Wales head coach Wayne Pivac says he was left “numb” after his side were denied a Grand Slam as France snatched victory in one of the most exciting Six Nations climaxes in history. With 10 minutes remaining in Paris, Wales were leading by 10 points with France reduced to 14 men, but then they had two players sin-binned and were pegged back by a Charles Ollivon try. Brice Dulin then scored another try in stoppage time to secure an astonishing 32-30 win that leaves both teams still in the hunt for the title but with Welsh Grand Slam hopes gone.

Alun Wyn Jones admitted poor discipline cost Wales as they suffered last-gasp heartbreak in Paris and saw their Six Nations Grand Slam dreams end with a dramatic 32-30 defeat by France. Wayne Pivac’s side looked like they would seal a clean sweep after they scored tries through Dan Biggar, Josh Navidi and Josh Adams before France’s Paul Willemse was red carded. But in an astonishing finale at the Stade de France, Wales pair Taulupe Faletau and Liam Williams were both yellow carded and Brice Dulin’s try with the clock in the red zone won it for the hosts.

Andrew Martin . . .  Know the name? It’s not one that automatically springs to mind when discussing the success of Welsh rugby in recent times, but he’s played as big a part as anyone in delivering the team to so many highlights. In order to be successful in sport, you need everything in place and everything has to be pin-point accurate.

Liam Williams believes Wales are good enough to create history this evening. The full-back will help his country earn a fifth Grand Slam of the Six Nations era – more than any other nation – if they beat France in Paris. After the Warren Gatland era ended, Wales suffered their worst tournament campaign since 2007, finishing fifth in last year’s 2020 competition under new coach Wayne Pivac.

Alun Wyn Jones will become the first player ever to win four Grand Slams if Wales beat France on Saturday night. Gareth Edwards managed three. So, the question is, does that now make AWJ the greatest Welsh rugby player of all time? Steffan Thomas thinks so. Welsh rugby folklore is still dominated by the achievements of the great Wales sides of the 1970s who played starring roles in the most successful British & Irish Lions touring parties of all time. Every era in every sport is dominated by world class athletes, but there are those who occasionally reach god-like status which merits statues and roads named after them.

There will be more than just a Six Nations title and Grand Slam at stake when Wales face France in Paris on Saturday night. For the Welsh players, there are reputations to be made, or broken, as Lions selections this summer, says Harri Morgan. “At the death zone, continue straight on Summit Street for 849m.” The directions a Himalayan adventurer must follow, if they are to achieve the selfie at the top of the hill.

Shaun Edwards was once the builder of the original red wall. But tomorrow he hopes it’s smashed to pieces, having handed the sledgehammer to Gael Fickou. It’s not the first time Edwards has put his faith in the French centre, as Graham Thomas reports. Shaun Edwards’ defensive general is determined to command a French resistance force which can deny Wales the Grand Slam in Paris on Saturday night. Gael Fickou was famously pinpointed by Edwards as the future of French rugby nine years ago.

Wayne Pivac believes his side’s “painful” autumn helped plants the seeds for what could blossom into a glorious Grand Slam Six Nations for Wales. Going into the final round of the tiurnament, Wales are four from four and a win against France in Paris on Saturday night will secure a fifth Six Nations Grand Slam since 2005. In particular, head coach Pivac has been delighted with the improved set piece.

Wayne Pivac believes Wales’ experience will prove the vital difference in their Six Nations finale against a strong France side in Paris. Wales will field the most experienced starting XV in their history with 987 international caps, with 14 of the starting line-up having won Grand Slams in the past. A sixth Six Nations crown and fifth Grand Slam will be secured if they beat solitary title rivals France on Saturday night and Pivac is confident his experienced players will come to the fore.

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.

Callum Sheedy has gone from boozy fan to the main man for Wales, even if Dan Biggar is still the landlord at No.10. If Wayne Pivac is true to recent form then Biggar will start at outside-half for the Grand Slam mission against France in Paris on Saturday and Sheedy will be responsible for locking up. That’s how it worked with the Triple Crown decider against England and there is little to suggest that Sheedy will not be called upon from the bench in Wales’ final match of the Six Nations.

