, and then it was turned over
:58:01. > :58:04.for the third try and then two against the Italians. So it is not
:58:05. > :58:09.something they are driving themselves. It is the counterpunch.
:58:10. > :58:17.At when we have the ball in hand and it is 50-50 with the Welsh, we
:58:18. > :58:25.didn't really do that well. But Scotland, everybody was saying the
:58:26. > :58:29.Welsh were very poor in that match. If we focus here on the French
:58:30. > :58:34.errors. How much of those errors are down to France and how much are they
:58:35. > :58:38.down to Wales being actually good? That is hard to say but when you see
:58:39. > :58:43.that international level, you cannot miss that kind of penalty. We have
:58:44. > :58:47.not so many opportunities so if you missed some points and then drop
:58:48. > :58:51.some balls and you give the possibility to the Welsh to have
:58:52. > :58:58.some turnovers, easy mistakes. Too easy for the Welsh. Well, the Welsh
:58:59. > :59:04.have paid an average game and they just play on the errors that the
:59:05. > :59:09.French are making. And the Welsh have a far better line speed this
:59:10. > :59:14.week then two weeks ago. So every time they are trying to get into the
:59:15. > :59:18.game, there is a sea of red and they are taking the ball disjointed and
:59:19. > :59:24.flat and cumbersome and not having a chance to go anywhere. For me, the
:59:25. > :59:31.French are playing like Wales did two weeks ago. So we will play in
:59:32. > :59:34.two weeks? In their error count. Whatever they are trying to do,
:59:35. > :59:39.because I have not worked out their game plan, it is not working. They
:59:40. > :59:44.are not driving any energy to make it work. Without making it like a
:59:45. > :59:48.coaching clinic, I'm sure many will be watching tonight to coach many
:59:49. > :59:52.clubs or whatever, you tell anybody playing in the backs you take the
:59:53. > :59:58.ball at pace and you run onto the ball, and the French are so static.
:59:59. > :00:02.Why? We have a classic example of the French being so lazy. Good
:00:03. > :00:06.defence by the Welsh side but look at the French. They are all over the
:00:07. > :00:10.place. And nobody is making an effort, nobody is putting their hand
:00:11. > :00:14.up. They are all looking in different directions. It is like a
:00:15. > :00:20.bunch of players picked from the street, putting a kit with white
:00:21. > :00:29.shorts, go out and play. They need to organise the backline. The centre
:00:30. > :00:34.should position the players around him. At the moment there is no tempo
:00:35. > :00:40.at all. You were never backwards and coming forwards and the Greenwoods
:00:41. > :00:43.of this world, very strong personalities and I'm sure Jamie
:00:44. > :00:47.Roberts is doing the same thing out there. How much is it down to the
:00:48. > :00:56.personality of the players, not as players but as people? It has been
:00:57. > :00:59.hard to find it in the backline, these two guys could make the
:01:00. > :01:03.difference that the main issue that they cannot really make the pass,
:01:04. > :01:08.they can score tries but by themselves. They have to put their
:01:09. > :01:15.head up and see what is happening around them. Let's talk about the
:01:16. > :01:19.forwards. Let's talk to Martyn Williams in the commentary position.
:01:20. > :01:23.When the scrum goes down it is a penalty one way or another but it
:01:24. > :01:29.seemed as if Wales managed to turn things around. I think Alain Rolland
:01:30. > :01:38.himself said the scrumming is a mess, but as mentioned earlier in
:01:39. > :01:42.commentary, this Welsh front row, you can come out and talk about
:01:43. > :01:47.angles and lines but it all starts in the front, and in the first few
:01:48. > :01:53.scrums they went forward, Gethin Jenkins was penalised for being on
:01:54. > :01:56.the outside. The French, they get don't get dominance, they struggle.
:01:57. > :02:05.It was the penalty before half-time, this is a match-winning
:02:06. > :02:13.scrum. Psychologically, the Welsh boys have so much confidence from
:02:14. > :02:20.this. I'd say the Welsh are on top of it at the moment. We will use you
:02:21. > :02:26.Jonathan -- we willed you on Jonathan, the French out already
:02:27. > :02:29.very early, so we will tell you what we have tomorrow. The first match of
:02:30. > :02:35.two is from Rome tomorrow afternoon. we have tomorrow. The first match of
:02:36. > :02:39.two is Italy against Scotland. You could call it the Wooden Spoon match
:02:40. > :02:44.but it is fascinating given what has happened so far, and then at
:02:45. > :02:53.Twickenham, England against Ireland. England do through the
:02:54. > :02:58.Golden Lion gates to the dressing room, and Ireland looked like the
:02:59. > :03:03.only team that could win a Grand Slam. England and Ireland in the
:03:04. > :03:09.women's Six Nations, live at Twickenham tomorrow night of tarmac
:03:10. > :03:15.and when the Six Nations is done and dusted there is this. You have seen
:03:16. > :03:28.our burden our comets. Here are the shorts. -- our dynamic helmets. Here
:03:29. > :03:35.by this short. This will make you as fast as a frog, fish type thing.
