There is always something new in sport, a moment that brings surprise.
It came around the hour mark in Cardiff when Theo Attissogbe crossed for his second try and France’s seventh.
The French fans - who had contented themselves by silencing home supporters with various renditions of "La Marseillaise” - began bouncing up and down and waving their Tricolores in unison.
It was only then that the true size of this French takeover, both on and off the field, became apparent - thousands of French voices in places once occupied by home fans, locals who used to sell their cars and their grannies just in order to be there.
But that was then and this is now.
Some things still have ability to shock, even when the descent has been as relentelss as that which Wales have plunged head-first into.
The attendance of 57,744 was the lowest ever for a Six Nations crowd in Cardiff, undercutting the 58,349 against Italy in 2002.
The final scoreline of 54-12 was France's biggest ever score against Wales, surpassing the 51 they scored at Wembley in 1998.
The eight tries scored by France was the most they have scored against Wales and maybe there was another unwanted record.
The try conceded by Wales just before half-time, was surely the worst any Wales team have ever conceded - a senseless and inaccurate kick by Adam Beard after an impressive turnover, rebounding off a Frenchman and enabling Matthieu Jalibert to race clear to the line.
Wales did not need to give France any gifts, but they gave plenty, all the same.
Not the same kind of presents they gave to England at Twickenham last week - penalties and yellow cards - but missed tackles, glaring gaps between their back line defenders that blue shirts poured through, and a kicking strategy that was rigidly adhered to.
Someone must have told Wales that Louis Bielle-Biarrey was weak under the high ball.
The world’s most dangerous wing may well be if the kick and tackle were timed to coincide. But if the kicks are loose - and they were - then Bielle-Biarrey has the ability to simply gather and counter-attack, which he did time after time.
Was this better or worse than last week? A step forward or a step back?
Any time a home teams concedes eight tries and scores only two has to be tending towards humiliation, rather than celebration.
Wales coach Steve Tandy was remarkably upbeat after the match, insisting he had seen big strides from a week before.
It felt rather like someone claiming this week’s car crash was less damaging than last week’s. But they were both car crashes, all the same.
It would be wrong to pin too much of the blame at Tandy’s door since he walked into a real-time car-crash where the vehicle had already left the road by the time he seized the wheel.
But to talk optimistically about progress and improvement sounds like grasping at straws, when the the gulf between the teams was so enormous.
Wales have conceded 42 tries in six matches and they are so easy to score against that good teams - and France are pretty good - can pick and choose when to score them.
If conceding eight tries and a half century of points in front of your own fans is a reason for satisfaction, then the only conclusion to draw is that Tandy feared the scoreline would be far worse.
The truth was that France won without ever really getting out of third gear.
Les Bleus comfortably secured a second bonus-point success, propelling them back to the summit of the standings, while Wales slumped to a 13th consecutive Championship defeat.
Emilien Gailleton, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Matthieu Jalibert, Julien Marchand, Theo Attissogbe (twice) and Charles Ollivon all crossed the whitewash as France turned a competitive Test into a dazzling showcase of attacking flair.
Thomas Ramos slotted seven conversions.
Under Tandy, Wales have now conceded 40 points or more in five of six matches, with Rhys Carre and Mason Grady offering scant consolation for the under-pressure hosts.
Having already leaked 34 tries and 248 points during Tandy’s tenure, Wales’ fragile defence was exposed within 90 seconds. Antoine Dupont produced a sublime no-look pass to send Attissogbe and Ollivon surging forward, with Gailleton finishing the move.
Dupont, relatively subdued in the opening win over Ireland, pulled the strings here alongside the impressive Jalibert. When Wales’ defence narrowed, Jalibert delivered a perfectly weighted kick that picked out Bielle-Biarrey for his 23rd try in 24 internationals.
The hosts were left reeling, and Jalibert sliced through once more before offloading for Pau centre Brau-Boirie to claim a try on debut.
Home supporters had endured little to cheer, but Wales finally pieced together a response, moving the ball fluently through multiple phases before Carre powered over from close quarters, with Dan Edwards adding the extras.
France secured the bonus point just before half-time as Jalibert capitalised on Adam Beard’s misjudged clearance to sprint in untouched.
The onslaught continued after the interval. France shifted gears with their forward might, and Marchand marked his 50th Les Bleus appearance by burrowing over amid a heap of blue jerseys.
Bielle-Biarrey then kept play alive tight to the touchline, enabling Attissogbe to appear on the opposite flank and dart across. The Pau speedster struck again soon after, gathering Jalibert’s deft kick to the corner, before Ollivon applied the finishing touch from close range in trademark fashion.
Wales had the final say when replacement Grady crossed late on, but it did little to soften another chastening afternoon.
