France v Wales

:00:50. > :00:55.A grey and wet Parisien welcome for the hordes of Welsh fans who have

:00:56. > :00:58.come to see their side's final match in this year's championship, and

:00:59. > :01:05.they come both in hope and expectation. Wales of won the last

:01:06. > :01:08.two in Paris, the last five in all, and all of us are hoping it is half

:01:09. > :01:15.the game we saw last weekend in Cardiff.

:01:16. > :01:31.At Friday night party. But serious. Individual battles. But could Wales

:01:32. > :01:35.really stop Ireland? Was atonement possible? Forgiveness after

:01:36. > :01:52.flogging? George North on the road to rediscovery. Ireland's

:01:53. > :02:05.flogging? George North on the road two tries, ten points. Absolved.

:02:06. > :02:11.This is a fiendishly detailed game. Enter the fray with intense Jamie

:02:12. > :02:23.Roberts. The response of Wales to their doubters.

:02:24. > :02:32.We are focusing on the battle for second, emotional scenes with Vern

:02:33. > :02:38.Cotter, Wales half to finish above Scotland by getting a bonus point

:02:39. > :02:43.win here today and France just need to win, and Everything after that

:02:44. > :02:47.determined by what happens later on. The pitch is magnificent, talking to

:02:48. > :02:51.some of the guys from the Welsh squad they think this is the best in

:02:52. > :02:58.the Six Nations and the head groundsman appears to be from

:02:59. > :03:06.Barnsley. It has stopped raising raining and the stage is set for a

:03:07. > :03:10.great finale. The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are here but we have

:03:11. > :03:14.rugby royalty as well in the form of Conrad Smith, the great black centre

:03:15. > :03:24.who is playing in France at the moment. I always get the sense that

:03:25. > :03:30.a New Zealand people go huh, the Six Nations. Do you see it in a

:03:31. > :03:36.different light? Playing here? I don't think we are that dismissive

:03:37. > :03:42.of it. But yeah, the proximity of the nations, the support is pretty

:03:43. > :03:49.special. It's hard to replicate in New Zealand. The Australians can

:03:50. > :04:05.come over but the events around these games, I think the level of

:04:06. > :04:11.the teams, aside from Italy, there is not a lot between the sides which

:04:12. > :04:15.made for some great rugby. The most compelling match so far was Wales

:04:16. > :04:21.against Ireland, Wales and changed for the third match in a row. Yes,

:04:22. > :04:27.consistency normally bring success and Rob Howley stuck to his guns.

:04:28. > :04:31.People in Wales causing for change and the introduction of young blood

:04:32. > :04:36.but I think after last week they are justified keeping the same team.

:04:37. > :04:40.People are not sure what to expect, both teams have shown flashes of

:04:41. > :04:46.brilliance but they have been poor in parts as well so two inconsistent

:04:47. > :04:51.teams. And a subplot we must mention, if people watching at home

:04:52. > :04:56.do not know there is a huge undercurrent of discontent in French

:04:57. > :05:03.rugby especially in pressie in rugby about the proposed measure between

:05:04. > :05:07.Racing 92 and stored Francais, Sergio Brown easy was wearing an

:05:08. > :05:11.armband in support of the players who have gone on strike and in

:05:12. > :05:18.amongst all that they have to go out on the pitch today. It's very

:05:19. > :05:21.complicated, you cannot rely on people, wealthy people putting money

:05:22. > :05:29.in the game because of this guy goes away it is what happens to the team.

:05:30. > :05:33.French rugby is at a turning point and maybe today will be a decider

:05:34. > :05:39.about what is going to happen in the next few weeks. Great game for

:05:40. > :05:42.certain individuals, a last calling card for the Lions, somebody who

:05:43. > :05:46.perhaps at the start of this championship would not have been

:05:47. > :05:55.going to New Zealand but now must be is Kevin Owens, winning his 50th cap

:05:56. > :06:01.today -- Ken Owens. He has come out of nowhere, he has been superb, done

:06:02. > :06:12.his job, hit his line-outs, 98%. Scrumming well, getting down the

:06:13. > :06:17.park, had a superb tournament. Lewis Picamoles has been outstanding, but

:06:18. > :06:24.he is up against Moriarty today. It's going to be a fascinating

:06:25. > :06:29.confrontation. When you speak about Picamoles you speak about strength

:06:30. > :06:34.and power. All the time he has the ball in hand, they carry is very

:06:35. > :06:40.good. Lots of yards with the ball in hand, one of his strengths is he

:06:41. > :06:44.does not go into the defender, his fitness is better and he can move

:06:45. > :06:49.around making him a real threat. You are playing over here so you have an

:06:50. > :06:58.insight into the French players, how much dynamism has the scrum-half

:06:59. > :07:02.brought, Baptiste Serin? I was asking other players about him when

:07:03. > :07:08.I first arrived, when you watch him play it is obviously wants to the

:07:09. > :07:13.game up. I think he has done that coming into the French team, I think

:07:14. > :07:25.he is So Yeon Ryu, he has a big future ahead of him.

:07:26. > :07:30.George North said last week, do not forget about me and if he plays like

:07:31. > :07:40.that again today the French backs will have to look out. He is up

:07:41. > :07:44.against quality winger'ss. You want to see him angry, because he is such

:07:45. > :07:52.a threat with his footwork and his pace, he has got the INAUDIBLE

:07:53. > :07:59.. This is the loudest PA in world sport.

:08:00. > :08:08.The players enter the fray. I should say by the way, if you are seeing

:08:09. > :08:12.wide angled shots of the stadium there are a lot of empty seats and I

:08:13. > :08:16.suspect that is partly because of the incident at all the airports

:08:17. > :08:20.today which may well have stopped several Welsh bands getting here

:08:21. > :08:38.today, and lots of bands coming into the

:08:39. > :08:50.it's all about fine margin, what do Wales want out of this? If you

:08:51. > :08:59.finished fifth with a loss, you would be desperately disappointed.

:09:00. > :09:03.We want the same thing. So who wins? I will go France, they were

:09:04. > :09:06.desperately unlucky not to win the first game against England and I

:09:07. > :09:20.think they are playing some really good rugby.

:09:21. > :10:38.CHEERING APPLAUSE

:10:39. > :11:41.CHEERING APPLAUSE

:11:42. > :11:45.Commentary on the penultimate game of the Six Nations 2017 comes from

:11:46. > :11:51.Jonathan Davies, Brian Miller and Eddie Butler.

:11:52. > :12:06.Seven different clubs represented. Clear

:12:07. > :12:20.only two tries in their first three games for France, for in the

:12:21. > :12:30.Ken Owens pinpoint accuracy at hooker.

:12:31. > :13:00.The Welsh backs have scored eight tries.

:13:01. > :13:13.A few empty seats, but still a lovely place to be in mid-March at

:13:14. > :13:17.the end of a championship. Alun Wyn Jones, the Welsh captain. Wales have

:13:18. > :13:27.won here on their last two appearances. Jake Ball, he has had a

:13:28. > :13:43.good season so far. The referee Didier Wayne Barnes of England. --

:13:44. > :13:46.today. The final weekend, the last but one game of the Six Nations. Dan

:13:47. > :13:53.Biggar bounces the ball on halfway. Justin Tipuric, Wales's leading

:13:54. > :14:10.line-out forward. Biggar starts, high into the

:14:11. > :14:29.Brazilian 's guide, it is a grey sky, George North gets a hand on it.

:14:30. > :14:40.George North doing his part, the players around could not take

:14:41. > :14:48.advantage. Wales have a decent platform, Ken Owens on the money for

:14:49. > :14:57.most of the time, should be able to build an attacking platform here.

:14:58. > :15:03.Overthrown, could not get it. Picamoles, France on the move. Gael

:15:04. > :15:08.Fickou. Two tries to his name in the championship so far. Yoann Maestri,

:15:09. > :15:40.huge second row. France back in their own half, now

:15:41. > :16:02.into the Welsh 22. Leigh Halfpenny gets the clearance away.

:16:03. > :16:22.Penalty advantage being played. It's a huge French pack. No advantage,

:16:23. > :16:31.back to the penalty. Number six penalised, Sam Warburton.

:16:32. > :16:38.Unnecessary, it was a good defensive set from Wales. France, despite

:16:39. > :16:49.getting multiple phases were not really going anywhere.

:16:50. > :17:06.Sam Warburton did such a good job marking CJ Stander in the last game.

:17:07. > :17:28.The French hooker, also their captain.

:17:29. > :17:51.Lopez for the first points of the game. Short.

:17:52. > :18:04.The bounce of a rugby ball always tricky. Dan Biggar goes long.

:18:05. > :18:18.Baptiste Serin. Lopez. Gael Fickou. Good pass by Gael Kakuta. To

:18:19. > :18:21.Picamoles. Lopez. Good tackle by Justin Tipuric. But France moving

:18:22. > :18:36.with purpose. Kevin Godel. Jonathan Davies with the knock-down.

:18:37. > :18:49.Advantage played. Penalty for the deliberate knock-on. Suggesting that

:18:50. > :19:03.was deliberate. But the officials are not going to review it. That was

:19:04. > :19:08.caused by Welsh tackling, failing, France getting numbers to the next

:19:09. > :19:15.breakdown and very quick ball. Important France hang on here. --

:19:16. > :19:19.Wales hang on here. Do not want to go seven points down in the first

:19:20. > :19:29.five minutes. France with this attacking line-out. Guilhem Guirado

:19:30. > :19:34.to throw. Overthrown. Wales still have a bit of clearing up to do but

:19:35. > :19:41.it's an excellent steal by Wales. Rhys Webb back to Dan Biggar. They

:19:42. > :19:47.are not out of their 22 but not as close as they were to the line. Dan

:19:48. > :19:54.Biggar unhappy about something. Good line speed by Wales but they cannot

:19:55. > :20:00.mess one tackle. They have to move the French pack around because they

:20:01. > :20:13.are a massive pack. They do, but they have to get some ball first.

:20:14. > :20:16.The hooker setting up the drive. I think this is what France wanted to

:20:17. > :20:21.do from five metres out. It is working well, Guilhem Guirado 's

:20:22. > :20:49.coming away with it. Thunderous on the charge, Sebastien

:20:50. > :20:55.Vahaamahina. It's the dry! -- try. Sudden change of tactics and France

:20:56. > :21:00.open the scoring. Wales were going to be vulnerable to that. Justin

:21:01. > :21:04.Tipuric does his job and dislodges the ball but the Welsh players

:21:05. > :21:08.around the fringes were not quick enough to drop on it and secure

:21:09. > :21:16.possession. From that point France were on the front foot. The midfield

:21:17. > :21:22.wanted to get up. That's a clever kick. Well executed by France. It's

:21:23. > :21:29.a very clever play because Leigh Halfpenny was defending on the

:21:30. > :21:39.outside. Chipped over, good play by this man.

