Match Facts

France have won each of their last six Test matches against Wales after winning just one in nine against them previously (L8); only once before have Les Bleus recorded a longer winning streak against Wales in men’s Test rugby (W12 from 1983-1993).

Wales have won five of their 12 matches away to Les Bleus in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, no other side has won as often in France in the Championship; three of those five victories have come with either Warren Gatland (2) or his assistant Rob Howley (1) in charge of the team on the day.

The last time France and Wales met in the opening round of the Guinness Men’s Six Nations was in 2019, with Wales winning 24-19 before going on to complete the Grand Slam; since that match, France have gone on to win 21 of their 23 Test matches at the Stade de France (L2), including 10 of 11 in the Six Nations (L1).

Wales have lost their last 12 Test matches, their longest ever losing run in Test rugby; they have lost 12 of their last 13 matches in the Guinness Men’s Six Nations, including their last six in a row – they haven’t lost seven on the bounce in the Championship since 2002-2003 (L7).

France conceded just 37 penalties in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, fewer than any other side, however, they were the only team to be shown a red card, receiving two in total; Wales, meanwhile, were shown just one yellow card, the fewest of any nation.

France averaged the most kicking metres (910) per game of any men’s Tier 1 side to in 2024 and successfully executed four 50/22 kicks last year, the joint-most of any such team, alongside Wales and England.

France gained both the most maul metres per game (19) and the most metres per maul (3.6) of any men’s Tier 1 side in 2024, however they failed to score a single try from a maul scenario, Italy being the only other side from the Six Nations to not score a try in this fashion last year (Scotland 6, Ireland 5, England and Wales both 3).

France’s Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a try in each of his three Autumn Nations Series matches for Les Bleus (4 in total) while no player made more line breaks than him in the series (8, level with Tom Wright); the Union Bordeaux-Bègles winger has scored 16 tries for club and country overall in 2024/25, the most of any Six Nations player.

Antoine Dupont (France) is set to play his first Guinness Men’s Six Nations game since facing Wales on the final day of the 2023 Championship, having missed last year’s edition due to his participation in the SVNS series; since the start of 2020, Dupont has beaten more defenders (101), made more line breaks (16), and assisted more tries (29) than any other men’s Tier 1 scrum-half.

Wales’ Tommy Reffell won 11 turnovers in the 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, five more than any other player; in fact, it was the joint-most by any player in a single edition of the Championship, alongside John Barclay, who won 11 turnovers for Scotland in 2011.