'Wales will win the battle of the anthems but that may be about it'

Former England fly-half Andy Goode isn’t given Wales a chance in hell of beating France, describing Fabien Galthie’s Les Bleus as ‘frightening’.

Steve Tandy’s Wales head into tomorrow’s clash in Cardiff with few, if any, pundits giving the men red a realistic chance of upsetting the French juggernaut. Indeed, the home side has been unable to sell out the stadium, a rare sight for a Guinness Six Nations game against a box-office French side.

“What France produced last weekend was frightening,” Goode told Premier Sports this week. “When you compare where the two teams were, Wales are facing a massive uphill battle. France looked ridiculous last weekend – their ball movement, the speed they get the ball out of the tackle, the offloads from forwards and the variety they played with was incredible.

“They’ve only made a couple of changes, but that speaks volumes about their depth. When you look at the bench and the players they can bring on, it’s hard to see where the weaknesses are.”

Goode reckons France’s midfield won’t offer Wales much hope, despite injuries to a few stars: “The two French centres have been tearing up trees in their league, it’ll be really interesting to see how their new midfield combination goes. Fabien Brau-Boirie has beaten more defenders than any other centre in the Top 14 over the last year.

“For Wales, the reality is how close they can stay in the contest. They’ve got to be hyper-alert, in position and watch for France’s ball movement. You need your work rate to go through the roof and be as physical as you can. France will create magic – they’ve got that in them, that’s not going to change.”

“Steve Tandy has gone for a bit more bulk in his Wales team; Tomas Francis, Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell at eight and Joe Hawkins is big lump at 12 as well.”

“Wales will have some good attacking shape. Wainwright will work hard in the back row, Cracknell’s a proper old school number eight and he’ll go and try to get metres after contact and big ball carries.”

Goode also had a word for beleagued Welsh fans, who have had little to cheer about over the course of the three years.

“When people are paying good money to watch their international team, the minimum requirement is heart and fight. Fans understand the challenge, but they want to see players empty the tank, work hard for each other and show pride in the jersey.

“Most Welsh supporters will probably turn up knowing the odds are stacked against them. The team needs to show the Welsh public that they care.

“Wales will win the battle of the anthems – but that may be about it sadly.”

Premier Sports is broadcasting one live match per round of the 2026 Guinness Men’s Six Nations, alongside a rugby portfolio of more than 400 live fixtures per season, including the Investec Champions Cup, EPCR Challenge Cup, United Rugby Championship, Top 14, Japan League One and Major League Rugby in the USA.