France v Wales result: Wales remain bottom of Six Nations after ...

France 45 Wales 24

France’s reshuffled side scored five tries in rallying to a stunning 45-24 win away to Wales in the Six Nations today.

Prop Georges-Henri Colombe came off the bench to score a debut try that finally turned the momentum as coach Fabien Galthié answered his critics in style.

For Wales coach Warren Gatland, this was a fourth defeat of the tournament and a bad one considering his side led 24-20 with 20 minutes left.

Rock-bottom Wales have lost 11 of the last 12 Six Nations matches and host Italy next weekend with the wooden spoon a real possibility.

Galthié will feel fully vindicated.

After being routed by Ireland and then having last-second outcomes against Scotland (non-try) and Italy (hit goalpost), he responded by making eight changes, including three debuts.

They were 2.03-meter lock Emmanuel Meafou — born to Samoan parents in New Zealand and raised in Australia — center Nicolas Depoortere and fullback Léo Barré. Thomas Ramos was shifted from fullback to flyhalf in a makeshift pairing with scrumhalf Nolann Le Garrec.

It looked ominous when France gave a penalty away within a minute and flyhalf Sam Costelow slotted over. Ramos leveled following several phases of play, but poor defending allowed Wales left winger Rio Dyer to collect near the halfway line and burst through for a converted try and 10-3 lead.

Ramos kept France in touch and veteran center Gaël Fickou put Les Tricolores ahead with a try in the right corner following an overlap. He was fed by right winger Damian Penaud before breaking Dyer’s tackle near the line for his second try of the tournament and 16th overall.

The lead lasted barely two minutes as France’s sieve-like midfield was exposed. Depoortere missed a tackle, center Owen Watkin dummied inside and fed scrumhalf Tomos Williams to sprint clear.

Neither team could hold the lead in a breathless first half and, with only 30 minutes played, Le Garrec grabbed his first international try after Fickou bulldozed his way near the line.

Related articles

France went into the break 20-17 up but fell behind within three minutes of the restart as Joe Roberts crashed through poor tackles and rolled over the line for a converted try.

That made it 24-20 and home fans were singing.

France kept pushing forward and No. 8 Grégory Alldritt’s pick-and-go took him close to the line. Lock Thibaud Flament burrowed over, but TMO ruled out the try for Flament dropping the ball and not grounding it.

Penaud was now getting more involved.

The world class winger forced Wales into an offside and Ramos nailed the penalty to make it a one-point game with 20 minutes left. Following another Penaud run, France gained field position to send Colombe crashing over. TMO upheld the try, which Ramos converted for 30-24.

That was soon 37-24 as rattled Wales conceded a sloppy try, with replacement lock Romain Taofifenua batting down Gareth Davies’ kick with both hands, collecting the ball and making the left corner.

Ramos provided the extras and made it 8/8 with a late penalty.

His only miss of the day came after replacement scrumhalf Maxime Lucu took Penaud’s offload and dived into the right corner in the 80th.

Next up for France is tournament contender England on Saturday.