:03:36. > :03:41.Sport relief, my friend. You have to train hard and that means going
:03:42. > :03:47.uphill. It's not about training. You are supposed to do it for fun.
:03:48. > :03:54.Whether you run, swim or cycle for sport relief, joined the games.
:03:55. > :04:02.The sport relief mile and then asked accoutrements on the Sunday.
:04:03. > :04:05.The sport relief mile and then asked accoutrements on There is Mathieu
:04:06. > :04:15.Bastareaud. From a Welsh perspective, is it more of the
:04:16. > :04:20.same? If it's broken, don't fix it. They've laid well in the first half,
:04:21. > :04:25.set pieces going well. The kicking game is good, the line speed is
:04:26. > :04:31.working well and could continue to do the same. Thomas, if you were in
:04:32. > :04:39.the French dressing room at half-time, what would you say? There
:04:40. > :04:44.is nothing to say. Players know the platform is not there. The ninth and
:04:45. > :04:47.ten should take the lead in that team and there is nothing to be
:04:48. > :04:55.happy with, so the second half can only be better. You only have to
:04:56. > :05:00.look at that backline and see how creative and struck the, it has
:05:01. > :05:10.every skill set you would want your backline to have, but for whatever
:05:11. > :05:15.reason, another French winger not being able to get his backline to
:05:16. > :05:21.function, it beggars belief. It is an embarrassment. The Welsh began
:05:22. > :05:28.this match I saying it was a must win in the light of what happened in
:05:29. > :05:32.Dublin. Halfway through, 90% of the people here tonight are happy with
:05:33. > :05:34.how it is going, but you never know what will happen in the second half.
:05:35. > :05:48.Let's go back to Martyn Williams. One happy Welsh coach, job half
:05:49. > :05:55.done. The French coach has made a change at half time, taken the
:05:56. > :05:58.Shepherd's crook to the scrum-half Jean-Marc Doussain and taken in
:05:59. > :06:25.Maxime Machenaud. Wales trying to get rid at the
:06:26. > :06:35.interest -- trying to get Dmitri Szarzewski into touch. Driven back.
:06:36. > :06:42.Wesley Fofana driven back. There is an advantage to France. That is
:06:43. > :06:51.great play by France, great pressure by the Welsh. The Welsh tackling is
:06:52. > :07:02.totally disrespectful of France's strength. Even though we Picamoles,
:07:03. > :07:08.has not made many metres tonight. There is a good take by Jake Ball,
:07:09. > :07:18.good tackle by Nyanga. Good turnover, they squander the field
:07:19. > :07:32.position. Richard Hibbard, still going long. The Welsh drive from the
:07:33. > :07:43.line-out. Pape has caused disruption at a penalty is now a world. It is
:07:44. > :07:49.the second they are to arrive. They are shapeless, aren't they? It is a
:07:50. > :07:54.lot to do with the halfbacks, control of the game, but they seem
:07:55. > :08:03.to be giving wide and is not going forward. That is a fantastic tech.
:08:04. > :08:12.It has gone really well, execution was perfect. He is a confident
:08:13. > :08:16.player. A tech like that will raise his game. -- a cake like that will
:08:17. > :08:57.raise his game. Warburton wins. France take them all to ground. That
:08:58. > :09:03.is a great tackle. Penalty France. Jamie Roberts is dazed. He told him
:09:04. > :09:12.to roll away, I don't thing he knew where he was. In these days of
:09:13. > :09:29.concussion but recall, we have to be careful. Good line speed.
:09:30. > :09:50.Dmitri Szarzewski, 31. 78 cap. They worry in France about his
:09:51. > :10:02.scrummaging after another layer was injured on the club duty. France are
:10:03. > :10:16.making no ground and Wales managed to hold up. That is a big job
:10:17. > :10:23.holding him up. The French have gone off the top every line-out, which is
:10:24. > :10:32.bizarre, not very French. They have given these long passes but it is
:10:33. > :10:33.difficult to do anything. Great work from Dan Lydiate in holding basta
:10:34. > :10:52.rout. Bastareaud. Lovely midfield scrum. Wales have
:10:53. > :10:59.packed at far side George North is working this side. You have George
:11:00. > :11:32.North against Jules Plisson. Do you think they should stop the
:11:33. > :11:52.clock now until the ball comes out of the scrum?
