Here we bring you the reaction from the Wales camp after another bruising Six Nations encounter.
Wayne Pivac
“It (the game-plan) very nearly worked. It was a frustrating one because the boys put in a lot of hard work.
“It was a tight Test and it came down to one score. They had one opportunity and got it. We worked hard to try and get across the line, there was no lack of effort.
“Everything the boys worked on in the last two weeks, we did pretty much everything we wanted to do out there other than winning the game. We felt we did enough but it wasn’t to be although certainly a massive step in the right direction.
“We’ll have a good look at how the boys have come through after a physical Test match. There’s a few boys sore in the changing room so we’ll see how we scrub up, it’s been a big seven weeks.”
Dan Biggar
“I thought we were the better team. We were playing probably the best team in the world at the moment and put them under huge amounts of pressure for long periods.
“Big Test matches like that probably hinge on one or two moments and we did not take ours, but France took theirs. It is difficult when you feel you have played games you should have won and come off second best.
“It’s pleasing the way we have played and we have put a good shift in and pushed the best team in the world at the moment to the edge and probably should have won. Ultimately they have got the win and we are the ones who are disappointed.
“It all depends on big moments. We had enough opportunities to win that game and get the job done.
“We were attacking against a very good defensive team and coach on the opposite side. But you saw real attacking intent the way we played the game [against England] at Twickenham.”
Kieran Hardy
“You can’t fault the effort that we spoke about all week. It was all there. Probably a little bit of frustration, knowing that we probably did enough to win the game without actually winning the game.
“We probably left a few chances out there, and against good sides, if you don’t take those chances you don’t win those games. We will dust ourselves off.
“A couple of our attack plays were to kick and really compete in the air. It felt like we would have dominance in that area. They are a team that like to kick a lot, so we thought we would have to stick in the battle, be patient, because hopefully they would crack first and that would give us opportunities.
“We will come in on Monday and roll our sleeves up. We know how good we can be, and I think next week is a real test for us to show our attacking strengths, try and score four tries and finish with a dominant performance.”