:21:40. > :21:51.Two extra points safely added France in very threatening mood it would

:21:52. > :22:01.appear. Two missed tackles. Liam Williams. Bounced off. The little

:22:02. > :22:18.pink by Lopez, safely taken by Remi Lamerat that. George North in hot

:22:19. > :22:23.pursuit. Not the best exit from France, Wayne Barnes has given a

:22:24. > :22:28.scrummage. Twice George North has got up there and cause trouble on

:22:29. > :22:34.the Welsh kick-off, good work from him. Wales with an immediate chance

:22:35. > :22:49.to reply to the concession of the drive.

:22:50. > :23:14.Important the Welsh front five get some stability here. Driving early.

:23:15. > :23:24.Picamoles surveys the Welsh attacking options. Rhys Webb to feed

:23:25. > :23:32.the scrummage. 20 metres out from the French line. Ross Moriarty does

:23:33. > :23:47.well to pick the ball up. Spens infield.

:23:48. > :23:57.France on the attack causing problems, and that the scrummage,

:23:58. > :24:11.quickly taken, George North do Halfpenny. Excellent follow-up

:24:12. > :24:19.tackle. Rhys Webb. Evans outside, Tipuric carries on. Back to Tipuric,

:24:20. > :24:28.still there but the whistle has gone.

:24:29. > :24:34.A good choice of option, Webb spotting the two on one. Again, the

:24:35. > :24:37.initial Welsh player doing his job making the break. Supporting players

:24:38. > :24:50.not quite able to make it count. There is no prop forwards there.

:24:51. > :24:55.Half a dummy and he's away. Good play by Rhys Webb. The penalty that

:24:56. > :24:57.was short, that seems ages ago now even though we have only played

:24:58. > :25:15.coming up to 11 minutes. That scrummage is a problem.

:25:16. > :25:19.Moriarty did well to pick that on a retreating basis. Eddie, you will

:25:20. > :25:23.know about that, clumsy row of second boots on them. He did well

:25:24. > :25:28.not only to feel the ball but to make a bit of ground which gave the

:25:29. > :25:35.rest of the pack time to get back and secure the ball. The French

:25:36. > :25:44.captain is the player down. Guirado looks as if he's fit to

:25:45. > :25:59.carry on. Baptiste Serin to feed the

:26:00. > :26:01.scrummage. A chance for Wales to make amends and put some pressure on

:26:02. > :26:27.the French scrum. Rock solid from France. It would be

:26:28. > :26:31.if it was fed to number 8. Penalty nearly given but instead away comes

:26:32. > :26:37.Picamole. That's what he wants, a chance to run at the Welsh backs.

:26:38. > :26:46.Vakatawa. Good tackle by George North on Vakatawa but France back in

:26:47. > :26:59.the forward motion. France's number 7 such an important player, Gourdon.

:27:00. > :27:04.If I can call. Serin. Moriarty. -- Fickou. Back to Serin. It's goon

:27:05. > :27:14.loose. Wales have turned it over in the nick of time.

:27:15. > :27:38.That's the boot of Rhys Webb, how pleased he'll be to see that. Seven

:27:39. > :27:40.metres from his own line. Your Don. Biggar. Longer clearance from

:27:41. > :28:00.Biggar. They can't afford to miss successive

:28:01. > :28:06.tackles. The initial break is made from that and France reproduce the

:28:07. > :28:08.ball quickly. They've got to stop the offloads as well. That's the

:28:09. > :28:20.thing. Maestri wins. Picamole. A rare

:28:21. > :28:28.mistake by the number 8. But so far Wales have not found the answer to

:28:29. > :28:37.stopping Picamole. Maybe he's providing the answer by himself by

:28:38. > :28:47.getting injured. The gin paws of Maestri.

:28:48. > :28:57.Picamole taking his eye off the ball at the very last moment. What will

:28:58. > :29:01.concern Sean Edwards is the fact that the Welsh line speed is good

:29:02. > :29:05.and there are potential tackles to be made there on the French side of

:29:06. > :29:16.the gain line, they're not being stopped at the point of contact.

:29:17. > :29:26.It's a good place for Wales to have a scrummage, middle of the park. But

:29:27. > :29:52.at the last scrum they gave ground. Wayne Barnes talking about

:29:53. > :29:57.pre-engaging with that. He means you are not supposed to actually make

:29:58. > :30:06.contact with the shoulders. It's a very fine margin. If you watch here,

:30:07. > :30:14.I don't know if we can see... Francis three for Wales. Better for

:30:15. > :30:31.Wales. Not better for Wales! Penalty for France.

:30:32. > :30:38.That is the importance of the initial engagements and the initial

:30:39. > :30:43.scrum battle because it's now in Wayne Barnes mind that but for Wales

:30:44. > :30:56.taking the scrum down, they're likely to go backwards and it was

:30:57. > :31:00.actually the French man who dropped first and yet the one that was on

:31:01. > :31:17.his knees was penalised. Lopez. On target. France's lead

:31:18. > :31:23.grows. 10-0. We've had 15 minutes and Wales have not had any

:31:24. > :31:27.meaningful passage of play yet. They really desperately knead a period or

:31:28. > :31:31.two to three minutes where they keep hold of the ball and at least test

:31:32. > :31:39.the French defence because at the moment they're just having to

:31:40. > :31:47.tackle. Biggar to restart. Fickou is back up. Poor from France. It gets

:31:48. > :31:53.worse because Serin's been knocked flat by Vakatawa. A catalogue of

:31:54. > :31:57.errors there. They've still got possession, but trouble for France's

:31:58. > :32:04.scrum-half. Lopez replaces him for the moment.

:32:05. > :32:28.With a bit of luck, George North can find one of these restarts back into

:32:29. > :32:35.his hands. Making himself a thorough nuisance to the French on the

:32:36. > :32:43.restarts. I think that's just after the collision. Not gone off for a

:32:44. > :32:50.head injury assessment. Ken Owens with the throw. Important to get

:32:51. > :33:00.this right. Alan Wyn Jones down off the top to rest Webb. Williams.

:33:01. > :33:02.Davies. Biggar. Trying to bring George North into play. Leigh

:33:03. > :33:17.Halfpenny. Ken Owens. Webb. Jake Ball. Justin Tipuric came

:33:18. > :33:25.up flat and hard, gets over the advantage line. Biggar. Scott

:33:26. > :33:33.Williams. Lopez. The ball's gone loose. Davies did well to pick the

:33:34. > :33:43.ball up. France claim the turnover. Biggar.

:33:44. > :33:47.Flailing arm knocked the ball on. There was a real chance for Wales

:33:48. > :34:04.then. Wales are claiming that was a

:34:05. > :34:10.deliberate knock-on. It's actually... He did stop the ball

:34:11. > :34:14.getting to George North but it was the outside arm of the tackle.

:34:15. > :34:18.Bearing in mind that the officials did not review the... We are going

:34:19. > :34:25.to look at this one. Interesting they didn't look at the one for

:34:26. > :34:29.France which was very similar. While we are viewing this, France have

:34:30. > :34:40.made a change. Trying to put George North in for a try. The left arm.

:34:41. > :34:53.George North says he knows what he's doing, his opponent. It's

:34:54. > :34:56.Nakaitaci's arm. He makes contact, it's whether you consider it was in

:34:57. > :35:00.the motion of trying the make a tackle or whether it was in the

:35:01. > :35:03.disguise motion of knocking it on for me. I think it was the former.

:35:04. > :35:09.Obviously if you are sitting at home and you're a Welsh fan, you'll

:35:10. > :35:17.disagree with me. A change at scrum-half for France. Dupont, the

:35:18. > :35:37.20-year-old is on for Serin. Yellow card. It's a deliberate

:35:38. > :35:40.knock-on for us, it's in a good position but we are not certain a

:35:41. > :35:42.try could have been scored so he goes to the bin but it's no penalty

:35:43. > :36:23.try, OK. Ten minutes in the bin Dan Biggar is giving the ball to

:36:24. > :36:28.leaf Halfpenny. Get three points here, still have the vast majority

:36:29. > :36:31.of that time left to play against 14 men. Interesting that they are

:36:32. > :36:35.saying it probably wasn't going to be a try. They were talking about

:36:36. > :36:39.George North having overrun the ball. If we see that again from a

:36:40. > :36:44.different angle, we'll see whether or not he had overrun the ball

:36:45. > :36:49.because if they decided it was a deliberate knock-on, and there was

:36:50. > :36:55.only one man free outside, then apart from that...

:36:56. > :36:57.Here is Leigh Halfpenny. He's used up almost a minute of the ten

:36:58. > :37:26.preparing for this kick. It's good by Leigh Halfpenny. He

:37:27. > :37:30.stood his ground to check its flight but reward for Leigh Halfpenny in

:37:31. > :37:35.the travelling Welsh fans -- and the travelling Welsh fans. They're on

:37:36. > :37:40.the board. Whether or not it's taken anything off the clock, it's not

:37:41. > :37:44.really a point, it's psychological for Wales who've recorded a score

:37:45. > :37:48.when they have been desperately defending. They are on the score

:37:49. > :37:52.board now and have the remainder of eight minutes or so to play against

:37:53. > :37:58.14 men and they need to make that count. Liam Williams. Jumps under

:37:59. > :38:04.pressure. Nakaitaci was about five metres in

:38:05. > :38:38.front. Rhys Webb going nowhere. Not made a lot of ground, but

:38:39. > :38:42.they'll have the throw-in. You wonder, professional players know

:38:43. > :38:47.that world rugby and all the elite referees are very, very hot when you

:38:48. > :38:56.take a player above the horizontal. They're always going to penalise it

:38:57. > :39:02.and choose to do that, just don't. Alan Wyn Jones wins the lineout.

:39:03. > :39:13.The Welsh captain, the target so far in the lineout. Successful. Very

:39:14. > :39:20.successful. Marching France backwards. Rhys Webb from Ken Owens.

:39:21. > :39:28.Liam Williams in possession. First run for the winger. Jake Ball.

:39:29. > :39:37.Moriarty. Scott Williams behind Jonathan Davies who has to check.