:11:53. > :11:59.He is speaking to the referee and saying he wants to know what they
:12:00. > :12:15.are saying in French. He dropped his knee. He had the
:12:16. > :12:17.initial hit, Adam Jones, whether he slipped again I am not sure but he
:12:18. > :12:37.is not happy. Jules Plisson will kick at goal and
:12:38. > :12:46.Adam Jones is not happy. Knees to the ground. When you say against a
:12:47. > :12:51.kicker like Jonny Wilkinson and Neil Jenkins, any time you take a cake
:12:52. > :12:56.and the wider second kicker in the team, the pressure is there because
:12:57. > :13:07.you know they don't miss very often, and you cannot afford to miss. Young
:13:08. > :13:12.Jules Plisson, just his third cap. But not the direction. The flag
:13:13. > :13:20.stays down and Wales get away with it. Adam Jones will feel a little
:13:21. > :13:27.taller. There was a? In his head about the distance. He tries to kick
:13:28. > :13:39.it a little too hard and put a little book on it. The new
:13:40. > :13:41.scrum-half, Maxime Machenaud. Gethin Jenkins, what a good tackle by the
:13:42. > :14:08.prop. Domingo and the Picamoles straight
:14:09. > :14:14.over the ball. 80 minutes of the second half played and it is waiting
:14:15. > :14:31.for its members to come back to life. The French need to pick the
:14:32. > :14:35.game up. They are the ones behind. The French drive this line-out,
:14:36. > :14:43.right on the 22 and they go off the top again. Both their tries against
:14:44. > :15:01.the Italians and the driving line. Let's see what happens. There is one
:15:02. > :15:08.of those ankle chops. France have to come into play. Sam Warburton gets
:15:09. > :15:18.his man, Maxime Machenaud runs into Warburton. Dan Lydiard again makes
:15:19. > :15:29.the low tackle. Get away from George North, and France have butchered the
:15:30. > :15:32.try went to score seemed easier. That was a brilliant tackle. There
:15:33. > :15:38.has been some great strength by Oster Road, great strength.
:15:39. > :15:45.-- basta rout. I thought there was a push there. They are checking for a
:15:46. > :16:05.push. I don't think it was a dirty foul. A
:16:06. > :16:11.penalty. Oh... Cuthbert thought about the tackle but withdrew,
:16:12. > :16:16.didn't he? Identity anything wrong in that. There was the pass earlier.
:16:17. > :16:35.It will be an interesting decision here. This is the one. A hand on his
:16:36. > :16:42.shoulder... It was a knock-on blue. Their ball. That is how dangerous
:16:43. > :16:47.this man is. Even with George North making the tackle, he brushes him
:16:48. > :17:01.off. And if the pass goes to Bonneval, France go.
:17:02. > :17:12.Rhys Webb will feed a scrummage that close to the Welsh goal.
:17:13. > :17:29.He has gone into his pocket. Both. Ten minutes in the bin. One piece.
:17:30. > :17:43.It will be interesting to see if they slip that, but he warned them.
:17:44. > :18:02.Two props yellow carded, so two other men will have to make the
:18:03. > :18:20.walk. There goes Gethin Jenkins. A slight pause here. Nyanga has been
:18:21. > :18:31.sacrificed for France. A pair of sixes go off.
:18:32. > :18:46.Again, it looks like it was unlucky with the referee. He is a big lad,
:18:47. > :18:49.isn't he? This is the break. Just pushes George North off. Good
:18:50. > :19:07.tackle. I was just wondering if that was
:19:08. > :19:17.going to go down. But it is a penalty to Wales. Does anyone really
:19:18. > :19:22.knows what goes on here?! With the forwards either side of it, do you
:19:23. > :19:38.really know what goes on? Big mistake. Needed a head touch there.
:19:39. > :19:42.Nearly gets away from Jamie Roberts. Slings out the past two Picamoles.
:19:43. > :19:57.And still Picamoles cannot make any ground. -- the pass to Picamoles.
:19:58. > :20:07.Numbers on the right-hand side if he can release them. Out of play!
:20:08. > :20:15.Touch! Touch! Tell you what, they have to get these winners into
:20:16. > :20:25.touch. John Lacey with the flag in the air. Sorry, that is his dad.
:20:26. > :20:29.Yeah, brilliant player. When he touched the ball a couple of times,
:20:30. > :20:38.they have added something to them. Clears the tempo to the game. This
:20:39. > :20:45.is France not able to take advantage of the overlap. Up goes the touch
:20:46. > :20:51.judge's flag. Meanwhile, the replay is on. Just looking at this. There
:20:52. > :21:04.is the bang of heads. Just pushes back woods. I think he is all right.
