Wales player ratings - vs France
Wales produced a stunning comeback to kick-off the 2019 Six Nations with a 24-19 defeat of France in Paris that stretches their unbeaten run to 10 games.
As rain lashed down on the Stade de France, the hosts coped better with the inclement conditions and raced into a deserved 16-0 half-time lead as Wales paid for simple errors.
However, Les Bleus were quickly pegged back in the second period and thanks in part to the hospitality of their hosts, Wales scored three second-half tries – through Tomos Williams and George North (2) – to secure the biggest fight back in Championship history.
Here’s how the Wales players rated on a historic night in Paris.
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Liam Williams – 7
Was the one bright spark for Wales during a torrid first half. Knocked on as he tried to slide in to score in the 18th minute and probably should have given the pass to Jonathan Davies on his shoulder, who would have cantered over. But was a constant threat with ball in hand until he was forced from the field with a bloody head in the final quarter.
George North – 7
Showcased his ability to sniff out a try as he poached two five-pointers. For his first he chased what appeared a lost cause as Hadleigh Parkes hacked forward, only to see Yoann Huget spill the ball on the line. His second, scored as he picked off an ambitious Sébastien Vahaamahina pass, secured victory. Earlier, as Wales toiled he had been sucked in as Huget scored for France.
Jonathan Davies – 6
Struggled to deal with the conditions and a buoyant French team in the opening 40 minutes. Gave away a reckless penalty for tackling Morgan Parra at the breakdown. But improved markedly after the break, and it was his break that set Wales on the attack that ended with Ross Moriarty’s disallowed try. It was his turnover in stoppage time that ultimately rubber-stamped Wales’ victory.
Hadleigh Parkes – 5
Not his finest evening in a Wales shirt but the centre did provide the kick through that bamboozled Huget and allowed North to score his side’s second try. Like most of his teammates, Parkes improved after half-time and contributed a couple of solid runs with ball in hand, and six tackles without it.
Josh Adams – 7
Gave away an 11th-minute penalty as he desperately tried to help North regain possession but succeeded only in entering from the side. Embodied the improved Wales performance after the break, setting the tone for what was to come with a solid kick-off return. Capitalised on sloppy French defending around the breakdown less than seven minutes later to set up Tomos Williams’ try and kickstart the Welsh comeback.
Gareth Anscombe – 4
Never got to grips with the conditions in Paris. Anscombe set the tone for a shaky performance less than five minutes in as he fizzed a pass to Parkes that the centre could not handle. Caught out of position as Louis Picamoles scored France’s first try, missed two first-half penalties and his decision to keep the ball in play with a free kick at the end of the opening period was punished by Camille Lopez’s drop-goal. Was replaced by Dan Biggar early in the second half but returned to see out victory at full-back.
Tomos Williams – 5
A loose early box-kick was symptomatic of an underwhelming first-half performance as he struggled to keep Wales on the front foot. Williams did not let his head drop, though, and produced a stunning support line to score his side’s opening try. Was replaced by Gareth Davies shortly after North had pounced for the second.
Rob Evans – 6
Was guilty of one of Wales’ nine first-half handling errors but was more than a match for France’s beefy pack. The expected onslaught did not materialise and the Scarlets prop put in a decent shift, which included six tackles, before he was replaced with less than 10 minutes to go.
Ken Owens – 5
Looked up for the contest as he belted out Land Of My Fathers but whether it was the occasion or conditions that got to him, Owens did not enjoy a vintage performance. Failed to connect with two first-half lineouts that robbed Wales of precious momentum and was guilty of a handling error. However, he did contribute 11 tackles and was part of a solid scrummaging effort.
Tomas Francis – 5
Was predicted to be in for a busy night but helped to win an early scrum penalty as Jefferson Poirot was found guilty of collapsing the set-piece. Made six tackles before being replaced by Samson Lee.
Adam Beard – 5
Did not have the impact that he had during the November internationals but took another step towards becoming a dependable regular at this level, nonetheless. Made a nuisance of himself just before half-time to help halt a French maul that was rumbling towards the Welsh line.
Alun Wyn Jones – 6
Was uncharacteristically subdued for large spells of this contest yet still managed to get through his share of defensive work – making 13 tackles in all. Was perhaps unfairly judged to have obstructed Picamoles in the build-up to Moriarty’s disallowed try but then did brilliantly to help hold up the French number eight and force a free-kick five minutes later.
Josh Navidi – 7
Defensively Navidi was Wales’ standout player in the first-half. It was the Cardiff Blues flanker who won the turnover to start the move that ended with Liam Williams knocking-on over the line, contributing a carry along the way. Caught the handling bug but linked with Alun Wyn Jones in the second half to force a crucial free kick from Picamoles.
