France stay right on course
France completed their third straight World Cup warm-up win with a comprehensive 34-7 demolition of Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
By Ben Sullivan
Last Updated: 27/08/07 11:20am
France completed their third straight World Cup warm-up win with a comprehensive 34-7 demolition of Wales at the Millennium Stadium.
The hosts will head into next month's tournament with their confidence boosted by an impressive build-up and they look to have a couple more gears to go through yet, but Wales are in something close to disarray.
They were hammered by England, only beat Argentina thanks to the generosity of a video referee and were completely outclassed by an experimental France line-up.
Dominated
The French started fast and completely dominated the opening 10 minutes, breaking tackles and eating up the ground with almost every surge.
Wales did recover from that and actually edged possession and territory for long periods, but the soldity of the French defence was if anything even more impressive than their vibrant attacking.
Lionel Beauxis knocked over a fourth minute penalty as reward for the visitors' early pressure but they had to wait 14 minutes for the opening try.
Winger Aurelien Rougerie made a burst to the line and was stopped just short, but when the ball was recycled, Jerome Thion brushed aside the attentions of James Hook and powered over from close range.
Wales generated some decent pressure in response although the French seemed happy to soak it up and practice their defence, certainly Wales rarely looked like breaching the enveloping white line.
France always looked the more dangerous with ball in hand, but there was an element of good fortune about their second try just past the half hour mark.
Remy Martin burrowed over but the video referee decided there was not enough clear evidence to award a try.
Wales looked to have survived when they turned over France's five-metre scrum, but as Dwayne Peel tried to clear, the scrum-half slipped, Imanol Harinordoquy charged down and Pierre Mignoni scooped up the loose ball to score.
Wales finally had a score of their own to celebrate with the last play of the half, Martyn Williams making the initial break and timing his pass to Hook perfectly for the fly-half to hold off two defenders and slide over.
Beauxis' boot stretched the lead to 20-7 six minutes into the second half and France continued to dominate.
Chances
Mike Phillips reacted fast to deny Rougerie with the winger racing after his own fly-hack, but a minute later Rougerie had his try as Wales paid for some sloppy defence at a line-out on their own 22.
Wales did have a couple of chances to score but Shane Williams knocked on in space five metres from the line and Jonathan Thomas' pass to Alix Popham in a promising attacking position was a yard forward.
Almost inevitably, France had the last word in the final minute as Sebastien Bruno took advantage of a tiring defence to muscle over from close range.
France head home in buoyant mood but Wales will cross the Channel next month with coach Gareth Jenkins' stated ambition of a run to the semi-finals looking an unlikely prospect.
