France player ratings vs Wales | 2025 Guinness Men's Six Nations

France player ratings: Fabien Galthie’s arrived in Cardiff as the only unbeaten side left in the Guinness Six Nations and left having put 54 points on Wales in their own backyard.

The contest was effectively done by half-time. France were ruthless early, inventive throughout and, even when the tempo dipped after the break, they kept the scoreboard moving in a 54-12 win.

Here’s how the French rated.

1. Jean-Baptiste Gros – 7
Had a mountain in front of him in Tomas Francis, Wales’ best scrummaging tighthead, but carried competently and got through his work. Solid rather than spectacular before being replaced on 50 minutes.

2. Julien Marchand – 7.5
Good and bad. His handling let him down on occasion, but he was the recipient of an easy try when the French maul marched over three minutes into the second half. Threw accurately for the most part and stayed busy.

3. Dorian Aldegheri – 7
A steady presence. Scrummaged well in the opening exchanges and even showed a few nice touches when found in possession. Quietly effective before making way.

4. Charles Ollivon – 8.5
His handling was just stunning at times, the 6ft 8in forward continually popped up in midfield as France repeatedly threatened to run riot. Set up the opening try after Antoine Dupont’s outrageous offload and deservedly crossed himself on 61 minutes after another wave of pressure.

5. Mickael Guillard – 8
Proved again how good a carrier he is and an athletic lock who adds value outside of the set-piece. Got through plenty of unseen graft and was part of a pack that bullied Wales for long stretches.

6. Francois Cros – 7
A little quieter than usual, which was hardly surprising given how much ball France had and how little Wales could string together. Provided a decent lineout option and did his defensive work diligently.

7. Oscar Jegou – 6.5
A bit of a disappointment in the context of such a one-sided affair, although he did little wrong overall. Had no chance of stopping 130kg of Rhys Carre when the Welsh prop rumbled over on 18 minutes.

8. Anthony Jelonch – 7.5
Tackled like a mutant French mountain goat protecting his herd. Relentless in contact and helped lay the platform for France’s early avalanche.

9. Antoine Dupont – 9
As one commentator put it, “Antoine Dupont is so back.” He was electric and pulled Wales apart single-handed at times. Kicked things off with a ridiculous offload inside two minutes to ignite the move for Emilien Gailleton’s opener. You might question the standard of the opposition, but Dupont was phenomenal in the first 40 before departing on 58 minutes with the damage done.

10. Matthieu Jalibert – 9
His crossfield kicking and vision tortured Wales. The early delivery for Louis Bielle-Biarrey was inch-perfect and he repeatedly asked questions of the backfield with grubbers and chips that forced panic decisions. Took his own try smartly just before the break after slicing through a fractured line and generally played with the sort of authority that kept France a step ahead all afternoon. A couple of shaky takes under the high ball, but in attacking terms he was close to flawless.

11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey – 8.5
Just a menace on the wing and set off alarm bells in the Welsh defence every time he touched it. Took Jalibert’s early crossfield routine and later sliced Wales open repeatedly. Put Attissogbe away with a perfectly timed infield pass after a break, fter Ramos threw the overlook pass in the build-up. A few missed tackles and errors mean he does not score higher, but he was superb.

12. Fabien Brau-Boirie – 8
Showed serious gas to score on debut after Bielle-Biarrey cut open the Welsh defence with France’s blood up. Juggled and knocked on a difficult pass from Dupont, but offered a real running threat in midfield.

13. Emilien Gailleton – 7.5
Scored France’s first try with barely two minutes on the clock after Ollivon’s pass, itself made possible by Dupont’s offload. Discipline was poor when he made an instinctive tackle while on the deck, but he was dangerous ball in hand and finished his chances clinically.

14. Theo Attissogbe – 8.5
Nearly dragged over on 10 minutes after some hot stepping only to be held up. Thought he had scored later before referee James Doleman pulled it back for offside from a Dupont kick. Picked off Adam Beard’s wild kick attempt to put Jalibert in under the sticks and then took his two tries well, one from slick passing and another from a pinpoint Jalibert crossfield. Nearly had a hat-trick but fumbled awkwardly over the line.

15. Thomas Ramos – 6.5
A quiet enough first half and his radar was not quite as metronomic as usual. Hooked an early conversion but slotted an outstanding touchline effort later on. Lost five turnovers in what was far from a vintage day, even if he still contributed key points.

Replacements

16. Maxime Lamothe – 6
Scrummaging was solid without being exceptional after coming on at the interval.

17. Rodrigue Neti – 6.5
Part of a replacement front row that did a mediocre job as Wales found a bit more traction in the second half. Nearly scored but was a little short.

18. Regis Montagne – 5.5
Worked hard but the scrum battle was probably one of the few areas when Wales had a late upper hand.

19. Thibaud Flament – 6.5
Did not set the world alight in a quiet cameo on his return from injury.

20. Emmanuel Meafou – NA
Thundering into collisions was a frightful sight for tired Welsh defenders, but he had to go off after just 12 minutes.

21. Lenni Nouchi – 7
Showed he can bang with the best of them, putting in some big shots on some increasingly weary Welsh bodies.

22. Baptiste Serin – 7.5
Did a fine job after replacing Dupont and had a hand in several of France’s latter attacking plays, including sharp breaks that kept Wales scrambling.

23. Noah Nene – NA
Not on long enough to rate, though he did take his chance well when presented with a gap late on.