:39:38. > :39:44.Lopez with the tackle. Biggar to Leigh Halfpenny. Lamerat makes life

:39:45. > :39:55.difficult for him. He steals the ball. Davies is back. Chance of a

:39:56. > :40:02.counterattack here. A real chance. Up to the half way line. Scott

:40:03. > :40:17.Williams gets Liam Williams away. Rhys Webb. Rob Evans.

:40:18. > :40:36.Dan Biggar. France's tackling is solid. Scott Williams again. He's

:40:37. > :40:45.lost the ball again. France turning Wales over three or four times in

:40:46. > :41:05.this half. Maestri. Dupont, the new scrum-half.

:41:06. > :41:19.Different approach from Dan Biggar. Warburton with the tackle. France

:41:20. > :41:24.though back in possession. Liam Williams. Able to get away and twist

:41:25. > :41:34.and turn and eventually, he's forced out.

:41:35. > :41:42.A couple of points there. Wales doing some purposeful play by not

:41:43. > :41:46.looking after the ball and contact twice in a row. If you are going to

:41:47. > :41:55.use that tactic of the ball going in the air, the chase has to be better.

:41:56. > :41:59.The initial Welsh tackler getting in there, but not enough support in

:42:00. > :42:05.allowing France to get or the layer on the floor. Rhys Webb does a bit

:42:06. > :42:08.of digging for the ball from the line-out. Looks as if Serin is going

:42:09. > :42:20.to come back on. Guirado dropped the ball. Wales

:42:21. > :42:30.claiming a bit more, just a knock-on says Barnes.

:42:31. > :43:08.All this time, it's been eaten away out of the ten minutes advantage

:43:09. > :43:20.that Wales had. They were a man up. Wales really need to get a score of

:43:21. > :43:25.some sort within the remaining three minutes. Webb gets the ball away

:43:26. > :43:28.from the scrummage. Biggar, change of tactic, drills it towards North

:43:29. > :43:36.who takes it well. Laugh pen write tries to get the pass away. Jonathan

:43:37. > :43:43.Davies gets a hand to it. Danger, picked up by France. $Dulin forces

:43:44. > :44:44.himself to the ground. We've lost Jonathan because of his

:44:45. > :44:49.voice. Martin, your impression so far of the Welsh performance?

:44:50. > :44:53.Totally blown away for the first 15 minutes. They couldnd hand it will

:44:54. > :45:00.physicality of the French. They got back into the game. They seem to be

:45:01. > :45:05.having gaps in the French defence. Big kick for Leigh Halfpenny here.

:45:06. > :45:08.If they can get it back to 10-6, it will be good after being on the back

:45:09. > :45:52.foot for the first 20 minutes. Fabulous strike by Leigh Halfpenny.

:45:53. > :45:59.Beautiful penalty. It was a long way and Halfpenny has success think put

:46:00. > :46:03.Wales up to six points -- successfully put Wales up six

:46:04. > :46:16.points. Wales have taken advantage of that.

:46:17. > :46:20.They've got the score. They are now in an unconverted try. Bearing in

:46:21. > :46:29.mind, the first 15 minutes they were very much on the back foot. They've

:46:30. > :46:40.now stabilised the situation. Liam Williams. Nakaitaci. Warburton.

:46:41. > :46:45.Jonathan Davies. Jake Ball again. Busy carrier in

:46:46. > :47:14.this opening half hour. Dulin. Advantage Wales. It's the

:47:15. > :47:24.French full back's kick going out. That unforced error is a real gift

:47:25. > :47:31.for Wales because it gives them a lineout within the French territory.

:47:32. > :47:34.Couple of times Wales have been moving the ball, it's been stopped

:47:35. > :47:41.by passes that haven't been in front of the man. They turn and it kills

:47:42. > :47:46.the momentum. Tipuric. Moriarty comes into the midfield. Fickou with

:47:47. > :47:52.the tackle. Wales keep possession. Ken Owens. Dan Biggar did well to

:47:53. > :47:58.ride the tackle and France again with a player left on the ground.

:47:59. > :48:05.Lopez. Good slip out of the tackle by Rob Evans, the prop. Whoops. Jake

:48:06. > :48:10.Ball does well to get the ball to Biggar. Scott Williams. Jonathan

:48:11. > :48:17.Davies. Liam Williams. Moriarty outside him. Moriarty claimed he was

:48:18. > :48:38.taken out off the ball. Somebody has to play scrum-half

:48:39. > :48:47.here. Gourdon gets away from Ken Owens. Halfpenny has to chase back

:48:48. > :48:53.deep into the 22. Under real pressure from Serin and Dulin.

:48:54. > :49:16.Fickou. Serin. Lopez. Gourdon. Vakatawa back on the field.

:49:17. > :49:22.Delivering safely. Guirado tackled by his opposite number. Wriggling

:49:23. > :49:34.forward another metre. Warburton with the tackle.

:49:35. > :49:50.Tries to, or thought about slinging the pass out but he didn't. Serin.

:49:51. > :49:59.Great tackle out of the pass. Serin. Fickou. France beginning to take the

:50:00. > :50:06.risks with their pass. North over the ball. And Wales have the

:50:07. > :50:08.penalty. After the slight of hand, it's the heavyweight work of George

:50:09. > :50:21.North that counts. Great work by George north because

:50:22. > :50:23.France managed to get three or four offloads there which always

:50:24. > :50:31.stretches any defence. The work of George North stopped

:50:32. > :50:43.that completely. Right hand side of the frame there,

:50:44. > :50:54.Lopez is going off for another head injury assessment.

:50:55. > :51:06.Guirado coming over to ask questions.

:51:07. > :51:36.Possession from Wales. Moriarty. Webb. To George North. Probably

:51:37. > :51:42.needed to go. France get the big strong arms around.

:51:43. > :51:48.That achieved its purpose, that move. They got in a position that

:51:49. > :52:19.they wanted. Transwar Trinh Duc back on the

:52:20. > :52:36.field. Good to see him back -- Francois Trinh Duc.

:52:37. > :52:42.What is the point about having a low, putting the ball in straight,

:52:43. > :52:48.if you are going to shove it to the number 8's feet. It's not just

:52:49. > :52:52.France. Nearly every team at every level. I do not understand how you

:52:53. > :52:57.can ignore one law completely. Have a discussion, guilty rid of it if

:52:58. > :53:01.you want to, but do it purposely. The referee's saying, no-one cares

:53:02. > :53:06.about this but you, you're insane. Every clubhouse in the country they

:53:07. > :53:09.want to go to and people are screaming about this. You know why

:53:10. > :53:16.they do it, just because they want to get away from reset scrummage

:53:17. > :53:19.after reset scrummage. And they don't understand that if they

:53:20. > :53:22.enforced it, they would have fewer scrums and fewer would collapse.

:53:23. > :53:26.They know better. Not that any of them play in the front row, but

:53:27. > :53:33.there you go. Rant over. There we go. You were right in your judgment.

:53:34. > :53:40.Even the Duke of Edinburgh's noticed it. France with the lineout but it's

:53:41. > :53:48.come straight to the replacement on for Lopez, Trinh Duc. Midfield. Both

:53:49. > :53:55.teams happy to put themselveses in midfield.

:53:56. > :54:08.Serin. Trinh Duc flips it on. Rhys Webb has stolen the ball.

:54:09. > :54:20.Justin Tipuric checks where the clearers are. Misses them. Goes for

:54:21. > :54:23.Ken Owens. Dan Biggar behind Justin Tipuric is directing the troops.

:54:24. > :54:29.Rhys Webb back in the scrum-half position. Dan Biggar keeps the ball

:54:30. > :54:50.in field. Dulin. Nakaitaci outside him. Good tackle by Moriarty.

:54:51. > :55:02.How is this going to bounce? It might go all the way. Mistake by

:55:03. > :55:15.Francois Trinh-Duc who. It's been a conspicuous tack this -- tactic. On

:55:16. > :55:21.that occasion it has paid huge dividends. Alun Wyn Jones standing

:55:22. > :55:33.there, the red church to the right. -- the red shirts. Guirado has been

:55:34. > :55:49.struggling in the first half, we have seen Chat warming up at least

:55:50. > :55:58.twice. He will carry on, Guirado. Chat is a good player, but Guirado

:55:59. > :56:00.the captain. They will want him to stay on, at least for the rest of

:56:01. > :56:42.the first half you would think. That is a better scrum. Moriarty get

:56:43. > :56:47.it to Webb. Scott Williams could not get the pass away. If Wales get

:56:48. > :56:57.quick ball it could be danger, Rhys Webb picks the running option

:56:58. > :57:00.himself. Warburton plays scrum-half. Jonathan Davies. Penalty advantage

:57:01. > :57:11.to Wales, they have a free play here. Rob Evans. Does well to write

:57:12. > :57:19.the first tackle. Biggar. Scott Williams along to Justin Tipuric.

:57:20. > :57:27.Took the ball standing still. Easy tackle for Dulin. No advantage, back

:57:28. > :57:34.to the penalty. Might debate what you would do with this but again I

:57:35. > :57:46.would take the points. Almost half time, go in with next to nothing in

:57:47. > :57:53.it. Number three deemed offside. Leigh Halfpenny with two good

:57:54. > :58:04.penalties to his name. This is the easiest one. It was Serin who tried

:58:05. > :58:08.to... It was well read by Serin, it was an awkward bounce. When the ball

:58:09. > :58:13.comes back later on, as indeed a number of Welsh moves scored from

:58:14. > :58:23.the handling which has not been a surprise as it could be. Get the

:58:24. > :58:29.feeling Wales are creating chances but not being exact in the way they

:58:30. > :58:32.are trying to exploit them. If they click it could be completely

:58:33. > :58:39.different story in terms of their fortunes. They were 10-0 down after

:58:40. > :58:47.a quarter of an hour. This to put them back within a point. Three

:58:48. > :59:02.penalties per Leigh Halfpenny, Wales up to nine, France 10-9 Wales. I

:59:03. > :59:06.think Wales would be relatively happy with that if they go in with

:59:07. > :59:13.it at half-time, it looked early on like they might get buried. Looks

:59:14. > :59:24.like France have changed the kick-off tactic. George North, away,

:59:25. > :59:32.blamed by George North, Ross Moriarty, even better, show and go.

:59:33. > :59:38.Webb, Biggar. Evans. Leigh Halfpenny, Alun Wyn Jones, Jonathan

:59:39. > :59:44.Davies. Bounces kindly for a Liam Williams auntie to get brilliantly.

