Wales used to find it hard to win in Paris and didn’t manage it for 24 years after 1975. But Dai Sport columnist Phil Bennett believes they will claim a third successive victory there on Saturday.
I’m backing Wales to beat France in Paris on Saturday and for a number of players to book their places on the Lions tour.
That’s not to say I think it is going to be in any way an easy victory for Rob Howley’s side. It won’t be. My guess would be a narrow win by the odd score, but I just feel this Wales team has re-discovered its hard edge.
What it hasn’t uncovered – at least not as much as we all wanted – is an attacking fluency. Wales had to work hard for their tries against Ireland and keeping hold of the ball never seemed to make tries look any more likely.
But France still don’t offer much more than power and brute strength. They are better organised than they have been for a number of years, but Wales are well-versed in coping with head-on power – as they showed against the Irish – even if more vulnerable to a bit of creativity opening them wide out, as Scotland proved.
Years ago, you might have worried that Paris in the springtime was a signal for France to throw the ball around and find space. But they don’t appear capable of that these days.
They run straight lines and bludgeon teams, rather than cut them. Wales will cope with that and the belief they gained from stopping Ireland in their tracks means they won’t fear France.
I think there are a number of Welsh players who are already very close to Lions selection – Ken Owens, Alun Wyn Jones, Sam Warburton, Rhys Webb, George North and Liam Williams.
But there are others who can swing their cause for inclusion by producing a big performance. In that category, I would place Justin Tipuric, Dan Biggar, Jonathan Davies and Taulupe Faletau.
As Faletau is starting on the bench, his task is all the harder. It seems almost incredible to think that a player who probably began the season as the shortest odds in the squad for Lions selection now needs something special in a cameo role off the bench.
He will also be up against Louis Picamoles, a really forceful presence who has caused problems against every other side in the tournament. You have to fear that Faletau’s absence from the starting line-up could cost him his Lions place.
I was pleased that Howley named his team early for this match. It showed a certain bravado which was more than just confidence.
It was a coded message to the opposition that Wales are ready for them – and have been ready since midweek.
It also sends a message to his own players that he respects their efforts in beating Ireland and he’s going to reward them by showing loyalty.
In return, those same players will feel they owe something to their head coach for the faith he has placed in them.
France have a truly massive pack and guys like Sébastien Vahaamahina are hugely powerful. It’s going to be another day of bruises and bumps for those trying to stop them.
But France have not managed to cut loose in this tournament against anyone except Italy and I’m not expecting them to have suddenly added to their repertoire.
There is a lot riding on this for Wales, more than for France, maybe.
For the individuals, there are those Lions opportunities, whilst the team can finish second in the Championship if England take the Grand Slam in Dublin.
Their world ranking – which seems to go up and down like stocks and shares these days – could be as high as four by the weekend, too, so the result is significant.
The Wales team of the 1970s only won twice in Paris in a decade known as the golden era. For this Wales team to win three times in as many visits would be an outstanding achievement.