:21:05. > :21:11.Yeah, thank -- I think if you are in that rock, you put your head town as
:21:12. > :21:25.soon as possible. George North back on his feet. There he is. Bastareaud
:21:26. > :21:30.just pushes over the five yards! Richard Hibbard to throw onto the
:21:31. > :21:36.line-out to the Welsh 22. Who will pick up the scraps? And it is
:21:37. > :21:47.France. Knock-on by the French. Very unlucky. William John. Stole the
:21:48. > :21:53.ball in the line-out. -- brilliant jump. I think the French aren't
:21:54. > :21:56.happy. A lot of French in Cardiff this evening. They are not happy
:21:57. > :22:04.with that decision. They thought the ball was stolen at the line-out. It
:22:05. > :22:24.is a scrummage and anything could happen here. Yes.
:22:25. > :22:36.Paul James has come on, one of the best. I think Wales will fancy
:22:37. > :22:48.themselves over on that side. The trouble is, if he cannot take it,
:22:49. > :22:55.you goes down again. -- he. The thing is, the French are now really
:22:56. > :22:57.dominating possession and you feel they have to get some points from
:22:58. > :23:07.this. They come over with the seven man
:23:08. > :23:20.scrum and that explains why Wales march on. And they have the penalty.
:23:21. > :23:25.Totally dominant. He struggles in that position. Paul James fresh on,
:23:26. > :23:34.helping to earn Wales that penalty. Up to the halfway line they go. A
:23:35. > :23:42.good scrum once again. And just leave it in there. They know they
:23:43. > :23:58.have got the penalty. It is level on the penalties. Three apiece. Hibbard
:23:59. > :24:05.long again. And he caught it. The Williams was a long way back. --
:24:06. > :24:15.Liam Williams. And this is a danger man.
:24:16. > :24:19.Through the gap and another good tackle by Rhys Priestland. Danger
:24:20. > :24:37.from the French from deep. The second row complains. His winner
:24:38. > :24:52.did not read his pass. This was the pass. Into touch. Is this forward or
:24:53. > :25:00.not? It has got to before do. Looks forward to me. Out if you look,
:25:01. > :25:14.there is a red wall there. Nowhere for France to go. Bastareaud takes
:25:15. > :25:24.on board some water. World-class player but he has been very quiet,
:25:25. > :25:36.hasn't he? I just think defensively food-mack... Overran it a bit, got
:25:37. > :25:42.away with it. A change for Wales just before the hour. On comes Ken
:25:43. > :25:47.Owens to replace Richard Hibbard in the middle of the front row. His
:25:48. > :25:53.first task is to throw into the line-out. And he does well to sweep
:25:54. > :26:08.up. The power of George North! Holding
:26:09. > :26:15.his side. What a pass by Charteris. So close for Liam Williams. If
:26:16. > :26:18.anybody is going to get his arms above the ball it has got to be Luke
:26:19. > :26:31.Charteris. Tries his best but unlucky. Dutiful pass. -- dutiful.
:26:32. > :26:45.France trying to slow this game down. I think we need to speed it up
:26:46. > :26:53.a bit. They have got to get a platform and go forward first. Good
:26:54. > :26:56.tackling there. Lovely pass out of the tackle. Picamoles just manages
:26:57. > :27:14.to get his legs working. Wales have got the penalty! I think
:27:15. > :27:20.it is Sam Warburton who did the work there. It is. Great work at the
:27:21. > :27:28.breakdown by the captain. Yeah, he was isolated. Brilliant work by Sam
:27:29. > :27:32.Warburton. At, again, it was the defence who looked like they had
:27:33. > :27:41.broken the line again but great work by the Wales players to get back and
:27:42. > :27:51.organise the line. Just gets low so early, Sam Warburton. So, so strong
:27:52. > :27:55.over that ball. Fantastic work. That is Sam Warburton on the halfway
:27:56. > :28:02.line, which means it is in, in the range of Leigh Halfpenny. This is
:28:03. > :28:06.the first chance for points in the second half. This would absolutely
:28:07. > :28:11.knock the stuffing out of the French. You know, all territory and
:28:12. > :28:15.possession in the second half, they haven't had a penalty. When they
:28:16. > :28:35.have had the pressure on. So this would really be a kick in the gut.
:28:36. > :28:49.Bread of Heaven went with the last kick. A harsh goes with this one. --
:28:50. > :29:05.silence. And it remains a silence. Just pushed it. Just again, France
:29:06. > :29:12.taking their time. Just to settle themselves, reading their composure.
:29:13. > :29:26.This is the signal she is going up in the air! That was well taken by
:29:27. > :29:41.Machenaud. And taken. Straight down the middle. It's a long kick now for
:29:42. > :29:51.Plisson. Think Wales are definitely winning the kicking game. -- I
:29:52. > :29:57.think. Gethin Jenkins and Mas warming up in the bin. And then the
:29:58. > :30:07.sacrificial lamb, you can come back on in a minute. -- he can.
:30:08. > :30:30.Good ball, that's not so good. It's quick now. A good tackle by Fofana.
