After demolishing England with a performance that made him cry with joy, France coach Fabien Galthié wants his entertainers to finish the Six Nations in style with a home win against Wales on Saturday. Defending champions France even have an outside chance of keeping their title. But they must beat Wales at Stade de France and hope No. 1-ranked Ireland then slip up at home to an England side reeling from last weekend’s 53-10 hammering by Les Tricolores.

Former Wales full-back Lee Byrne says his former side face a “huge task” on Saturday as they head to defending champions France in the Six Nations. Les Bleus claimed a record 53-10 victory at Twickenham last weekend and can retain their trophy with a bonus-point win at the Stade de France if Ireland fail to claim a point against England in Dublin later in the day. Wales’ only victory of the tournament in coach Warren Gatland’s second spell came last weekend in Italy.

Wales assistant coach Alex King has compared France captain Antoine Dupont with New Zealand superstar Dan Carter in terms of the way he influences Test matches. Wales face France in Paris on Saturday, when a bonus-point victory for Les Bleus would maintain pressure on Guinness Six Nations leaders and title favourites Ireland. And Wales’ acute degree of difficulty has not been helped by full-back Liam Williams missing out due to a shoulder injury.

Dan Biggar insists Wales will be concentrating on getting their own house in order rather than putting too much emphasis on stopping individual players against firm favourites France on Friday night. The Northampton Saints playmaker will captain Wales at the Principality Stadium against a formidable France side who are chasing a Six Nations Grand Slam. France have some of the world best players in their ranks including current world player of the year Antoine Dupont.

Wayne Pivac has lavished praise on France captain and world player of the year Antoine Dupont ahead of Friday’s Guinness Six Nations clash. Victories over Wales and then England in Paris next week would see Dupont lead France to their first Six Nations title and Grand Slam since 2010. The Toulouse scrum-half is at the peak of his powers, and he presents a huge threat to Wales’ hopes of stopping France in their tracks.

By Haydn Evans Wales defence coach Gethin Jenkins is relatively new to the international coaching scene, having only been in the job 17 months. This weekend he’s tasked with stopping Grand Slam chasing France, and their golden generation of talent including Toulouse duo Antione Dupont and Romain Ntamack. In Wales’ game against Les Bleus in […]

By Graham Thomas Tomos Williams has warned Wales they will face an emergency if they only shout, “nine, nine, nine!” when they defend their lines against France on Friday night. The two most skilled scrum-halves in the Six Nations will go head-to-head in Cardiff when Williams faces French superstar Antoine Dupont. But even though Dupont […]

By Adam Cleary Ryan Wilkins has had to grow up quickly this season, so a Thursday night match in front of the cameras against Ebbw Vale should hold few fears. The 19-year-old centre went from the Indigo Welsh Premiership to trying to stop Antoine Dupont and Marcus Smith in the Heineken Cup and now he […]

It is half a century since Wales last won a Grand Slam on a foreign field. It was a day they overcame a France team that contained Pierre Villepreux. His influence will need overcoming again on Saturday, if Wales are to repeat their triumph in Paris, says Tomas Marks. For any player, to beat the opposition on their own turf has that added satisfaction. While Welsh supporters have been able to celebrate a number of Grand Slams in recent years, each of those final Six Nations games has been in Cardiff.

Gareth Davies has installed France scrum-half Antoine Dupont as the dangerman Wales must keep quiet this weekend in round three of the Guinness Six Nations. The Scarlets man went head-to-head with the 23-year-old rising Toulouse star in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup in Japan earlier in the season when Wales came out on top 20-19 in Oita. But Dupont has been in brilliant form in France’s opening two games in the 2020 Six Nations and has been branded by Davies as one of the most in-form players in the world. He has already racked up 138 running metres and made six offloads as Les Bleus have remained unbeaten.