Wales will be playing a major part in a ground-breaking weekend triple bill of international rugby league in England this June, as sides prepare for the Rugby League World Cup. To kick the weekend off, there will be an historic double-header featuring the England Men’s and Women’s teams at Warrington’s Halliwell Jones Stadium on Friday June 25.

Ken Owens has paid tribute to head coach Wayne Pivac ahead of Wales’ final push for the Guinness Six Nations title and a fifth Grand Slam. Wales stand on the verge of conquering European rugby once more, with Pivac’s team transformed from one that claimed just three Test match victories last year. If they beat France in Paris – something Wales have achieved on three of their last four Six Nations visits – then it would complete a startling recovery.

George North insists Wales can cope with the sharp end of the Six Nations this weekend and make sure it’s France who get a poke in the eye in Paris. The two countries clash in the final scheduled weekend of the tournament with another Grand Slam on the line for Wales, but with France still capable of going on to claim the title if they deny Wayne Pivac’s men. “We are at the pointy end of the stick now,” said North, who drew level with Shane Williams’ Wales record mark of 22 Six Nations touchdowns at the Stadio Olimpico in the 48-7 win over Italy.

Wayne Pivac has claimed Wales still have room for improvement and they will need to step up to those levels if they are to claim the Grand Slam against France in Paris next weekend. The unbeaten tournament leaders reeled off a third successive bonus-point victory to increase pressure on their rivals for silverware by crushing Italy 48-7 in Rome. Pivac’s team now head to the French capital knowing that a sixth Six Nations crown and fifth Grand Slam will be secured if they topple Les Bleus.

The Welsh Rugby Union is celebrating its 140th birthday this weekend (12 March, 2021) and the best possible gift the game could receive is a fourth win in a row for Alun Wyn Jones’ national team in Rome this weekend to stay on course for another Grand Slam. The ‘Welsh Football Union’ was born out of a meeting that took place at the Castle Hotel, in Neath, on Saturday, 12 March, 1881. There were 11 clubs in attendance – Swansea, Lampeter, Llandeilo, Cardiff, Newport, Llanelli, Merthyr, Llandovery, Brecon, Pontypool and Bangor – with home town team, Neath, generally now accepted as having been at the gathering as well.

Dan Biggar and Wales’ bid for victory in Italy on Saturday has been fuelled by his wife’s baked goods, but the fly-half insists Wayne Pivac’s side can still raise their game. Wales face the Azzurri in Rome with a Six Nations Triple Crown already in the bag. Ever the competitor, Biggar wants his team to go to the next level at the Stadio Olimpico.

In a parallel universe – with no pandemic – Harri Morgan would have been in Rome this weekend, making merry and making memories. Then, assuming a Welsh win, he would have mortgaged the house and made the trip to Paris to see Wales bid for a Grand Slam against France. It would have been the stuff of dreams, but reality has ordered he’ll instead be at home in front of the TV like everyone else. Kudos to the Six Nations fixture secretary for having the foresight to pair Wayne’s Wales with Fabien’s France as the headline act for Super Saturday.

The Scarlets are in Munster on Friday night, where one player will mark a special anniversary. It is a year since Aaron Shingler last played a game, but the clash at Thomond Park sees his return where Glenn Delaney’s side aim to clinch their European spot for next season, as Graham Thomas reports. Aaron Shingler has been described as a Scarlets legend as he prepares to finally return to action after a year of pain and uncertainty. The Wales forward was last seen on a rugby field in March of 2020 when he was on the losing side for Wales against England at Twickenham.

Two years ago, when Wales beat Ireland at the Principality Stadium to secure a Grand Slam title, a teenager was sat amongst fans dreaming of playing alongside his heroes. Fast forward to this year’s Guinness Six Nations tournament and Louis Rees-Zammit is the name amongst the headline acts after producing some exciting rugby whenever he gets the ball. It has been a meteoric rise for the 20-year-old – from club to country, impressing fans with his clinical finishing and lightening pace. Now, he has the chance to help many of the players he watched in 2019 move one step closer to another Slam.