Justin Tipuric – 8
Played a part in the defensive effort – alongside Beard – to halt the French maul at the end of the first half. In the second he highlighted his importance to Gatland’s side, chasing lost causes, getting a hand to Lopez’s attempted drop-goal, putting pressure on the French lineout and harrying Les Bleus’ attack. Finished the game with 19 tackles – c’est magnifique.
Ross Moriarty – 7
Considering he had not played since December 15 because of concussion this was an epic performance from the Dragons back-row. Moriarty put his body on the line for his side, finishing the game with 17 tackles and should perhaps have had a five-pointer to celebrate too had that marginal call not gone against him.
Replacements
Elliot Dee – 5
Came on with just over seven minutes to play. Did help seal a late scrum penalty but then was unable to locate a red shirt with the resulting lineout.
Wyn Jones – 5
Like Dee, arrived late and did nothing wrong without affecting the game. Did help seal a late scrum penalty.
Samson Lee – 6
Came on for Francis midway through the second-half. Was part of the front-row that got turned and conceded a penalty that Lopez converted. Was a colossus in defence, making 10 tackles.
Cory Hill – 6
Replaced Beard early in the second half and put his body on the line, making 10 tackles.
Aaron Wainwright – N/A
Came on for the last two minutes and with his first involvement helped to turn France over on the Welsh 22.
Gareth Davies – 5
Initially calmed Wales with his assuredness but as the second half wore on his rustiness showed. Was intercepted by Ntamack and knocked on as the Welsh pack went backwards late on.
Dan Biggar – 7
Brought a calmness to the Wales attack after the arrears had been cut to two points. Carried well in the move that ended in Moriarty’s disallowed try. Kicked the two opportunities he had from the tee and his only blemish was the penalty he gave away when caught in possession by Felix Lambey.
Owen Watkin – N/A
Came on with around three minutes to go. Not enough time to make an impression.
Comments on RugbyPass
I certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
2 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to commentsSimple reason for wanting him back. Robertson wants him as captain. Otherwise he wouldn’t be bothering chasing him. Not enough reason to come back just to mentor.
10 Go to commentsI had not considered this topic like this at all, brilliant read. I had been looking at his record at the Waratahs and thought it odd the Crusaders appointed him, then couple that with all that experience and talent departing and boom. They’ve got some great talent developing though, and in all honesty I don’t think anyone would be over confident taking them on in a playoff match, no matter how poor the first half of their season was. I think they can pull a game out of their ass when it counts.
2 Go to commentsNot a bad list but not Porecki and not Donaldson. Not because they are Tahs, or Ex Tahs, they are just not good enough. Edmed should be ahead. Far more potential. Wilson should be 8 and Valentini 6. Wilson needs to be told by his father and his coach, stop bloody running in to brick wall defence. You’re not playing under the genius Thorn any more. He’s a fantastic angle runner. The young new 8 from the Brumbies looks really good too. The Lonegrans are just too small for international rugby as is Paisami, as is Hamish Stewart at 12. Both great at Super Rugby level. Stewart could have been a great 10 if not for Brad Thorn. Uru should be there and so should Tupou. Tupou just needs good Australian coaching which he hasn’t been getting. I don’t think Schmidt will excite him.
3 Go to commentsIf he wants to come back then he should. He will be a major asset to the younger locks and could easily be played as an impact player off the bench coming on in the last 30. He is fit, strong and capable and has all the experience to make up for any loss in physical prowess. He could also be brought back with a view to coaching within the structures one day. Duane Vermeulen played until he was 37 or 38. He is now a roaming coach within the South African coaching structures. He was valuable in the last world cup and has been a major influence on Jasper Wiese and other young players which has helped and accelerated their development and growth. Whitelock could do the exact same thing for NZ
10 Go to commentsBrett Excellent words… finally someone (other than DC) has noted that Hanigan is very hard and very good at doing what Backrow should do… his performance via the Drua sauna was quite daunting for those on the other side… very high tackle count… carries with good end result… constant threat to make a good 20-25 meters with those long legs… providing his mass effectively to crunching the Drua pack… Finally he is returning to quality form… way to much injury time over the last 2 years… smart-strong-competent in his skills… caught every lineout throw aimed at him and delivered clean pass to whoever was down below… and he worked hard for the whole 80 minutes… Ned has to be in the top 5 for backrow honors… He knows what is required as he has been there before…
20 Go to commentsI think Sam Whitelock should not touch a return with a bargepole. He went out on a high, playing in the RWC Final. He would be coming back into a team that will be weaker than last years, and might even be struggling to win games, especially against the Boks. Stay in France, enjoy another year with Pau, playing alongside his brother.
10 Go to commentsRyan Coxon has been very impressive considering he was signed by WF as injury cover whilst Uru has been a standout for QR, surprised neither of those mentioned
3 Go to comments