:59:45. > :59:50.Halfpenny in the action again. All started with the catch by George

:59:51. > :59:57.North. Bounced back, Dan Biggar again. Justin Tipuric into midfield

:59:58. > :00:04.and again, not for the first time Wales surrender possession. That's

:00:05. > :00:11.the fourth time Wales have turned over breakdown ball wide clumsiness

:00:12. > :00:14.around the fringes. France now a bit clumsy with their presentation of

:00:15. > :00:23.the ball but this is the end of the first half. Wayne Barnes blows his

:00:24. > :00:30.whistle. Guirado leads his team off, leading by a single point.

:00:31. > :00:37.You sense this is a game that has not caught fire yet and is waiting

:00:38. > :00:46.for a spark but the first 15 minutes or so were all France, Lamerat

:00:47. > :00:51.finishing underneath the posts. In the first 15 minutes Wales made 30

:00:52. > :00:59.tackles, France just three, in the next 15, France made 37 and Wales

:01:00. > :01:05.just ate, so then match on a knife edge. Conrad Smith alongside us,

:01:06. > :01:08.that is the first half, it is one of those funny things, the first half

:01:09. > :01:16.of Six Nations rugby you have ever seen live in your life so what did

:01:17. > :01:20.you think? It's, to be honest, it's not been the best game in terms of

:01:21. > :01:26.what I have seen in the Six Nations on TV. The execution from both teams

:01:27. > :01:31.has let them down, they have created things early on it was brands and

:01:32. > :01:39.then it was Wales. A few wayward passes, turnovers. Both they have

:01:40. > :01:45.not quite capitalised. What is your verdict? When we have quick balls we

:01:46. > :01:50.can make the difference, but the speed of the game is not good enough

:01:51. > :01:55.so we need to release the ball much quicker into the ruck and then we

:01:56. > :02:00.can create gaps. Things did not look clever for Wales in the first 15

:02:01. > :02:04.minutes so 10-9 at half-time they would take. That first half

:02:05. > :02:09.encapsulates both teams for me, flashes of brilliance but some

:02:10. > :02:14.average rugby as well. Wales were hanging on, brands came out of the

:02:15. > :02:25.blocks, they grew into the game but the execution was poor. Are you a

:02:26. > :02:33.fan of low pay he is good -- of Lopez? Game after game he will

:02:34. > :02:37.improve, he is helped by the forwards, they are really dominant

:02:38. > :02:44.in the scrums, the physicality is there. But the scrum half need to

:02:45. > :02:50.give him the ball quicker and that can bring the line speed quicker. It

:02:51. > :02:59.was a combination of the French physicality and a lovely little chip

:03:00. > :03:02.which led to the try. Confusion between Rhys Webb and Liam Williams

:03:03. > :03:07.about who is supposed to be covering. When the try is scored,

:03:08. > :03:15.it's great execution, great touch from Lopez. If you look at Liam

:03:16. > :03:22.Williams, questioning Rhys Webb, neither really did anything. We knew

:03:23. > :03:27.that the line speed, the Welsh team was good so I think to use that, the

:03:28. > :03:34.kicking part of the game was really good, well done by Lopez. It is

:03:35. > :03:40.tough to defeat, as a nine or 11 you want to be covering that but it's a

:03:41. > :03:47.pinpoint kick. Well executed. The big question, when is a yellow card

:03:48. > :03:51.not a yellow card? As a neutral, Conrad, I thought this was a yellow

:03:52. > :03:59.card for Jonathan Davies, he knows what he's doing, he knows if the

:04:00. > :04:03.ball gets away it's probably in. Did not even review it, Wayne Barnes.

:04:04. > :04:08.Jonathan Davies knows what's happening believe me. I think they

:04:09. > :04:15.were bought yellow cards. It should be a penalty try in my book as well.

:04:16. > :04:20.That might be pushing it a bit, but it's either two yellows or no

:04:21. > :04:25.yellows. If you want to be technical I think the first one is more

:04:26. > :04:31.deliberate, he's actually looking where as you can argue they are his

:04:32. > :04:36.head is down. So you say it's a penalty try to France? It could be.

:04:37. > :04:44.You just want consistency. If you give a reality -- yellow card you

:04:45. > :04:49.have to give a penalty try afterwards. That is a double

:04:50. > :04:53.punishment. Why not? If you give a yellow card that means you had the

:04:54. > :04:58.opportunity to score and it was the same for the Welsh team just before.

:04:59. > :05:02.The old cliche about treating the ball with respect and when you have

:05:03. > :05:10.it hang onto it, Wales are getting turned over a lot. The execution has

:05:11. > :05:14.been really poor at times. France are doing well, they are making a

:05:15. > :05:19.mess of things at rucks, physical men getting over the ball, some of

:05:20. > :05:23.the passing, it's really laboured, really poor, they have been stripped

:05:24. > :05:27.when they are carrying into contact saw the need to look after the ball

:05:28. > :05:30.because when they do that angle to the phases France look a bit ragged

:05:31. > :05:37.and they will give you opportunities. Instead of using the

:05:38. > :05:43.ball we were kicking, I think we should keep it in hand to create

:05:44. > :05:47.some danger. I think both teams have had opportunities after turnovers,

:05:48. > :05:50.immediately after a turnover is an opportunity to pay quick enough but

:05:51. > :05:55.both teams have taken a few seconds to decide what to do and then the

:05:56. > :05:59.opportunity is gone. Looking at France and what they have got in the

:06:00. > :06:07.backs, why is the ball allowed to just sit at the back of a ruck or

:06:08. > :06:17.all and there is no dynamism -- or a maul. Perhaps needs to bring some

:06:18. > :06:20.speed, we are physically dominant against the Welsh, finding some gaps

:06:21. > :06:24.into the defence but if we don't generate quick ball it is hard

:06:25. > :06:30.because the defence gets into position and then it's too late. If

:06:31. > :06:33.that was New Zealand without seeing the obvious, quick turnover like

:06:34. > :06:40.that, it would be somebody into the lines going in the corner because

:06:41. > :06:45.the realisation, the vision, the assessment is sometimes better. It's

:06:46. > :06:51.the knowledge that it's the hardest part of the game to defend. It's

:06:52. > :06:54.that time when the defence is not set, they cannot have any line speed

:06:55. > :06:59.because they have just been attacking. It's the golden time to

:07:00. > :07:03.move the ball and you do not score every time but you at least try.

:07:04. > :07:10.That is why they are world champions. We will come onto that at

:07:11. > :07:14.the end of the game when we can talk the respective merits of New Zealand

:07:15. > :07:19.and England. George North looks like a man reborn. He has got the energy,

:07:20. > :07:22.he has not had many standout runs but it's what he's been doing

:07:23. > :07:28.without the ball which has been impressive. Defended well, looks

:07:29. > :07:33.enthusiastic. Big hits. He's a big man, tough man to bring down but he

:07:34. > :07:38.stood his ground. Great turnover as well and this was a key turnover,

:07:39. > :07:44.brilliant skill from Serin by the way. But getting ahead of the ball

:07:45. > :07:49.like that, if you can do that as a winger it is invaluable. Right at

:07:50. > :07:55.the end you saw how good he is in the aerial battle as well. Agility

:07:56. > :08:02.in the footwork for such a big man, it's outstanding. He's back to top

:08:03. > :08:08.form. Are you a fan of his Conrad? Very much so. When he has the

:08:09. > :08:13.workrate like he has today, it's not one area of the game, it's chasing

:08:14. > :08:19.kicks, when he's doing it all he is going to be a menace on the field.

:08:20. > :08:24.Key area France lead to improved? Definitely around the ruck, need to

:08:25. > :08:30.generate quick ball but I really think we need to exploit, turnover

:08:31. > :08:34.is a bit better. Play behind the defence, we need to make more

:08:35. > :08:46.passes. We have seen some good individuality is. I think in the

:08:47. > :08:54.backs, Fickou has made some gaps but we need to be better. And Wales?

:08:55. > :08:58.Scrambling well but keep the ball and be more clinical to create

:08:59. > :09:03.chances. Earlier today Scotland beat Italy and got a bonus point, later

:09:04. > :09:08.on it is Ireland against England with England going for a second

:09:09. > :09:12.consecutive Grand Slam and trying to do what the women achieved

:09:13. > :09:21.Across the continent there has been a surge of interest in the women's

:09:22. > :09:35.game. They are searching for that Grand Slam.

:09:36. > :10:09.The women in white, Six Nations Grand Slam champions.

:10:10. > :10:16.England are going for a fourth Grand Slam attempt in the course of the

:10:17. > :10:17.Six Nations when they are at the Aviva Stadium in about an hour and

:10:18. > :10:33.15 minutes time. This aristocrat of rugby union

:10:34. > :10:40.grounds is awash with grand slam fever with Ireland seeking to

:10:41. > :10:41.deprive England of a Grand Slam. They are dancing all around

:10:42. > :10:54.Lansdowne road. England not taking their place. What

:10:55. > :10:55.a flourish. What our performance. Martin Johnson's England have

:10:56. > :11:09.scored. Goes on his own, scores for Ireland.

:11:10. > :11:16.O Driscoll. It dashes England's grand slam hopes. Once you have been

:11:17. > :11:20.successful you either them become a great team you become a failure. We

:11:21. > :11:27.can achieve greatness by winning back-to-back Grand Slams. A smiling

:11:28. > :11:34.Eddie Jones, if England played New Zealand next week to wins? In a

:11:35. > :11:42.one-off game at Twickenham it would be close. I think New Zealand, I am

:11:43. > :11:49.obviously biased, I still think they have more in terms of what they can

:11:50. > :11:55.do with the ball, the speed that the play. England on the other hand,

:11:56. > :12:01.they are finding ways to win. They are not always blowing teams off the

:12:02. > :12:05.park but like against Wales and France, it's an amazing attribute

:12:06. > :12:10.for a team. If they played the All Blacks who knows but it would be a

:12:11. > :12:16.great contest and I hope it happens. You all may have answered the

:12:17. > :12:19.question, do you see England winning in Dublin? You saw clips of the

:12:20. > :12:25.Irish, they know how to spoil party. England are so strong, they have not

:12:26. > :12:28.been exhilarating but they have got over the line, I think the bench,

:12:29. > :12:35.the finishers will be the difference. Confidence is there for

:12:36. > :12:38.England, even small margins, against Wales, everyone thought Wales were

:12:39. > :12:44.going to win the game but in the last few minutes England find the

:12:45. > :12:47.belief. Playing against the best against like Australia and South

:12:48. > :12:50.Africa they got the confidence. At this time I think England would win.

:12:51. > :13:03.This is the table at the moment. Scotland currently second place,

:13:04. > :13:22.that is how things stand at half-time with brands in second.

