Wales v France: Winners and losers as ‘box office’ Matthieu Jalibert and ‘special player’ shine while Welsh forward has ‘moment to forget’
France fly-half Matthieu Jalibert was in fine form against Wales.
Following France’s 54-12 victory over Wales at the Principality Stadium, here’s our key winners and losers from the Six Nations clash on Sunday.
Winners
Matthieu Jalibert
Is flourishing in the absence of Romain Ntamack and looks to be gaining confidence by the week, with Cardiff another showing of box office running rugby from the No.10.
Jalibert relishes the open field and with deadly outside backs to feed, the exciting playmaker is turning provider countless times, as was the case against Wales on Sunday.
Jalibert finished with a try and three assists and was rightly named Player of the Match following a wonderful performance that helped lead France to their maximum haul.
Star wings
It’s perhaps harsh not to give them their own sub-section, such was Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Theo Attissogbe’s impact on proceedings at the Principality Stadium. The French wide men were outstanding from start to finish as they combined to rack up three crossings between them and probably should have had at least a couple more.
Bielle-Biarrey yet again created something from nothing countless times while Attissogbe is such a silky runner who was on hand at just the right time to collect his brace.
The wings are striking fear into all their Six Nations rivals and should help guide France to Grand Slam glory. Bielle-Biarrey in particular is just a special, special player.
Charles Ollivon
The flank-cum-lock continues to excel in the engine room as the French’s bold choice to employ both him and Mickael Guillard together this year is proving a masterstroke.
Both players have incredible work-rate but it is Ollivon’s speed, power and ability to link with his backline that makes him such a talent. He thoroughly deserved his score.
Aaron Wainwright
One of the positives for Wales on Sunday was the showing of Wainwright. The Dragon did not stop all match and proved once again what a rock he is for club and country.
The soon-to-be Leicester Tiger got through a mountain of work with 14 carries for 48 metres a decent return to go with his 11 tackles. It was an inspirational performance.
Welsh scrum
Another plus for Wales was how their scrum more than held their own against such an impressive French pack. That will warm Paul James and Duncan Jones from afar.
The front-row of Tomas Francis, Dewi Lake and the try-scoring Rhys Carre can be very proud of their shift while those behind them can also take credit for this success.
Losers
Adam Beard
Unfortunately, there was a moment to forget for veteran Wales lock Beard in the first half when his decision to kick a loose ball backfired in the worst possible way.
Attissogbe was not going to waste a gift like that as he sent his fly-half Jalibert towards the try-line for seven points that moved France 26-7 in front at the turnaround.
Six Nations rivals
Look out Italy, Scotland and England. If we didn’t know already France are the real deal in 2026 and remain very much on track for a Grand Slam judging by recent form.
The depth Fabien Galthie possesses is something to admire and they seem incredibly fresh and cohesive right now, which makes it tough to see a Six Nations loss coming.
Dan Edwards
It wasn’t his worst outing and it was clear he was following a pre-match plan to put boot to ball as much as possible, but still it was far from the Ospreys 10’s best effort.
An overcooked kick rolled dead in-goal and resulted in gifting France territory, which obviously played its part in Jalibert massively winning the pair’s individual battle.
Edwards was eventually replaced on 54 minutes and the youngster will hope it was more to protect him for Saturday’s fixture with Scotland rather than a knee-jerk call.
Welsh Rugby Union
The sight of 15,000 empty seats at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium is disappointing for this proud nation as it looks like supporters are voting with their feet at the moment.
Yesterday saw Wales play in front of their smallest Six Nations crowd in Cardiff with 57,744 turning out for the France match, a fixture that usually packed to the rafters.
Compounding the situation were BBC interviews with fans outside and it’s clear there is dismay at the situation and the Welsh Rugby Union are copping the most heat.
Another heavy defeat for Wales as their wait for a Six Nations win goes on ❌@Sonjamclaughlan asked fans what they thought was wrong with the game in Wales 💬#BBCRugby pic.twitter.com/y53N48yLZs
— BBC Sport Wales (@BBCSportWales) February 15, 2026
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