"We are running out of ways to describe this. Another match in what used to be rugby's most passionate cauldron, another dismantling, another humiliation. France are good, really good, but we might as well have been in Paris, so loud was the travelling support, so gaping the rows of empty seats. The official attendance was just shy of 60,000. Maybe, but it looked and felt a good deal less than that."
"If there had been a chink for Welsh hopes, it might have been the removal of France's centre pairing last week, the relatively experienced (insofar as they are over-23) centre pairing of Yoram Moefana and Nicolas Depoortere succumbing to injury together with their back-up Kalvin Gourgues. In came the Pau centres Emilien Gailleton and Fabien Brau-Boirie, both under-23, both try-scorers within the first 15 minutes."
"France's three-quarter line, in fact, are all under-23. Louis Bielle-Biarrey, incredibly, is still only 22. He scored in between his mates in the centre. And the other three-quarter, Theo Attissogbe, would have completed the set in the first half-hour, had he not been slightly offside when Antoine Dupont chipped ahead. Never mind, France had the bonus point by the break, when Attissogbe sent Mathieu Jalibert away."
France routed Wales 54-12 at the Principality Stadium, scoring eight tries by the hour mark and securing a bonus point before halftime. Travelling French supporters made themselves loudly present while many home seats remained empty and official attendance appeared lower than listed. Wales produced two tries, including one by Mason Grady converted by Louis Rees-Zammit, and showed a reliable set piece despite the heavy defeat. France replaced injured, older centres with under-23 Pau players Emilien Gailleton and Fabien Brau-Boirie who each scored early, while a predominantly under-23 three-quarter line drove the attacking dominance.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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