:13:23. > :13:31.The final weekend, the last but one game in the Six Nations

:13:32. > :13:41.championship. It's a try. Lamerat, France open scoring. And lead grows.

:13:42. > :13:49.It's goodbye Leigh Halfpenny. Beautiful penalty. 10-0 down. Three

:13:50. > :13:57.penalties per Leigh Halfpenny, Wales up to nine.

:13:58. > :14:05.1-point game. I must ask you, has this man got much broadcast

:14:06. > :14:09.experience, he is a regular contributor to the French rugby

:14:10. > :14:13.special which must be stressful, how does that work? Especially difficult

:14:14. > :14:19.at the moment when my French is not quite what I would like it to be. I

:14:20. > :14:24.have a translator, the questions are asked, in French and it is

:14:25. > :14:29.translated in my ear. There are a few nervous seconds as I wait for

:14:30. > :14:37.the translator to tell me the question. The benches and who could

:14:38. > :14:42.come on in the last 20 minutes could be key. If we look at who will be on

:14:43. > :14:49.the bench, it's the usual guys from a Welsh point of view. From our

:14:50. > :14:55.perspective, we have no finishers, we have no bench, we all may now

:14:56. > :15:00.have Brian Moore and Eddie Butler. COMMENTATOR: It's a ruthless

:15:01. > :15:19.business, one croaky voice and he is gone. Lopez back on the field. No

:15:20. > :15:25.changes on the Welsh side. Serin is also back at scrum-half. Liam

:15:26. > :15:38.Williams comes forward and claims the restart. Last half of the Six

:15:39. > :15:51.Nations campaign for these teams. Jonathan Davies. Down towards

:15:52. > :15:59.Picamoles. Dulin sends it high, Biggar goes up. Wayne Barnes waves

:16:00. > :16:06.play on. Here is Lopez and Picamoles.

:16:07. > :16:19.Gets through the tackle, Slimani. Gael Fickou, Halfpenny stepping

:16:20. > :16:29.across him, does very well to foil that attack. Rhys Webb arrives. Ken

:16:30. > :16:51.Owens. Presents the ball. Lopez cannot get past. Grabs him and

:16:52. > :17:03.does an excellent job of delaying the off-load. France have to come

:17:04. > :17:13.from a stationary start and Gael Fickou does well.

:17:14. > :17:25.Sanconnie a newcomer to the French back row.

:17:26. > :17:38.Wayne Barnes seeing play on. Well read by a Rhys Webb. Bouncing ball.

:17:39. > :17:49.Danger signs, Wales pick up scraps, George North. Maestri try to get him

:17:50. > :17:59.down. Warburton, to Jonathan Davies, Liam Williams. Out of play. And we

:18:00. > :18:06.have a Welsh player injured. Alun Wyn Jones. The captain doubled up.

:18:07. > :18:15.Ribs? Wayne Barnes explaining he's not

:18:16. > :18:22.going to give a penalty for holding the man.

:18:23. > :18:35.Unfortunately that pass is so indicative of the way both sides

:18:36. > :18:41.have been playing, making unforced errors which have constantly stop to

:18:42. > :18:46.the forward momentum. It was a good defensive set by Wales. France

:18:47. > :18:56.making no real headway. This is very brave by Leigh Halfpenny. The Welsh

:18:57. > :19:19.captain is still down. If Wales can just find the passage

:19:20. > :19:23.of play where they are precise the gaps will open and they have the

:19:24. > :19:35.beating of the French team. We shall restart with a line-out.

:19:36. > :19:52.Guirado to throw. From the touchline to the back of

:19:53. > :20:05.the. Picamoles going nowhere, good tackle

:20:06. > :20:25.by Tipuric and Moriarty together. Biggar will have a chance to go

:20:26. > :20:30.either way or high for the sky. Leigh Halfpenny impersonate. Dulin

:20:31. > :20:53.wins the aerial battle. Williams, Dan Biggar a long way

:20:54. > :20:57.infield. Lopez. The ball out of play. A bit of ping-pong. Wasn't it

:20:58. > :21:11.entertaining! Such an important part of the game,

:21:12. > :21:27.kick and chase. The ability to do that. Gael Fickou. Alun Wyn Jones

:21:28. > :21:33.gets it down. Rhys Webb, certainly not now, Ross Moriarty in trouble.

:21:34. > :21:47.Scott Williams does well. But it's a penalty, Wales Crossing... Quickly

:21:48. > :21:56.taken. Gael Fickou, they have somehow made a mess of it. Dulin

:21:57. > :21:58.looks at the referee, everyone looks at the referee, Leigh Halfpenny

:21:59. > :22:16.looks at the referee. It's a line-out. There are players down.

:22:17. > :22:18.That was untidy, slightly short. Guirado with the fingers and from

:22:19. > :22:32.that moment Wales were in real trouble. There is a case for a

:22:33. > :22:37.deliberate knock-on. Looked rather similar to the one which France

:22:38. > :22:49.didn't get away with. Want to be consistent. Looked to me as though

:22:50. > :22:53.it was an attempted tackle. Guy Noves slightly more impassive than

:22:54. > :23:03.the men in the stands. Rhys Webb receiving attention on the Welsh

:23:04. > :23:21.side. Scott Williams coming away with the ball, it is Rhys Webb...

:23:22. > :23:37.Peter Fitzgibbon the television match official today.

:23:38. > :23:51.Guirado back on his feet. The French forwards make their way towards the

:23:52. > :23:58.far touchline. Doesn't seem to have been any requests for any reviews of

:23:59. > :23:59.anything. Perhaps the injuries have disturbed the flow of the judicial

:24:00. > :24:17.process? It's going to be a scrum down. Just

:24:18. > :24:22.knock-on. There has been inconsistency with what the official

:24:23. > :24:28.and his team have and have not looked that. Apologies if you heard

:24:29. > :24:30.any bad language, I don't know why I am apologising, it was not me. But

:24:31. > :24:45.there you are. Serin. First seven metres away from

:24:46. > :25:00.the Welsh line. Looked vulnerable. France will

:25:01. > :25:11.presumably reset and have another go.

:25:12. > :25:19.Tomas Francis. Once France got the momentum there, irrespective of

:25:20. > :25:21.where the ball was fed, the fact is that they are going to get the

:25:22. > :25:55.penalty. Still seven metres. France six and a

:25:56. > :26:01.bit out. -- perhaps six and a bit out. France have conceded the

:26:02. > :26:05.penalty this time. That will be very badly received by the French crowd.

:26:06. > :26:51.Not welcomed by these players. On the right hand side, completely

:26:52. > :27:12.fractured. That's why the scrum side went in favour of France.

:27:13. > :28:34.Dulin. Well tackled by Williams. Bit closer to the touchline. Tremendous

:28:35. > :28:44.following up footwork. We are off again. Jonathan Davies.

:28:45. > :29:22.Jonathan Davies. Biggar. Scott Williams. France can break away.

:29:23. > :29:34.Advantage over Leigh Halfpenny. Take it and set off. Excellent tackle.

:29:35. > :29:50.Good work by Tipuric. Fantastic player. Alan Wyn Jones is down

:29:51. > :30:02.again, a long way from the action. Ross Moriarty.

:30:03. > :30:08.Pressure on Vakatawa. Wales will have the foot in. Picamole looks

:30:09. > :30:14.disappointed. Vakatawa looks disappointed. We have a stoppage.

:30:15. > :30:20.It's Jake Ball, not Alan Wyn Jones. Liam Williams is down too. Martin,

:30:21. > :30:25.your views? I think the word is scrappy. It's physical but no side

:30:26. > :30:28.can keep the ball and go through. The decision by France earlier on,

:30:29. > :30:32.simple three points in front of the post, they've taken the quick one,

:30:33. > :30:37.and Mr Barnes, I don't think he's the favourite person in this stadium

:30:38. > :30:47.at this moment when it comes to the French, so yes, hasn't caught light

:30:48. > :30:53.in the second half. Luke Charteris comes on. Alan Wyn Jones is coming

:30:54. > :31:02.off and he is carrying that left arm. Sam Warburton will take over

:31:03. > :31:18.the captaincy. Very uneven effort from Wales in

:31:19. > :31:21.this respect. Defensively, their back row and inside defenders are

:31:22. > :31:26.denying France any momentum at all at the moment. They're making the

:31:27. > :31:32.ball very slow, they're doing a very good job. On the other hand, again

:31:33. > :31:35.when they're going forward, unforced errors are undoing everything that

:31:36. > :31:42.they're working for in defence. If they can just get that accuracy,

:31:43. > :31:46.then they'll cause a lot of problems. But when you're making

:31:47. > :32:03.those errors, it constantly undoes any good work you're doing.

:32:04. > :32:39.Leigh Halfpenny taking over responsibility. Taulupe sorry,

:32:40. > :32:42.Faletau and Roberts prepare to come on. Leigh Halfpenny is going for

:32:43. > :33:09.goal. Struck with a force. This within the

:33:10. > :33:30.Halfpenny range. And this to take the lead.

:33:31. > :33:40.Long enough. Straight enough. Wales take the lead.

:33:41. > :33:47.And everybody but everybody applauds. Fuad the difference for

:33:48. > :33:59.the angle and the margin it went over by, that was a 55 metre kick.

:34:00. > :34:04.That constantly gives the forwards hope. If you can win a penalty

:34:05. > :34:09.anywhere near the French half, Leigh Halfpenny is likely to do that.

:34:10. > :34:13.There's a huge psychological flip for you. Conversely, defenders know

:34:14. > :34:25.they can't cheat and I thinkth infringe.

:34:26. > :34:38.Surged forward. Lamerat. Ball arrives to complete the tackle.

:34:39. > :35:04.Penalty to Wales. Good work by Warburton. Liam

:35:05. > :35:09.Williams trying to compete. -- trying to compete with a man like

:35:10. > :35:21.Liam Williams. Sam Warburton over the ball. The Welsh have done very

:35:22. > :35:33.well. Lamerat is going for France in the Welsh 22.

:35:34. > :35:46.Son Connie coming from the French back room. Sonconnie. He is coming

:35:47. > :36:05.off. And his replacement. Started in the

:36:06. > :36:22.starting 15 for France. It's one of so many changes by France.

:36:23. > :36:32.So France change their front row. Ken Owens with the throw. Justin

:36:33. > :36:56.Tipuric. Wales have to be careful. Good work

:36:57. > :37:01.by France. It was because Justin Tipuric did his job. He took the

:37:02. > :37:05.ball cleanly and the Welsh supporting players not working quick

:37:06. > :37:17.enough. Couldn't get the ball to the back.

