It was back row man Alix Popham who ended a near three hour wait for the first championship try of the season when he peeled around the front of a line-out and crashed through two tackles to score. Better was to follow two minutes later as a neat chip by Stephen Jones was regathered by James Hook in the home 22 and he popped the ball up for his centre partner Tom Shanklin to run to the posts for another try. Jones added the conversion and Welsh fans were smiling at a 14-3 lead.
The French reaction was ferocious as hooker and skipper Raphael Ibanez roused his troops. It meant that Wales were restricted to a mere 35% possession in the first half and were forced to make fifty-seven tackles as the blue tide threatened to engulf them.
The boot of accomplished outside half David Skrela kept the French score ticking over – he ended with seven successful kicks from eight shots to bag nineteen points – but the balance swung France’s way when wing Christophe Dominici wriggled his way clear of four defenders to score his side’s first try.
Next over the Welsh line was giant lock Lionel Nallet and by half-time France had turned an eight point deficit into a nine point lead at 23-14. Skrela extended the lead with his fifth and sixth penalties but battling Wales dug deep and ended on a high with a third try from replacement Jamie Robinson six minutes from time.
It was the Welsh skipper who opened up the French defence with a half break and then Robinson turned Clement Pointrenaud inside out to race twenty-five metres to the line. Jones added the conversion to cut the gap to eight points, but Skrela’s replacement, Lionel Beauxis, ended the game with his side’s sixth penalty.
It was a vastly improved performance from the defeat against Scotland at Murrayfield two weeks earlier and will leave the Welsh camp confident they can go to Rome in a fortnight and chase that elusive victory against the cock-a-hoop Italians, who overpowered the Scots on Saturday.
