PARIS — France kicked off its Six Nations campaign in spectacular fashion, overpowering Wales with a decisive 43-0 victory on Friday, spearheaded by the exceptional scrumhalf Antoine Dupont.
Dupont was substituted after just 50 minutes on the field while France had already built an insurmountable lead, leaving the Welsh team struggling to recover.
He played a pivotal role in their scoring spree, assisting in three first-half tries that established a commanding 28-0 advantage at halftime. Overall, France scored a total of seven tries under the rainy conditions at the Stade de France.
For Wales, the loss extended their national record to 13 consecutive defeats since the 2023 Rugby World Cup and marked their seventh straight loss in the Six Nations, tying a record from 2002-03.
Moreover, this match marked the first time in 27 years that Wales failed to score a point in the tournament—recalling their 51-0 defeat against France at Wembley Stadium.
“We achieved a win with a bonus point, and we didn’t concede any tries despite the rain,” commented France’s coach Fabien Galthie. “We displayed pragmatism and adjusted well to the conditions.”
However, France’s triumph was slightly tarnished by a late red card issued to flyhalf Romain Ntamack, who was returning to international play after 17 months away. His tackle on already-tackled Wales player Ben Thomas was deemed illegal, and he is likely to miss at least next Saturday’s match against England.
Dupont made a notable return to the Six Nations after taking a successful break in the sevens format. He set up two tries for right winger Theo Attissogbe during the first half, and finished that period by assisting in left winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s second try right before halftime, securing a bonus point for the team.
“We played effectively while maintaining great team spirit and simplicity,” Dupont stated. “With the players we have, we are capable of finding solutions.”
He has unique statistics to his name in the Six Nations, being the only player to assist on at least three tries twice, having done so against Italy in 2021.
With the match essentially under wraps, Dupont and the entire tight five were substituted with half an hour left to play.
Shortly thereafter, replacement hooker Julien Marchand scored a try following an effective lineout move, leading to a sixth try by center Emilien Gailleton, who capitalized on an Ntamack cross-field kick.
Despite being a player short, the French team continued to dominate, culminating with a late try from back-rower Gregory Alldritt, which magnified Wales’ challenges throughout the evening.
Ramos converted the first four tries, moving past Christophe Lamaison to secure second place on France’s all-time scoring list with 387 points, closing in on Frederic Michalak’s record of 436 in this tournament.
Wales, now desperate, prepares to face Italy next Saturday, while France looks ahead to a challenging schedule, including away matches against England and Ireland in subsequent rounds.
Dupont highlighted the difficulty of upcoming matches, saying, “With the results we’ve had, teams will certainly be prepared for us wherever we travel.”
The match aired its share of drama early on, with Dupont being held up over the line in the fourth minute following a quick tapped penalty. However, he broke through the Welsh defense in the 18th minute by executing a brilliant cross-field kick to Attissogbe.
Shortly after, Ramos contributed with a great assist to Bielle-Biarrey in a sweeping play.
Wales faced further challenges when center Owen Watkin sustained a leg injury and limped off in the 26th minute, followed shortly by a yellow card issued to hooker Evan Lloyd for a high tackle.
With Dupont in fine form, capitalizing on even a one-man advantage proved overwhelming for the visitors. His remarkable combination of speed and agility was on display as he executed a deft pass leading to Attissogbe’s second try in the right corner.
Dupont then delivered another assist from near the try line to facilitate Bielle-Biarrey’s second try.
As for the replacements in the second half, Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou attracted jeers from the crowd due to past allegations that were dropped by an Argentine court.
Ntamack’s clever kick helped Gailleton score, but his red card afterward left a cloud over the occasion. As the final whistle blew, television images captured Ntamack with his head in his hands, still in disbelief from the match’s unfolding drama.
