Wales Player Ratings v France - Six Nations
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France will go for Grand Slam glory next week after resisting a determined effort from Wales to snatch a huge 13-9 win in Cardiff.
Anthony Jelonch grabbed the only try as France edged a tense tussle in Cardiff against last season's Six Nations champions Wales.
Here is how we rated Wayne Pivac's charges.
15 Liam Williams - 5
William had minimal opportunities on the attack but was solid under the high ball. He put pressure on the French backfield from a surprise kick from Biggar in the 22 but unfortunately, nothing came out of it.
14 Alex Cuthbert - 6.5
Another strong performance from the winger, who was one of Wales' most threatening attackers. He gained over 40 running metres and beat two defenders. He may have been caught out defensively for France's try but had little support.
13 Owen Watkin - 6
Watkin worked well with Jonathan Davies as Wales shut down multiple French attacks originating from Gael Fickou and Jonathan Danty. Shifted the ball wide when it was on, but it seldom was.
12 Jonathan Davies - 7
Davies' knock on that denied Wales a potential try will be the focal point of his performance, but the experienced centre was vital in stifling the French attacks.
11 Josh Adams - 6
Adams got his hands on the ball on six occasions against, but France identified the threat he possesses and quickly wrapped him up as he made just 34 running metres the entire game. Good under the high ball and chased the up and unders too.
10 Dan Biggar - 7.5
The kind of game that Biggar thrives in. The Welsh captain kicked superbly out of hand as Wales looked to gain the territorial upper hand.
He executed a superb 50:22 in the first half, and his kicks to touch from penalties were on point.
A wonderful 50:22 from Dan Biggar #WALvFRA pic.twitter.com/LqKaLaypgD
— Jared Wright (@jaredwright17) March 11, 2022
One missed shot at goal puts a damper on his performance, but he was class, nonetheless putting Wales in the right areas to pressurise France.
9 Tomos Williams - N/A
He was forced off through injury in the opening 10 minutes.
1 Gareth Thomas - 5
Put under the pump at scrum time but an otherwise busy performance.
2 Ryan Elias - 6
Elias continues to grow in the starting hooker berth and produced a tidy shift in all departments.
3 Tomas Francis - 6
An excellent defensive and breakdown performance from Francis but France did put the Welshman under pressure at scrum time.
4 Will Rowlands - 7
Rowland put France's lineout under tremendous pressure nabbing two steals in the first half. Thundered into rucks and was abrasive throughout.
5 Adam Beard - 6
Beard had little success with the ball in hand, but his set-piece work was sharp, as too was his defensive effort.
6 Seb Davies - 7
Davies' selection on the side of the scrum was welcomed with some criticism, but he backed up Pivac's trust in him with solid performance.
He chased high kicks superbly to stop France's counterattack at the source while he was effective defensively and a threat with the ball in hand.
7 Josh Navidi - 7
Like Faletau in the last round of the competition, Navidi needed no time to settle in as he went straight back to business. He was strong on either side of the ball and provided a threat at the breakdown in an all-round solid outing.
8 Taulupe Faletau - 8
Tireless work rate, as usual, he thundered into contact and was on hand to clear out multiple rucks. A powerful ball-carrier throughout too.
He did concede a silly penalty before the hour mark for a neck roll but that was the old blemish on another excellent performance.
It was Faletau's pass in the second half, after a Biggar kick, that Davies could not safely gather, and that was as close as Wales came to a try.
