France player ratings: Matthieu Jalibert the ‘conductor of chaos’ as Louis Bielle-Biarrey treats Cardiff as his personal playground
France stars Matthieu Jalibert and Louis Bielle-Biarrey.
Following France’s 54-12 victory over Wales, here’s how we rated Fabien Galthie’s charges in the Six Nations clash at the Principality Stadium.
France player ratings v Wales
15 Thomas Ramos: His skip pass in the build-up to Fabien Brau-Boirie’s try was simply scrumptious, as was the one in the build-up to Theo Attissogbe’s second. Matthieu Jalibert’s partner in crime today as they robbed the Principality of joy. 9
14 Théo Attissogbe: Could have had a hat-trick of tries had he not been overly eager to latch on to Dupont’s chip over the top, but that was one of the very few errors from the Pau sensation. He has made a mockery of Test rugby in his two appearances this year. 8
13 Émilien Gailleton: Set the tone for the onslaught with the opening try of the game in the first two minutes. Ran sharp, testing lines on attack and pitched in with a pair of turnovers on defence. Hard to believe that France made two changes in their centres this week, which is testament to the performances of the starters. 7
12 Fabien Brau-Boirie: A try just 15 minutes into his Test debut and he barely looked out of place throughout. Only emphasises Les Bleus’ embarrassment of riches that Gael Fickou continues to be snubbed and a 20-year-old steps up to the mark and dominates in this manner. 7
11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey: Freakish. Wales could do very little to stop the French flyer, though Ellis Mee tried his utmost to, as he treated the Principality Stadium as his personal playground and the Welsh defence as red cones. 8
10 Matthieu Jalibert: A hat-trick of try assists to go with his try as he was the architect of Wales’ demise, acting as the conductor of the organised chaos to exploit every wrinkle in the Welsh defence. Sensational. 9
9 Antoine Dupont (c): It’s easy to see where the The Martian nickname comes from as he looked otherworldly at times today, with even his errors and loose moments turning into something brilliant for Les Bleus. A perfect foil for Jalibert in every respect. Got to watch the last 20 minutes from the touchline having driven his side into a position where the result was well beyond doubt. 8
8 Anthony Jelonch: Emptied the tank with a lively shift from the start to the finish of his 51 minutes on the park. Led the tackle count along with Francois Cros during that period. France’s pack laid the platform for the backs to run amok, and Jelonch was one of the many that simply went about his business with little fuss. 7
7 Oscar Jegou: One of the two forwards asked to play the full 80 and did not let his effort levels slip for a second. A safe pair of hands in the lineout too. 7
France show their class in eight-try Six Nations victory over Wales to continue Grand Slam bid
6 François Cros: Like Jelonch, Cros is all about work-rate, work-rate, work-rate and his numbers prove just that as he racked up 13 tackles and relentless hit rucks. Hooked early in the second half as Galthie deployed Le Bomb Squad, but he did what was required of him and did it brilliantly. 7
5 Mickaël Guillard: It was always going to be tough to back up his blockbuster performance last week, but he was far from poor in Cardiff. He was closely marked by the Welsh defence but drew in multiple defenders in doing so and France thrived with the extra pace. Won a turnover and was solid before he was replaced early in the second half. Returned for a spell where he did much the same. 6
4 Charles Ollivon: Of course he scored as he extended his record as France’s top try-scoring forward, and he richly deserved to do so. His support lines were fantastic as was his decision-making in possession. Utterly world-class display as he went the distance, shifting from the second row to the back-row and was outstanding in both roles. While his carrying was the standout feature of his performance, he did everything required of him at an elite level. 9
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3 Dorian Aldegheri: Conceded a turnover and gifted Wales an easy out of a scrum with an early engage, but threw his weight around the park reasonably well. Not bad, not a standout either. 5
2 Julien Marchand: Afforded himself the smallest of smiles after he etched his name on the scoresheet in his 50th Test after a bullying maul shunted the Welsh backwards. Marchand has set a very high standard in his previous 49 caps and hit it today with a flawless lineout display paired with double-digit carries and tackles. 7
1 Jean-Baptiste Gros: Brilliantly drove a Welsh ball carrier backwards at a rate of knots. That was the highlight of his shift as he quite simply did his job and did it well. 7
Replacements: Debutant Noah Nene looked over-eager and got caught up in the spectacle but is bound to get another chance at some point. It mattered little in the end. When Galthie first unloaded the forwards, they instantly laid down a marker and Baptiste Serin was particularly excellent. However, that impact wavered as the game went on. Galthie will demand better. 6
READ MORE: Latest World Rugby rankings: What Six Nations wins for Scotland and Ireland did to the standings
