France 43-0 Wales: Antoine Dupont inspires hosts to Six Nations victory

In Paris, Antoine Dupont led France to a dominant victory to kick off the Six Nations, while Wales endured a dismal performance. France's seven tries compounded the misery for Warren Gatland's side, with the hapless Welsh team thoroughly outplayed.

Home captain Dupont was outstanding on his Six Nations return, providing three try assists before being substituted after just 49 minutes. In contrast, his half-back partner Romain Ntamack had a less successful return to the international stage, receiving a red card in the 71st minute for a dangerous tackle on opponent Ben Thomas.

Wingers Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey each scored two tries, helping the home side to a 28-0 lead at half-time. Replacements Julien Marchand and Emilien Gailleton, along with number eight Gregory Alldritt, also touched down in the second half, completing the rout of Wales.

Wales have now lost 13 consecutive test matches, a losing streak that dates back to October 2023. This was Wales' record tournament defeat in France, surpassing their 36-3 loss in Paris in 1991. It was also the first time they have failed to score in a Six Nations match, their last scoreless outing against France being a 51-0 loss at Wembley during the Five Nations era in 1998.

Wales also lost centre Owen Watkin to a serious knee injury, while number eight Aaron Wainwright was forced off early with a facial problem. Gatland suffered defeat in his 150th international match in charge of Wales, which was also his 13th Six Nations campaign in the role. The New Zealander has now lost 19 of the 25 tests he has overseen since returning for a second stint in December 2022.

Wales, who were awarded the dreaded Six Nations "wooden spoon" last year, endured a bleak 2024, losing all of their tests in a calendar year for the first time since 1937, totaling 11 international defeats. Gatland had spoken of blocking out negativity, creating a siege mentality, and warning people not to “underestimate Wales.” But these words couldn't prevent another thrashing. It was Wales' seventh consecutive Six Nations defeat and their seventh straight loss to France.

The Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) had given Gatland a vote of confidence before the tournament, but also hinted that his position was precarious during the competition. Wales will now travel to Nice for a week of training before heading to Rome to face Italy next Saturday, while England will host France on the same day.

France were on a different level to Wales, with half-back Dupont the main orchestrator, proving why he is considered one of the best players in the world, as he tore Wales apart. The 28-year-old missed the 2024 Six Nations to focus on sevens rugby, preparing for his home Olympics in Paris, where he helped his country win gold. Dupont returned in the autumn, leading France to a string of successes, including a victory over New Zealand.

His talent was on display again at the Stade de France, and head coach Fabien Galthie could afford the luxury of substituting him early, with the game won and with the rest of the tournament in mind. The only regret will be Ntamack's red card, the Toulouse fly-half making his first international start after 17 months out through injury. Only four players from the starting line-up survived the defeat to South Africa, but they welcomed back experienced backs Liam Williams and Josh Adams, while the front-row pairing of Evan Lloyd and Henry Thomas made their first starts for Wales.

But the new-look side was unsurprisingly unable to stem the tide against their opponents. Dupont almost scored in the opening play, only to be denied under the posts by a combination of Welsh winger Tom Rogers and half-back Tomos Williams. Number eight Wainwright was forced off in the fourth minute, replaced by Tommy Reffell, who immediately impressed with a turnover. Wales did show some early attacking promise, with Morgan, Rogers, and Tomos Williams all prominent.

The visitors were undone by handling errors, one of which came from centre Nick Tompkins, who lost the ball in a heavy collision with Dupont, almost resulting in a try for winger Paul Boudehent. A deft cross-kick from Dupont opened up the Welsh defense, the ball falling to Attissogbe, with Ramos adding the conversion. This sparked France into life, and a brilliant pass from Ramos sent Bielle-Biarrey sprinting over the line.

Wales lost centre Watkin to a sickening injury, forcing a reshuffle of the backline, with Ben Thomas moving to his more familiar centre position, and 21-year-old Ospreys fly-half Dan Edwards making his international debut. Hooker Lloyd was shown a yellow card for a high shoulder tackle on Bielle-Biarrey, with referee Paul Williams initially awarding a yellow card, but not upgrading it to a red. With Wales down to 14 men, Dupont brilliantly sliced through the Welsh defense to provide Attissogbe with his second score.

Once again, it was the French captain who provided the vision for the bonus-point try, his long pass finding Bielle-Biarrey, as France took a 28-0 lead into the break. Wales changed their front row trio early in the second half, while France made six substitutions at the same time. Forwards Oscar Jegou and Hugo Auradou, who were investigated over rape allegations last year, which were dismissed by Argentinian authorities in December, also came off the bench in the second half. The pair were allowed to leave Argentina in September, and they have always denied any wrongdoing, saying the sexual acts were consensual. The complainant has challenged the court’s decision, with the next hearing set for February 10.

Their selection was due to injuries to flanker Charles Ollivon, who will miss the rest of the season, and lock Thibaud Flament's muscle problem. Another replacement, Marchand, scored the fifth try from a driving maul, before Gailleton collected Ntamack's cross-kick, with Ntamack later being sent off for his challenge on Thomas. Numbers were evened up when Wales replacement lock Freddie Thomas was shown a yellow card, before Alldritt completed the rout of Wales, sending the home fans home happy and condemning Gatland's side to another miserable defeat.