:30:31. > :30:38.Wales haven't got a scrum-half. If there is no scrum-half there, that
:30:39. > :31:00.should be anyone's ball. Cuthbert has done well to present
:31:01. > :31:04.the ball. That is a soft penalty, and this could cost France. So
:31:05. > :31:19.obvious in front of the unforgiving figure... Hold on.
:31:20. > :31:37.He's. Louis Picamoles, shown yellow. He played the ball on the floor. He
:31:38. > :31:43.ruled away but then left his hand, and I don't like that. Disrespect
:31:44. > :31:48.for the referee, giving him applause. That's not good. He is on
:31:49. > :32:09.the deck, he cannot do anything. Trouble for France. Yes, trouble. If
:32:10. > :32:14.only they played better in the second half, and managed to move the
:32:15. > :32:20.ball well and create opportunities, but they cannot really come back
:32:21. > :32:27.into that game, so even if it is better there is still a long way to
:32:28. > :32:33.go to win the game. Jamie Roberts straight through. France scramble
:32:34. > :32:51.back. There is a player down in the French ranks. Jules Plisson is down.
:32:52. > :32:59.Has he made it? Graham Hughes, the Max official, -- the mashed
:33:00. > :33:08.official. Wales don't need this now. Walk away. Difficult to tell from
:33:09. > :33:15.his body language if he scored that or not.
:33:16. > :33:33.I think they scored. Great strength and power, reaches out as a script
:33:34. > :33:43.to the line. -- as it scraped the line. Does he ruled? -- does he roll
:33:44. > :34:09.it? This is the one. Short of there. Does he plays it
:34:10. > :34:19.once and then roll it? Could everyone just be quiet and let me
:34:20. > :34:27.talk to the TMO? Is the ground -- is the grounding OK? The grounding is
:34:28. > :34:35.fine. We are looking for a knock-on in the lead up to the drive.
:34:36. > :34:38.Grounding is fine. He thinks there is a knock-on in the leader. If
:34:39. > :34:59.there is no knock-on, it is a try. No, there is not. He is still going.
:35:00. > :35:09.He has controlled it. That is not a knock-on. It is a try.
:35:10. > :35:33.He regains control, I think. You may award the drive. -- the try. Sam
:35:34. > :35:37.Warburton scores for Wales, after they charge by Jamie Roberts. They
:35:38. > :35:53.may not look that happy, but look at this. He has been running all game.
:35:54. > :36:01.The simple two points added by Leigh Halfpenny. Wales waited for the
:36:02. > :36:10.points in the second half, but here is the cap and leading the charge
:36:11. > :36:14.for the line. That is the whole that Picamoles would have been guarding.
:36:15. > :36:25.That is the number eight now sat on the bench. A great try. France ring
:36:26. > :36:41.the changes. Picamoles is in the bin, he cannot do anything. And on
:36:42. > :36:53.into the front row, Yannick Forestier, a prop. Reptile bot,
:36:54. > :37:02.outside her -- reptile but, outside, Tales, outside half, he is
:37:03. > :37:17.on to. 15 minutes left. They will go catch and drive. They are going for
:37:18. > :37:34.the corner. Reptile but, -- Tales, 29, six cap. His second cap. -- his
:37:35. > :37:48.sixth cap. Brice Mach, the new hooker. Throws it in. It has somehow
:37:49. > :37:58.been scooped three for themselves. Basta rout held by more Britain.
:37:59. > :38:08.This is Tales. It is there for Machenaud.
:38:09. > :38:37.It's going loose. Wales applaud their efforts in the pence. That
:38:38. > :38:45.defence was absolutely immense. I think they have had a point to
:38:46. > :38:48.prove, the Welsh team, and even when the other Welsh offered, they did
:38:49. > :38:57.not look like rating the French defence. After the game, 20 to talk
:38:58. > :39:07.about. Happy if you were wearing red. This is the first try. A clever
:39:08. > :39:16.little kick, and he bangs his head on the scrum-half's leg, loses the
:39:17. > :39:25.ball. That is a great try, on the line, of course, a try.
:39:26. > :39:39.Still some defending to do for Wales. France have rung just about
:39:40. > :39:57.all the changes. Ken Owens is on for Wales.
:39:58. > :40:07.Slightly different from the volume of noise coming from the Welsh
:40:08. > :40:11.opponents two weeks ago. Wales have put themselves under huge pressure.
:40:12. > :40:17.Warren Gatland said this is it for some of you unless you perform. They
:40:18. > :40:25.have put in a performance tonight. A great performance. And another good
:40:26. > :40:36.scrum by Wales. France march backwards. Penalty. Not very often
:40:37. > :40:43.you see that. French scrum retreating that quickly. The Welsh
:40:44. > :40:54.tight five have been outstanding, totally dominating the French.