:37:18. > :37:23.Guirado throws and France lose again. Long from Rhys Webb. Dan

:37:24. > :37:31.Biggar ships it on to Jamie robbers. Jonathan Davies. Leigh Halfpenny has

:37:32. > :37:37.to take it further behind him. Williams. Tipuric. The prop does

:37:38. > :37:40.well. That wasn't a promising start for him. Webb. Davies. Jamie

:37:41. > :38:02.Roberts. Dan Biggar. To George North. Pass by

:38:03. > :38:06.Biggar. Switch of play. Jonathan Davies. Wales setting up camp in

:38:07. > :38:14.this corner. Dulin comes away. Level-footed. Pursued by Jonathan

:38:15. > :38:22.Davies. Dulins capes. -- left-footed. Lamerat. France risking

:38:23. > :38:26.things. Picamole. Charteris arrives to try to hold the number 8 up.

:38:27. > :38:40.Picamole delivers. Serin. Lamerat again. Gets the ball

:38:41. > :38:51.over. Williams did well to cover two French runners then. Bangs on to the

:38:52. > :39:00.winner's ankle. Thunders to the 22. Scruffily delivered. Lamerat. Even

:39:01. > :39:06.when he's lying down, Williams manages to make a tackle. Par pass

:39:07. > :39:13.from Lamerat. And that's even worse. Charteris. Two Giants meet. France

:39:14. > :39:16.with numbers. George North has to cover too. Does well, George North.

:39:17. > :39:26.Still doing well. Low pee. -- Lopez. Atone owe. --

:39:27. > :40:06.Atonio. Io. -- Atonio. Halfpenny came

:40:07. > :40:11.forward. Lopez won it. Faletau. Maestri across the field.

:40:12. > :40:22.Lopez. Lamerat at speed. And it's ripped out of his grasp. Only

:40:23. > :40:29.towards the other French players. Slightly on the back foot now and

:40:30. > :40:35.Gourdon tries to restore forward motion. Ball goes out eventually.

:40:36. > :40:42.Beautiful kick from a position where France were starting to be put under

:40:43. > :40:48.pressure. Succeeding in reducing France's options all round by

:40:49. > :40:51.slowing the ball down to the point where it's scleroitc actually. No

:40:52. > :41:13.option but to get it down the field. We pause because Jake Ball is

:41:14. > :41:22.receiving attention. Ken Owens can take his time up field. Jake Ball I

:41:23. > :41:25.imagine will be going off for yet another head injury assessment.

:41:26. > :41:40.That's the captain already off the field.

:41:41. > :41:53.Jake Ball coming off the field and Samson Lee is coming on.

:41:54. > :42:10.Tom Francis comes off. For Samson Lee.

:42:11. > :42:19.Full contingent in the lineout. Ken Owens is going to... Wig problem for

:42:20. > :42:28.Wales at the moment now. Lineout severe liqueur tailed. Fortunately

:42:29. > :42:32.for them, Justin Tipuric is a good lineout forward -- big problem for

:42:33. > :42:37.them now. Wales in no hurry. Scott Baldwin. He is going to play out of

:42:38. > :42:56.position presumably. Justin Tipuric does win under

:42:57. > :43:16.pressure. Wondering if Ross Moriarty is off

:43:17. > :43:21.the field as well. Rhys Webb. High. They checked their line and managed

:43:22. > :43:25.to get the tacklers into the French winger. Lamerat. Turns in and tries

:43:26. > :43:41.to go out. Up to half way. Atonio. Faletau goes low on the big

:43:42. > :43:48.man. Chouly. And Chouly is bundled out of touch. Good defensive work

:43:49. > :43:54.again. The way that France moved that ball was just so direct. It

:43:55. > :44:07.provided Wales with the tackle and it wasn't going to go anywhere.

:44:08. > :44:17.Luke Charteris is the tallest. Again putting their lineout.

:44:18. > :44:27.Up goes chart Rick. -- Charteris. Rob Evans clears up for Wales.

:44:28. > :45:01.Scott Baldwin the winger down. Atonio. Charteris.

:45:02. > :45:09.Superb steal by Falcao. Liam Williams on the break -- Faletau.

:45:10. > :45:15.Williams with the follow-up tackle manages to get a hand on Dulin.

:45:16. > :45:23.Wriggles free. Away from Rhys Webb. Ken Owens makes a very important

:45:24. > :45:26.tackle. Nakaitaci to Lopez. Biggar and Halfpenny turn and chase back.

:45:27. > :45:44.Halfpenny into the 22. Stays within the bounds of the 22

:45:45. > :45:49.and doesn't make much ground despite he has all the time. The highlight

:45:50. > :45:58.of that was Tipuric's handling. He's a forward.

:45:59. > :46:05.Faletau has come on for Moriarty, of course. Wales are a bit stuck

:46:06. > :46:10.without specialist second rows now with Jake Ball off and Alan Wyn

:46:11. > :46:14.Jones on. Scott Baldwin, a hooker is on.

:46:15. > :46:21.Probably not just a lack of numbers, players having to boost in different

:46:22. > :46:24.positions. They are not used to the gaps in the lineout if they don't

:46:25. > :46:33.get it exact as well. Comes to France. Untidily. It comes to France

:46:34. > :46:39.but illegally. Penalty for Wales. I don't think Leigh Halfpenny will do

:46:40. > :46:52.anything other than indicate... Vahaamahina taking Justin Tipuric.

:46:53. > :46:59.There it is, quite clear. Taking him by the hand. Didn't have to be much.

:47:00. > :47:04.That's all he needed was to take the inside arm.

:47:05. > :47:19.And the French crowd don't like it. But they should be directing their

:47:20. > :47:24.boos at the offender. Look at it this way, Wales, a second row down.

:47:25. > :47:30.It's a lineout. Only three or four metres into the French half. Would

:47:31. > :47:38.it matter if they win a ball? Get out and defend.

:47:39. > :47:43.They have huge signs at the Principality Stadium which says

:47:44. > :47:53."respect the quicker". They don't have them in France. -- "respect the

:47:54. > :47:59.kicker". They don't have them in France.

:48:00. > :48:17.Halfpenny. Does he like it? He does. He does indeed!

:48:18. > :48:30.. They are in this position because of their defensive efforts.

:48:31. > :48:45.Lamerat comes off. Trinh Duc is back on. It's an odd looking Welsh pack.

:48:46. > :48:52.That goes wrong for Luke Charteris and right for Nakaitaci. Warburton

:48:53. > :48:58.and Tipuric hold up the French captain. Rhys Webb. Atonio delivers.

:48:59. > :49:04.The other switch of play. Maestri. The surge by the players, the surge

:49:05. > :49:22.by the crowd. Chouly waits. Picamole right with

:49:23. > :49:53.him. Penalty advantage to France. What do France do? Posts. Saw the

:49:54. > :50:00.passage of play there from France which is potentially II Wales in

:50:01. > :50:05.this respect. Wales have now got to reshuffle the pack with a lot of

:50:06. > :50:09.their players. Certainly with Moriarty, the great defender. They

:50:10. > :50:15.are in danger of being overpowered by a big French side. If they could

:50:16. > :50:20.hold the line, make the tackles as they were doing, and stop them at

:50:21. > :50:28.the point of contact, they'll be OK. If they don't and France get behind

:50:29. > :50:33.them, they're in trouble. Luke Charteris losing out to the ball

:50:34. > :50:39.coming out of the sky. Nakaitaci took full advantage. The gap down to

:50:40. > :50:49.two points. Dan Biggar. George North chasing.

:50:50. > :51:04.Quickly to Lopez. That shows the value of a diligent

:51:05. > :51:08.chase, although North wasn't going to get the ball, he kept the

:51:09. > :51:10.pressure on. Stepped back inside and eventually they sliced the ball.

:51:11. > :51:18.Persistence paid off. Alan Wyn Jones is the obvious

:51:19. > :51:27.lineout captain. Wales will have to reassess.

:51:28. > :51:36.Charteris. Samson Lee. Tries to slip it back to

:51:37. > :52:13.Sam Warburton. France have to be careful not to

:52:14. > :52:31.give away the penalty. Tipuric picks up. Straight to ground again. Rob

:52:32. > :52:38.Evans goes to ground. Faletau. Tipuric. Ken Owens.

:52:39. > :52:46.Jonathan Davies. The 22 metre line. Dan Biggar.

:52:47. > :53:16.Good footwork by Justin Tipuric. Half a metre. That 22 miter line

:53:17. > :53:19.again. He's done very well. -- 22 metre. Sam Warburton carries on the

:53:20. > :53:36.good work. Faletau scrum-half. Ken Owens picks up. Wales creeping

:53:37. > :53:40.forward. High tackle. No arm out from the referee. A lot of Red

:53:41. > :53:53.Shirts around there. Dan Biggar. Can't get the pass away. France over

:53:54. > :53:56.the ball. It is a high tackle. And again, the crowd express their

:53:57. > :54:03.displeasure. High tackle though. You saw it. They won't be happy because

:54:04. > :54:08.Ken Owens was on his way down and therefore only a penalty, but the

:54:09. > :54:38.contact here was high. France of not help their cause at

:54:39. > :54:45.all by penalties for that, grabbing the arm at the line-out, things

:54:46. > :54:48.which need not have occurred. Leigh Halfpenny has made them pay and

:54:49. > :55:02.presumably now will for every indiscretion. Scott Baldwin is

:55:03. > :55:10.bleeding into the towel. Rob Howley, man management at its most delicate.

:55:11. > :55:15.Tomas Francis should be OK to come on. Leigh Halfpenny has landed his

:55:16. > :55:32.sixth penalty, Wales up to 18, France 13.

:55:33. > :55:42.Scott Baldwin going off, Ross Moriarty looked like he was out of

:55:43. > :55:48.action with his shoulder but he's coming back on. In an ideal world

:55:49. > :55:56.they would not want him going back, he definitely was injured. But had

:55:57. > :56:05.to go back on. Lopez changes direction. It's a knock-on, France

:56:06. > :56:14.will have they put in at the scrummage. If you our friend he will

:56:15. > :56:18.want to put as much pressure as you can on the scrum, players playing

:56:19. > :56:23.out of position, try to win the penalty and stick it in the corner

:56:24. > :56:37.and try to drive the ball over. Who goes away? Rob Evans... Samson

:56:38. > :56:56.Lee... Justin Tipuric on the openside.

