Centre Shannon Izar and winger Marion Lievre both raced over in the dying stages to put a flattering gloss on the final score-line for the victors but ultimately Wales were guilty of coughing up too much possession in the second half and powder-puff tackling didn’t aid their cause either.
Wales were still in the hunt at the break, restricting France to just a 3-0 lead courtesy of a Sandrine Agricole penalty.
The huge French pack was kept in check for most of the first half with Wales’ defence clearly rattling the visitors. With the elements in Wales’ favour in the second spell Rachel Taylor’s side would have fancied their chances of an upset but basic errors and poor handling contributed to a frustrating conclusion for the home fans.
A failure to deal with a missed penalty attempt gifted France their first try five minutes into the second half through Safi N’Diaye. Agricole’s conversion made it 10-0 but despite having the wind behind them, Wales struggled to get out of their own half.
Agricole scored France’s second try in the 63rd minute which seemed to knock the stuffing out of Wales.
France’s big pack then turned the screw, powering into the Welsh defence. The Welsh rear guard soaked up the pressure but a devastating late salvo from Izar and Lievre left defenders clutching thin air as Les Bleus secured a convincing win in the end.
Wales head coach Rhys Edwards pointed to France’s early try in the second half as the key turning point of the game.
“We thought that if we were in the game at halftime we could kick on and win it. We thought that with the wind behind them in the first half the score would have been bigger than 3-0 so we were really positive coming out for the second half,” he said.
“We knew the opening five minutes would be key. Even at 10-0 down we were the dominant team – the message was quite simple, get out of our half and keep pressure on them but they got an opportunity and scored another try.
“The last five minutes isn’t acceptable at this level. A good team punishes you. We pride ourselves on our defence, at times we are probably better without the ball, but the last six or seven minutes isn’t acceptable. Certain players let themselves down in terms of what they did – it’s important we understand that a collective effort is important in defence.”