:40:55. > :41:09.Got away with it. Turns into a very long kick, putting Wales with an
:41:10. > :41:18.attacking line. Adam Jones, huge performance tonight at the set
:41:19. > :41:21.piece. With Ken Owens on board, nothing has changed. The Welsh pack
:41:22. > :41:39.kept going forward. Not a perfect performance. French
:41:40. > :42:09.penalty. France now back in the Welsh half,
:42:10. > :42:13.through Remi Tales. What is important is to keep the French Open
:42:14. > :42:23.because points wise, that is a great tackle. The work he puts it is
:42:24. > :42:38.incredible, Gethin Jenkins. What a way to bounce back. Brice Mach with
:42:39. > :42:50.the throw. Damien Chouly wins. Switch of play.
:42:51. > :42:59.Dan Lydiate with another shopping tackle. That is frustration. They
:43:00. > :43:04.are not getting over the gain line with no half breaks or off-loads.
:43:05. > :43:10.Dan Lydiate has been back to is own self tonight putting a great
:43:11. > :43:17.defence. Rhys Priestland has put as many tackles as anybody. It is Rhys
:43:18. > :43:37.Webb who makes the tackle and Wales get the turnover.
:43:38. > :43:54.Jake Ball has been destructive. What is Jenkins up to? A little scene of
:43:55. > :44:02.chaos here, initiated by a kicking prop. I think it will be an
:44:03. > :44:08.interesting last ten minutes because a lot of players are out on their
:44:09. > :44:14.feet. Wales are now prepared to ring the changes. When Adam Jones and
:44:15. > :44:23.Gethin Jenkins go off, it will be to a huge round of applause. There is
:44:24. > :44:31.Warburton again, sums up the performance for me. Jake Ball has
:44:32. > :44:53.played well as well. Such applause for the outgoing Adam
:44:54. > :45:03.Jones and a cheer for Mike Williams -- for Mike Phillips coming on for
:45:04. > :45:15.Rhys Webb. Also Justin Tipuric. Rhodri Jones is on, back on form.
:45:16. > :45:22.They game is going to speed up. Dan Biggar comes on to replace Rhys
:45:23. > :45:26.Priestland. Live from Rome tomorrow, Italy play Scotland, the first of
:45:27. > :45:32.the games tomorrow. Mathieu Bastareaud comes off, and then has
:45:33. > :45:39.this one overtaken, it will be massive tomorrow at Twickenham with
:45:40. > :45:45.England versus Ireland. The scrum will be Ray influential tomorrow.
:45:46. > :45:58.This put Wales right back in the points difference as well. Now,
:45:59. > :46:05.then, Mike Phillips, point to prove. I don't think he will be saying much
:46:06. > :46:19.today. Different prop, same old story!
:46:20. > :46:33.Here is Rhodri Jones. He has a fine record against France, Mike
:46:34. > :46:45.Phillips. And he's looking at the scrum, thinking, oh, there is space
:46:46. > :46:46.for me on Sam Warburton's side. Wales going forward but they are
:46:47. > :46:55.penalised. Louis Picamoles is back on. Costly.
:46:56. > :47:16.Costly indeed. I think all the foreigners in the
:47:17. > :47:29.French league, is it influencing the national performances with all of
:47:30. > :47:38.the foreigners in France? France come slowly to this line-out. They
:47:39. > :47:45.go to the captain, who is still on, and he finds Picamoles. Past Ken
:47:46. > :47:50.Owens. Picamoles tries to put the pass in but it has been typical of
:47:51. > :48:02.France's night. The pass goes into touch. I think us but has worked it
:48:03. > :48:07.out and gone into touch. -- I think Cuthbert. That should be a France
:48:08. > :48:30.ball. Luke Charteris safely gathered. Mike
:48:31. > :48:38.Phillips finds touch and Bonneval takes it quickly. A twin hit from
:48:39. > :49:06.Cuthbert and Faletau. Good pace from the captain. A
:49:07. > :49:11.wonderful tackle by Liam Williams, who stays down. Back up now. Good
:49:12. > :49:30.pick-up. Good pick-up. Bonneval way off his wing. Again, it
:49:31. > :49:35.just kills the momentum in the play. I think they're not happy. Another
:49:36. > :49:44.one has been ripped out here. For the French. Just looking at
:49:45. > :49:56.comparisons. Things are happening in the championship. A big game
:49:57. > :50:03.tomorrow as well. Sam Warburton with the catch.
:50:04. > :50:14.Pape has done well to come through the middle of the line-out.