:56:57. > :57:12.And one DuPont is on at scrum-half for France. A 5-point lead for

:57:13. > :57:34.Wales. 73 minutes gone. Robbie Fowler toe

:57:35. > :57:46.in the second row. -- Taulupe Faletau in the second row. Lopez,

:57:47. > :57:50.long to Gael Fickou. Knock-on. It's gone backwards says the referee.

:57:51. > :57:56.Wales are played possession, Williams over the ball. France

:57:57. > :57:59.counter ruck, Williams tries to counter. It's untidy. Justin

:58:00. > :58:19.Tipuric, to Moriarty. Wales have a penalty. His job was

:58:20. > :58:25.not made easy, the ball bulleted at him, a simple soft hand pass would

:58:26. > :58:32.have worked. But it was made as difficult as it possibly could have

:58:33. > :58:43.been. Dan Biggar in no rush. Wales again will have to work out who

:58:44. > :58:49.jumps away, who does what. They have options. A lot of credit to the

:58:50. > :58:56.Welsh scrum for not conceding a penalty. Could easily have done so.

:58:57. > :59:08.Could be very different. That ball should have been floated in front of

:59:09. > :59:12.him. No need. Even so, Moriarty cannot quite hold it. Scrum

:59:13. > :59:32.advantage to France. France in possession. Dupont. Scrum, France

:59:33. > :59:50.defeat. -- France to feed. The French pack has not got any smaller.

:59:51. > :59:55.Of the starters only a few still on. A few tackles made. Justin Tipuric

:59:56. > :59:59.at the top of that but it only tells half the story, the amount of work

:00:00. > :00:05.he has done around the field, in the line-out, his ball handling and

:00:06. > :00:10.tackling have been outstanding. All this time ticking off the clock.

:00:11. > :00:37.Wayne Barnes has stopped the clock for this little chat.

:00:38. > :00:55.Dupont leads the scrum. Then Lopez. Dulin. Jonathan Davies makes a

:00:56. > :01:06.backtracking tackle. Picamoles had to reach for it. Tipuric. Wales hold

:01:07. > :01:10.up the replacement three quarters. And steal the ball and pump it

:01:11. > :01:19.downfield and France have to chase back. That is unlucky. France have a

:01:20. > :01:28.scrum all the way back in the Welsh half. Rhys Webb is down injured and

:01:29. > :01:35.that looks like a groin. Desperately disappointing if you only Welsh fan,

:01:36. > :01:45.tremendous ripping work the right tactic to put boot to ball, just

:01:46. > :01:51.overcooked it. This is excellent stripping work, Rhys Webb and Dan

:01:52. > :01:59.Biggar, Sam Warburton arrives. Does brilliantly. Only three minutes

:02:00. > :02:05.left, France need a converted try to win. The Welsh pack need to do a

:02:06. > :02:42.similar job they have in the last two scrums, just keep it steady.

:02:43. > :02:58.Two and a half minutes to go. Dupont again. Moriarty. Burroughs himself

:02:59. > :03:17.into the tackle. France inside the Welsh 22. This is Le Devedec.

:03:18. > :03:28.Picamoles, raw strength. France within ten metres. Into the last two

:03:29. > :03:35.minutes. This switch of play by Lopez, on his own. Five metres

:03:36. > :03:37.short. Dupont. Twists and turns, Wales hold him out. Three metres

:03:38. > :04:00.short. Yuan Huggett claims the penalty but

:04:01. > :04:10.the referee says play on. The replacement hooker has a go, Chat.

:04:11. > :04:22.Sam Warburton near the line makes a tackle. Penalty advantage to France.

:04:23. > :04:32.One foot, no advantage. France have the penalty. They need try to draw,

:04:33. > :04:41.a converted try win. Do you take the scrum or kick to the corner for a

:04:42. > :04:47.line-out? You can sense the exhaustion. In the end I think you

:04:48. > :04:56.go for the corner because you have no idea which way the referee will

:04:57. > :05:03.go. Could easily give a penalty the other way with the line-out.

:05:04. > :05:11.Automatic catch and drive, if you get it right. France are going for

:05:12. > :05:26.the scrum. Scrum option. Sam Warburton goes

:05:27. > :05:33.round the team one last effort Wales. The Welsh players encouraging

:05:34. > :05:38.each other. This is a do or die effort, the last play of the game.

:05:39. > :05:45.The last three scrums they have done very well to keep them steady.

:05:46. > :05:55.Taulupe Faletau up in the second row.

:05:56. > :06:18.Free kick France. Too much weight. Your decision, your decision, would

:06:19. > :06:24.you like to scrum? OK no problem. Reset the scrummage. The clock is

:06:25. > :06:37.stopped. Hold your weight, Wales. Scrum option. It hasn't been a

:06:38. > :06:52.classic but there has been drama. Yes. A very uneven and average game.

:06:53. > :06:58.But one last effort. Dupont feeds the scrum, it goes down. Wayne

:06:59. > :07:02.Barnes resets. Wayne Barnes knows this is the last play of the game

:07:03. > :07:06.and he's going to have to be very sure of who is or isn't taking it

:07:07. > :07:17.down if he is going to award penalties. Find your side, good.

:07:18. > :07:24.It's not long that a proper play for 80 minutes but Evans and Owens have

:07:25. > :07:34.gone the full distance -- that a prop will play for 80 minutes.

:07:35. > :07:42.Are you injured? Are you injured? Are you injured? Are you OK, fine.

:07:43. > :07:51.He's not injured. He's just telling me he's not injured. Can only watch

:07:52. > :08:18.from the sidelines. Ten seconds left of normal time.

:08:19. > :08:21.This is France's chance. We have to pause yet again. We are into

:08:22. > :08:27.overtime but we shall have the scrum. I need this higher and I need

:08:28. > :08:34.the space. I need you higher and I need the space. Higher is good for

:08:35. > :08:58.Wales. It depends whether the French get any momentum. Once a side gets

:08:59. > :09:08.going forward. It's one of those. That's just an amazing coincidence!

:09:09. > :09:17.One second. Do you think you need to head assessment. As a doctor you say

:09:18. > :09:23.they need a head assessment? It depends how cynical you are. The

:09:24. > :09:30.doctor of the French team has told me... You fear the worst. But the

:09:31. > :09:45.doctor actually said he needs an assessment. Far be it from me to say

:09:46. > :09:50.that is cheating. He is not even staying to have a look, he has to be

:09:51. > :09:55.assessed so down the tunnel he goes. The only person not really

:09:56. > :09:58.interested in what happens here. The final play of the game, final play

:09:59. > :10:07.of the campaign for France and Wales.

:10:08. > :10:12.All comes the French drive. Picamoles can get the pass away.

:10:13. > :10:46.Wales swoop. Picamoles. Driven back. no way through. Ken Owens gets a

:10:47. > :11:03.hand over the ball. Dupont. Short again. The ball delivered to Dupont.

:11:04. > :11:13.Dupont France so close to the line and still not over. It's a penalty

:11:14. > :11:22.advantage for France. The ball is going to be held up there, but

:11:23. > :11:28.France will have the penalty. Yellow card it's going to be, it's not the

:11:29. > :11:41.final play. Who is going to be sent to the sin-bin? Samson Lee by the

:11:42. > :11:44.looks of it. Wales will half to bring on, France go for the

:11:45. > :11:53.scrummage option and Wales will have to bring on a front row forward. On

:11:54. > :12:01.the game goes. This tremendous goal-line stand. Uncontested

:12:02. > :12:07.scrummage. If they do not have a suitable replacement. Tomas Francis

:12:08. > :12:34.is getting ready. Samson Lee in the bin. Send on a hooker, uncontested

:12:35. > :12:44.scrum do you think? The French will not like it but they found a way to

:12:45. > :13:05.bring Slimani on so they cannot complain. Was he injured or was he

:13:06. > :13:11.replaced? Start limping. I think he was replaced that he might need a

:13:12. > :13:19.head injury assessment. Could give him a clip round the ear. He is not

:13:20. > :13:30.happy at all. That looks like a very injured Tomas Francis, Wales will

:13:31. > :13:43.say. They are making him come back on. Scrum, you need to bring three

:13:44. > :13:47.back on. Tomas Francis is having a word with Robin McBride. Who's

:13:48. > :13:54.having a word with Scott Baldwin who's having a little practice at

:13:55. > :14:07.the scrummage. The Welsh forwards coach. You have to have a suitable

:14:08. > :14:12.replacement. But if a man has been substituted as opposed to take an

:14:13. > :14:20.offer for injury then Wayne Barnes is right, he has got to come back

:14:21. > :14:25.on. But we saw with Slimani... Tom Francis, specialist tight head prop

:14:26. > :14:36.is back in position, it will be a contested scrum. Wales now only have

:14:37. > :14:55.seven forwards. This is a bizarre end to the game. Who comes off?

:14:56. > :15:01.France are trying to make a change. A certain farcical element to the

:15:02. > :15:09.end of this game. This carries on much longer and the yellow card can

:15:10. > :15:22.come back on. Scott Baldwin... He is still bleeding. We are looking at

:15:23. > :15:32.the boards. Leigh Halfpenny... Is coming off. So Wales will have the

:15:33. > :15:41.full contingent of forwards, eight forwards on the field but one light

:15:42. > :15:45.in the three quarters line. So, France trailed by five, 15 Frenchmen

:15:46. > :15:54.against 14 Welshmen. What will happen now is he will do

:15:55. > :16:09.them for not straight. No you won't! Penalty against Wales. Too much

:16:10. > :16:25.weight. France obviously opt for the same

:16:26. > :16:34.scrummage they have already opted for.

:16:35. > :16:57.On we go. 87 minutes just about on the clock. Dupont feeds... The

:16:58. > :17:05.whistle goes again. Anyone who tells me that modern day scrums are fine I

:17:06. > :17:08.will just refer them to this. 87 minutes on the clock, this half has

:17:09. > :17:16.been going on for well over 50 minutes in real-time. Who wouldn't

:17:17. > :17:22.pay ?84 to watch this? Coming up to 88 minutes. The Welsh

:17:23. > :18:03.coach Rob Howley. Penalty to France quickly taken by

:18:04. > :18:48.Picamoles. Short. try which will draw them level.

:18:49. > :18:55.Going wide. Going wider. Cannot get through. The gone loose but it will

:18:56. > :18:58.be brought back for the penalty. That's a huge decision because if it

:18:59. > :19:19.had not happened Wales would have won the game by now. 89 minutes. The

:19:20. > :19:24.decision of Maestri is... Scrummage again. Let's hope this one doesn't

:19:25. > :19:42.take eight minutes. Evans in the last scrum did well

:19:43. > :19:52.against Slimani because he got an angle, Evans managed to hold him up.

