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did you know bastareud is gallas's cousin

good blog Tom, and your right, the result was fair.
Did the match live up to your expectations? and do you feel it was worth the staggering 430 Km bike ride to witness?
I wasn't so sure, not as thrilling an encounter as the last few times the two teams have met at the Stade de France.

Too many individual errors cost Wales the win but all credit to France, the best team on the night won.

Both Roberts and Powell I thought looked out of their depth and short of ideas, why did it take so long to bring on Henson?

The forwards werent their usual commanding selves whereas the french pack looked almighty.

Its anyones guess as to who will win this year especially if England pull off a win in Ireland...

You are wrong to say that this was Wales's worst performance and France's best since the world cup.

That is typical of a journalist.

Actually, the performance of both teams was equal to previous efforts in this championship; France against Ireland (were Ireland were a little better - AT HOME) and Wales against England (were Wales were a little better - AT HOME).

This was a close contest won at the break down - a great game with the better team (on the night) winning. Home advantage carried the day as it often does in the 6 nations.

Tom, Tom, Tom, you do truly sound as though you have needed a good excuse to write some scathing comments about Welsh Rugby, but dared not write it until now. It was a ferocious game, played at very high intensity for 80 minutes. Neither team denied their task, and the score line was marginal - all through the match it could have gone either way. But, you want to be a sensationalist, and it's poor. For you not to recognise a great game of rugby, it's a shame. The French were great, after all, they are the only northern hemisphere team to have the highest success rate against southern hemisphere. So for the French, they performed, Wales fought, and the French won. It wasn't a clear verdict. Your column, was a dissapointing reflection on some exhilirating rugby. I took part in many of the French and Welsh blogs posts during the match, and your viewpoint is way off. It sounds as though the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ should really decide on very-very one sided opinions, and get journalists who really know and appreciate sport.

#5 - Call your mates if you want to feel good about how your team lost. The article is a fair reflection of the game. Don't forget that the press everywhere widely condemned the team selected by France, some going so far as to suggest that they were making a mockery of the value of the 6 nations, yet that same team put up a performance that was equal to, and above, that of the reigning Champions. Both teams did fight valiantly and the result was always in question. But the truth is that Wales were wasteful in situations that they previously would not have been and that France were spurred on to greater heights playing at home. Wales are a great team, but can do better than they did. Ireland beating England tonight sets up a cracker match in the last round. This is what it is all about.

#6 - You obviously not qualified to be a counsellor, and didn't watch the match. If you did, ask your mates at which interval your were awake or not talking.

Sorry. My bad. Further consultation with my mates has confirmed that I was asleep at the same time as the ref when he failed to send off Shanklin for a blatant dangerous tackle (before Shanklin then started the movement for the Wales try), and I also napped during the missed kicks that should have given France more advantage. I was apparently also wrong in that Wales didn't make basic handling errors that they normally wouldn’t or conceed silly penalties in great attacking positions at the death. I must have dreamt all of that. This is not the Wales we know.
Was the game ferocious? Yes. You are right. Did either team deny their task? No. Again, you are correct. My only point is that Wales can, and should have, done better. This was a highly maligned French squad. Too many basic errors may well have cost Wales the match, but they are a good enough team to regroup and challenge for the title. It will be great to watch.

Anyone notice that Wales didn't start the game shakily? They made mistakes but on Friday that had nothing to do with Wales playing badly, they were smashed to pieces in the collision. S Williams dropped a high ball = silly mistake. Wrong, he never committed to the catch instead of stepping forward, catching the ball and seeking to counter, he backed away, trying to catch the ball with his finger tips, with no idea of what he was going to do with the ball - that was down to the fact that he expected to be smashed by the chasers.

Wales lost the breakdown repeatedly (not turnovers but quick v slow ball) and their big men were being shredded. That causes infringements, not Wales playing badly.

#9 - The French did batter away at the Welsh defenses, throughout the game, they [the French] were extremely keen and passionate. That was obvious. As for the Welsh being 'smashed to pieces' - can't agree there. In the past throughout the 90's and early 2000, I certainly would have expected the Welsh teams to have folded under such pressure. But at this intensity they were strong, but, the French deserved their win.

"French were great, after all, they are the only northern hemisphere team to have the highest success rate against southern hemisphere."

Number 5 - what does that mean? You're not suggesting two teams can BOTH have the highest success rate against the southern hemisphere team, as that wouldn't be possible?

Hi Tom

'I was there' as Max Boyce used to say. I feel that your report was reasonable, but the atmosphere was absolutely electric. the French in their warm-up looked fresher and more up for it. I Don't know why, perhaps it is just home advantage, but the French crowd were irrepressible in their support at each tackle and line break. In the first half I felt that the game was there for the winning as we had soaked up the pressure and were going to regroup at half time, but the French try was scored and they never looked back. My only relief was that we hadn't really started to play our game yet and they were not getting too far ahead, but sometimes things just don't go your way and France deserved the win. My French friends reckoned that they have never experienced such an atmosphere at the ground, not even during the recent world cup and a triple crown and the championship is still up for grabs when you take into account the way that Ireland and England played today. England can beat france and Scotland at home have been known to upset the Irish. A triple crown and Championship in your second year of management is still not bad.

Great article Tom, being a very passionate Welsh fan I was gutted with the result, but I still think it was a good game.

France were really up for it, the contact area was brutal, it would have been interesting I think if Babi had stayed on, as I would have liked to see our ball carriers taking it to him, and he did make some errros too at the beginning.

It'll be interesting to see how many changes Gatland will make to the team for the Italian game, I'm guessing around 3 or 4.. with maybe Sowden Taylor coming in for Williams (Gatland has stated he wants to wrap him in cotton wool - who would want him playing against the Italian pack), Henson getting some game time, Mark Jones and maybe James Hook all coming in.

I also think that to have ball carriers like Roberts and Shanklin they would need someone like Hook at 10, where he can create more space, or even as Gatland wanted... 12 Henson 13 Roberts / Shanklin.

I still think Wales will win the championship though, but it will have to be a big score against the Italians in Rome.... and we don't like going there!!