:50:15. > :50:30.Almost a first touch, that, for down big. -- Dan Biggar are. Sticky
:50:31. > :50:41.yellow Paul James has made some tackles tonight. Here is the
:50:42. > :51:22.scrum-half, Machenaud. And James Hook on the field, Ashes
:51:23. > :51:25.it out of play. -- ushers it. Any ideas on man of the match? Yes, it
:51:26. > :51:53.is not going to be a Frenchman! Sam Warburton, Toby Faletau both
:51:54. > :52:04.contenders. Meanwhile, work to do. Elbows by the French captain. A
:52:05. > :52:15.little bit of the ball but Wales counter. And Coombs has inserted
:52:16. > :52:25.himself in the middle of that drive. The French frustration shows.
:52:26. > :52:31.I think the front five have been fantastic and it lays the lines. For
:52:32. > :52:36.me, the scrum has been immense. The tackle, the workrate. It is the
:52:37. > :52:40.platform where everything has been built on. So for me, the RBS man of
:52:41. > :52:45.the matches that there, Gethin Jenkins. Ha-ha! It is nice to see
:52:46. > :52:59.him smile! Well, the majority are happy anyway!
:53:00. > :53:02.More than half! Faletau Tidwell there to sort out a weak scrum. --
:53:03. > :53:21.did well. The closing minutes. Good strength
:53:22. > :53:28.by the scrum-half, Machenaud. Paul James is up on him. Luke Charteris
:53:29. > :53:37.puts his six foot ten body on the line again. Mike Phillips tries to
:53:38. > :53:43.rip the ball clear. Picamoles retains control. France with the
:53:44. > :53:49.penalty. Machenaud takes it quickly. And still a locked of the ball. Yes,
:53:50. > :53:56.I think they are frustrated, the defence. -- still a lot. Shaun
:53:57. > :54:04.Edwards will be very, very happy tonight. You might even crack a
:54:05. > :54:13.smile, Shaun Edwards, tonight! There he is in the great top. And Warren
:54:14. > :54:14.Gatland. They wouldn't be happy to concede in the last minute. Having
:54:15. > :54:34.done all this work. A lot of tackles from the Welsh at
:54:35. > :54:41.Crow. -- back row. Wales have got the turnover. One last attack. They
:54:42. > :54:50.don't need to go left because he spots the gap! Unlucky there.
:54:51. > :55:01.Desperate tackle. What can they do? James Hook keeps it on the park. And
:55:02. > :55:06.invites Dulin for one last attack. And Wales still going. I like
:55:07. > :55:19.Dulin, though. He is a very nice fullback. A huge performance. We are
:55:20. > :55:25.into overtime now. Picamoles dancing but, as he has done all night,
:55:26. > :55:36.getting nowhere. Just manages to squeeze the ball away. Warburton
:55:37. > :55:43.puts him down with help from Paul James. And he has had a huge game as
:55:44. > :55:52.well, hasn't he? We are near the touchline and incomes Warburton
:55:53. > :56:00.again. Out goes the ball! -- in comes. And the final whistle. And a
:56:01. > :56:04.huge recovery result for Wales! Welsh players celebrate, Welsh flags
:56:05. > :56:14.flying happily and proudly at the Millennium Centre, because that is
:56:15. > :56:18.the final score. I think it's been a platform on which the forwards have
:56:19. > :56:26.led and then the defence. Absolutely immense. Amazing. Great, great
:56:27. > :56:31.result for Wales. Yes, and a lot of questions asked from players and
:56:32. > :56:39.they have been answered. Outstanding performance from Wales.
:56:40. > :56:44.JOHN INVERDALE: Well, the Welsh Dragon has really breathed life into
:56:45. > :56:48.this Six Nations now, especially with that margin of victory. The
:56:49. > :56:52.Welsh prospect of winning a third consecutive title is really back
:56:53. > :56:58.alive and kicking. Let's here from the man of the match. -- hear.
:56:59. > :57:07.Well, that is more like it. Did you feel you had something to prove
:57:08. > :57:12.after your match previously? Yes, we have proved we are a good team and
:57:13. > :57:18.great to get a nice win. The forwards took a real hammering in
:57:19. > :57:23.Dublin. How much should you feel you owe this a real performance? Yes, a
:57:24. > :57:27.lot of harsh words have been spoken and we had to deliver. From the five
:57:28. > :57:33.especially. The coaches have given us a kick up the backside and we
:57:34. > :57:37.performed quite well today. Do you believe this championship is still
:57:38. > :57:41.within your grasp? I suppose it depends on a few other results but
:57:42. > :57:46.we are targeting four out of five and we will see how we get on.
:57:47. > :57:50.Congratulations for you today, you are man of the match. Is that the
:57:51. > :57:56.response you were looking for from your team, Sam Warburton? Exactly
:57:57. > :58:02.the performance. We knew we had it in us and to do it in front of a
:58:03. > :58:07.home crowd is awesome. Just how many of these players felt that they were
:58:08. > :58:12.playing for their future in the red jersey? Yes, I think that was the
:58:13. > :58:31.motivation. We said in the week we didn't take our place for advantage.