:19:53. > :19:57.Have to do that again. Same position, a bit more room on the

:19:58. > :20:08.side which Sam Warburton has to cover. The posts in the background.

:20:09. > :20:16.They are all out left, no Welsh players on that side.

:20:17. > :20:27.Which means Wales potentially are two defenders down if France do

:20:28. > :20:33.decide to move the ball left. Off we go again. 90 minutes on the clock.

:20:34. > :20:46.Picamoles, France have to use it. They come left. Held. It's another

:20:47. > :20:58.penalty advantage for France. Dupont. Cannot get clear. France is

:20:59. > :21:12.still in possession. The hooker replacement, Chat. Balls gone loose.

:21:13. > :21:23.Feel free to still going. Still playing advantage I think. At what

:21:24. > :21:31.point does advantage end? Back we go. Back we go to the penalty. 91

:21:32. > :21:42.minutes on the clock. You have hardy few penalties. One more penalty and

:21:43. > :21:46.you might go down to 13 men. Wales want to stand up at the scrum, not

:21:47. > :21:58.engage, run the clock down and get the extra man back on. As part of

:21:59. > :22:06.the subplot, 30 seconds and counting down to the return of Samson Lee.

:22:07. > :22:16.And Leigh Halfpenny behind him. Meanwhile who would be a coach? Back

:22:17. > :22:29.to the full complement. Leigh Halfpenny 15, Samson Lee 18.

:22:30. > :22:40.Utterly bizarre. You're making it clear there has been a bite but we

:22:41. > :22:49.don't know where it is when it is. An allegation of a bite. Is Rob

:22:50. > :22:55.Evans the better man is just cramp? Is it cramp brought on by a bite?

:22:56. > :22:59.There has been an accusation of a bite. And there is clearly a mark.

:23:00. > :23:05.He said it's the last phase so we know where it might be, we are going

:23:06. > :23:11.to look at that on the TMO and if he has done it himself we will deal

:23:12. > :23:17.with that. If he has done it himself?! LAUGHTER

:23:18. > :23:26.That would just about sum up the day wouldn't it? Allegation of a bite by

:23:27. > :23:37.George North. The last but one breakdown. 93 minutes played and

:23:38. > :23:45.were going to have another stoppage. We have to look at the situation.

:23:46. > :23:55.Tackle made on the full-back and then he's been bitten. George North

:23:56. > :23:59.has made a tackle on the full-back, in the most bizarre circumstances,

:24:00. > :24:04.we are all looking for a bite. There is clearly a bite mark on his arm.

:24:05. > :24:10.Jonathan Davies has just written the word shambles down, which is fair I

:24:11. > :24:17.think. Best contribution of the day from you I think. Goodness me, 94

:24:18. > :24:32.minutes and we are looking for a bite. This may take some finding.

:24:33. > :24:39.Peter Fitzgibbon no doubt will be looking for the tackle.

:24:40. > :25:11.Not being shown on the replay. No conclusionive footage. Play on.

:25:12. > :26:05.Here we go again. France. Penalty advantage being played.

:26:06. > :26:23.Reset the scrummage. I didn't look at what the longest game ever was in

:26:24. > :26:39.my research. I didn't he'd be coming on in the

:26:40. > :26:44.97th minute of the game! Rob Evans is going. And we are going to stop,

:26:45. > :26:51.everybody. We are going to stop again.

:26:52. > :27:10.We have an issue with the fourth official.

:27:11. > :27:31.There is an issue or not... It appears there is not. Play on.

:27:32. > :27:44.Smith on for a scrummage in the 98th minute!

:27:45. > :27:56.. France go for the line. It's a penalty. Again, same thing. Although

:27:57. > :28:03.Wales were going backwards, the first player to come out of the

:28:04. > :28:08.scrum... That's two, next one goes.

:28:09. > :28:13.Presumably it will be a penalty try. But who are they going to decide to

:28:14. > :28:47.bin when the French mayer first went up, who is responsible for that?

:28:48. > :28:51.Off we go again. Dupont. More control. Same old thing. Down goes

:28:52. > :28:57.the scrum. Dupont held. Faletau back on his feet. Charteris

:28:58. > :29:10.tries to disrupt. It's another advantage. Dupont goes.

:29:11. > :29:40.Can't reach out for the line. Goes to the bin for kicking the ball

:29:41. > :29:45.on the floor... Biggar is going to go to the bin.

:29:46. > :29:50.Dan Biggar is heading for the bin in the 100th minute of the game. If

:29:51. > :30:01.France don't score... France over the line, they claim the try. And

:30:02. > :30:17.the try by Wayne Barnes is awarded and the scores are level.

:30:18. > :30:33.You'll not get a more controversial end to this game.

:30:34. > :30:43.We can go all the way back in what seems like a lifetime now to when

:30:44. > :30:59.France manufacturered a way to get their first choice back on.

:31:00. > :31:18.It goes through and France have won the game! It has been one of the

:31:19. > :31:25.longest games on record. It has been farcical towards the end. But, the

:31:26. > :31:31.upshot is that France have beaten Wales here at the Stade de France.

:31:32. > :31:36.France 20-18 Wales. It was a tremendous de-Februarysive

:31:37. > :31:42.effort from the Welsh at the end -- defensive effort. I still go back to

:31:43. > :31:50.the point to the very questionable substitution which allowed Slimani

:31:51. > :31:54.to come back on. And well, in the end, that was not satisfactory for

:31:55. > :32:04.anybody. The final score, France 20-18 Wales.

:32:05. > :32:07.So ends, the most remarkable game of rugby in the history of the

:32:08. > :32:13.international game. 79 minutes of not very much and then 21 minutes of

:32:14. > :32:18.almost one scrum and the most absurd drama really. In the end, France

:32:19. > :32:27.victorious. Tomas, what did you make of all that? Well, I think Wales

:32:28. > :32:33.deserved the win, you know. To be honest, Wayne Barnes, you know, his

:32:34. > :32:38.decisions, you know, very, very strange and I think the length after

:32:39. > :32:41.the game, you know, seven penalties to award, you know, there should

:32:42. > :32:46.have been a penalty try. I think that's not normal. Like you said,

:32:47. > :32:49.for 79 minutes, that was one of the most forgettable games you are

:32:50. > :32:55.likely to watch, but you will never forget the last 20. It was

:32:56. > :32:58.incredible. Wayne Barnes lost control, I have a lot of respect for

:32:59. > :33:04.him but he lost control in the last 20. There were players going off

:33:05. > :33:09.injured, sin-binned and it was a farce in the end. Conrad, Super

:33:10. > :33:14.Rugby, all the tries that you had down there, I'll tell you what, you

:33:15. > :33:24.can't beat a good scrum, especially when it lasts 20 minutes, I tell

:33:25. > :33:30.you. It was drama. It was a strange end to the Gateshead to be fair, if

:33:31. > :33:34.France won, I think they created more try-scoring opportunities. If

:33:35. > :33:39.France won, I would have said they were more disciplined. It was a

:33:40. > :33:41.strange game. Some great images here of Justin Tipuric. An extraordinary

:33:42. > :34:00.picture there of Dan Biggar alongside Trinh Duc there.

:34:01. > :34:05.Not sure how much Kate knows about the game but... In the spirit of the

:34:06. > :34:09.game, you would have to say, in case we don't have the chance to say it,

:34:10. > :34:14.how brave was that defensive performance by Wales? Fantastic.

:34:15. > :34:18.Let's hear from their captain. The most bizarre end to any Test

:34:19. > :34:21.match I think we have ever seen. You were obviously watching it from the

:34:22. > :34:28.sidelines, you'd gone off injured. Your perspective? Bit of amusement

:34:29. > :34:39.that I think we almost got 20100 minutes on the clock, minus time

:34:40. > :34:47.off. So it was interesting. Really interesting decision 90 minutes in,

:34:48. > :35:01.we felt with did enough. The repeated penalties almost gave them

:35:02. > :35:11.enough to get the win. Sean Edwards was app Plettic. They'll have to

:35:12. > :35:14.review that. How do you then reflect on the Championship for Wales

:35:15. > :35:19.because that's just two victories from five matches? I think

:35:20. > :35:23.irrelevance of what happened in the end, we feel we are a better team

:35:24. > :35:27.than that. Two from five isn't good enough. We felt we deserved more

:35:28. > :35:31.today but we are not going to use the last 20 minutes which was

:35:32. > :35:34.outside of the 80 minutes because we felt we done enough in the 80 to win

:35:35. > :35:38.the game today. Thank you for your time. So here is the table with one

:35:39. > :35:42.match left to play. It's playing anyway, but as you can see, France

:35:43. > :35:46.are in second place at the moment ahead of Scotland who beat Italy

:35:47. > :35:49.earlier on today. Sonia was straight in there with the question, did

:35:50. > :35:53.France cheat by bringing on a replacement prop when one of their

:35:54. > :35:57.front row forwards were supposedly having to have a head assessment

:35:58. > :36:02.injury. What do we think? Cheat is a strong word. There was a lot of

:36:03. > :36:06.gamesmanship going on. We could see Slimani from the commentary

:36:07. > :36:13.position, he was ready to go on three or four scrums before this. We

:36:14. > :36:17.all know concussion is a serious issue, but they played the rules,

:36:18. > :36:22.France. Before they did it, we speak with Martin and we said they should

:36:23. > :36:25.bring back Slimani and that's what they did. Let's bring it to light

:36:26. > :36:30.because it happened at a pivotal moment of the game, but this happens

:36:31. > :36:36.a lot. It happens, you know, at different times of the game and

:36:37. > :36:41.no-one's note else Ied it -- noticed it and maybe it's a good thing.

:36:42. > :36:47.Possibly the most bizarre thing is, you get a player yellow carded after

:36:48. > :36:51.80 minutes as he has to come back on because for ten minutes the game

:36:52. > :36:55.carried on. We were going to talk about the Lions and everything else

:36:56. > :37:01.for half an hour but we have no time left. I hope you have enjoyed it,

:37:02. > :37:06.you must come again! Thank you very much Tomas and Martin. Still an

:37:07. > :37:09.extraordinary atmosphere, barely anyone is leaving. There is still

:37:10. > :37:14.one match to go with England looking for a Grand Slam but that's the end

:37:15. > :37:18.of our live coverage of the Six Nations Championship and, as we

:37:19. > :37:21.proved today, there is absolutely nothing like it. Bye-bye.