:58:32. > :58:35.I had worked with him twice. He is a top-class referee. Many
:58:36. > :58:40.congratulations, Sam. JOHN INVERDALE: Sam Warburton's
:58:41. > :58:46.first ride in 25 tests since he scored against Fiji in the World
:58:47. > :58:52.Cup. -- first try. And that was when he was sent off. Two matches
:58:53. > :58:57.tomorrow. We are on air at 1pm for the game and at 3:30pm for the
:58:58. > :59:01.England match. That is Wales' biggest victory over France since
:59:02. > :59:07.1950 here. Comprehensive is a very good word. Very clinical and
:59:08. > :59:11.second-half I thought they were very mature in the way they played.
:59:12. > :59:16.Sustained that treasure. Just got over the line and perhaps to get
:59:17. > :59:20.over the white try-line in the end. But to be fair to Wales, the line
:59:21. > :59:27.speed and defence was incredible. And very clinical when they had to
:59:28. > :59:30.be. When they got into France's 22, they got over and Sam Warburton got
:59:31. > :59:40.over that line and won the game for them. The moment that Picamoles was
:59:41. > :59:45.yellow carded, that meant game over? I think maybe Picamoles had a go
:59:46. > :59:48.because he properly didn't think he deserved to get the yellow and that
:59:49. > :59:53.is why he gave a bit of cheek at the end. But it was a crucial part of
:59:54. > :59:56.the game, a turning point. Generally there are seven points scored when
:59:57. > :00:00.somebody gets the yellow card but that is a bit cheeky, a bit
:00:01. > :00:08.unnecessary. Not a great thing for kids to see. Not particularly quick
:00:09. > :00:16.with the ball but they take their time. Rhys Webb is dragged in so Sam
:00:17. > :00:20.Warburton comes in. He comes in and has a sniff around as to what is
:00:21. > :00:25.going on. Eye cannot see anything, he thinks. Warburton is through and
:00:26. > :00:34.lunges for the line and it is a given and well deserved. The Welsh
:00:35. > :00:38.prepared the game well. They played most of the line out in front and
:00:39. > :00:45.today they played a live it at the back, so I think they surprised the
:00:46. > :00:49.French by these quick balls, because that targeted the way they did in
:00:50. > :00:55.defence, that created gaps for the centres and some momentum for the
:00:56. > :01:00.team. Warburton always comes across as very avuncular but I get the
:01:01. > :01:05.impression over the last few weeks he has been very authoritative and
:01:06. > :01:11.wobbly has said some harsh words to the players, but the proof is what
:01:12. > :01:15.happened today. He doesn't hold his tongue among the squad and the team
:01:16. > :01:22.and as we found in the last two weeks, I spoke to the guys and every
:01:23. > :01:26.player in that squad had been addressed about the poor performance
:01:27. > :01:31.in Dublin and the first thing they all said was that they had to make
:01:32. > :01:35.sure that would not happen again. He doesn't mince his words and it has
:01:36. > :01:41.been a tough two weeks for the guys and that has worked. But things are
:01:42. > :01:47.obviously easier if you score a try in the first few minutes. It is such
:01:48. > :01:55.a great reaction by every member of that squad, and that was a great
:01:56. > :02:00.squad effort. It was confusion in the backfield by the French. George
:02:01. > :02:06.North is in the right place and he capitalises on it. It was the worst
:02:07. > :02:11.art you can imagine for a French team. When you come to Wales and you
:02:12. > :02:15.need to prove something, you think in your head you don't really know
:02:16. > :02:24.what to do and that is what happened in the first half. Can you explain,
:02:25. > :02:29.with there to are established internationals, where are they?
:02:30. > :02:35.Morgan Parra got injured but he is coming back. We need his experience
:02:36. > :02:43.and I think he will be back for the next game. Jules Plisson in the
:02:44. > :02:47.second half managed to do things, and Remi Tales has the confidence of
:02:48. > :02:55.the coaches after what he did with new autumn, but can't do is a major
:02:56. > :03:02.player. Anything you want to say about this game and what might
:03:03. > :03:07.happen tomorrow, give us a shout. Suddenly the prospect of a second
:03:08. > :03:14.championship doesn't seem so remote. It is certainly up in the air. A big
:03:15. > :03:18.game tomorrow, Ireland and England, France ruled out of this Grand Slam
:03:19. > :03:22.in a couple of weeks and it is all open. There are a lot of good teams
:03:23. > :03:28.still competing for this championship. The only certainty is
:03:29. > :03:34.that it will be very busy in Cardiff for the next ten hours. If there is
:03:35. > :03:40.going to be a Grand Slam in this year's Six Nations championship, it
:03:41. > :03:46.will be an Irish one. We will see you at Twickenham. Goodbye.