Six Nations 2015: France vs Wales Player Ratings

WALES

15. Leigh Halfpenny: 8
You just cannot put a price on having a boot as deadly as his. In a tight game, the relentless accumulation of points doesn’t just keep the scoreboard ticking, it makes the other team afraid to compete at the breakdown for fear of being penalised.

14. George North: 7.5
A very decent return to form for the Saints man following his concussion-induced week off. Some powerful surges with ball in hand at key times gave Wales the platform they needed, and he made more metres than anyone else in red.

13. Jonathan Davies: 7
A little like North, this was more like the Lion we know and expect. Davies was involved far more often and made 35 metres off seven carries, largely thanks to picking some intelligent lines off go-forward ball. Strong defence, too.

12. Jamie Roberts: 8
A brutal display in the middle of the park. Set the tempo for his side by surging over the gainline again and again, despite not ever breaking clean through. Huge hit on Remi Tales at the end sealed the win, too.

11. Liam Williams: 5.5
Did nothing particularly wrong but it was a quiet display from a man who you usually associate with being ‘all-action’. Didn’t get his hands on the ball a whole lot and had limited success when he did.

10. Dan Biggar: 7.5
Once again, Biggar proved astute with his tactical kicks and also added an attacking element to his game, taking the ball flat, making half breaks and offloading well. His finish for his side’s only try was very sharp.

9. Rhys Webb: 6
Didn’t get much joy with his trademark snipes until the second half, when he set up Biggar’s score with a good piece of improvisation. Decent service throughout but he needs to fine-tune his kicking game.

1. Gethin Jenkins: 6.5
Another busy day for Jenkins who built on last round’s excellent display with a solid performance. He was strong in the scrum and offered plenty around the park.

2. Scott Baldwin: 7
Perhaps an eyebrow-raising selection prior to the game but he completely vindicated it by running a perfect line-out. A little less conspicuous than Hibbard in the loose, but maybe that’s just the hair.

3. Samson Lee: 7.5
Despite giving away a couple of penalties, this was a superb return to the side for the young tighthead prop. Anchored a Welsh scrum that got better and better as the game went on and probably doesn’t get the credit he deserves for his work-rate elsewhere – he made more tackles than any other front rower.

4. Luke Charteris: 7.5
An absolute tower in the line-out, although he couldn’t quite get into the French set piece as he would have hoped. A big tackle count exemplified his work rate.

5. Alun Wyn-Jones: 9
Magnificent display. The stats can’t measure his gravitas at the breakdown but Jones was brutal in this area, leading the charge in helping his side win the physical confrontation. Strong in the line-out and a force on the charge as well.

6. Dan Lydiate: 7
A super pick up and offload from the blindside set Biggar on his way to scoring a try, and as usual he chipped in with plenty of tackles. But this still can’t hide the fact that he is an ineffectual ball-carrier – 1 metre from 6 carries is not enough from a back-row.

7. Sam Warburton: 7
It was a shame to see him limp off the field but he certainly held his own against Dusautoir, proving a nuisance at the breakdown and weighing in with some key tackles – none more so than a tap on Remi Lamerat.

8. Taulupe Faletau: 7.5
Another all-action display from the number 8, topping his side’s tackle count and getting his hands on the ball a fair bit as well.

Replacements: 6
Nerves were probably jangling when Rhys Priestland came onto the field – a man not usually known for seeing a game out – but he dealt with the pressure well. No fireworks from the bench, but plenty of graft.

FRANCE

15. Brice Dulin: 8
France’s most impressive player, the full-back showed intelligence from deep and was dangerous with the ball in hand, making more metres than anyone else and scoring a try. Should keep Spedding out of the side.

14. Yoann Huget: 6.5
Exuded menace throughout the game and had a couple of moments where he looked dangerous, but he was generally well shackled and could never quite break free.

13. Remi Lamerat: 5.5
Only lasted 17 minutes. He made one break in that time but otherwise it was impossible to see how the potentially exciting pairing of him and Fofana would fare.

12. Wesley Fofana: 6.5
Arguably the most talented centre in the Championship has cut a forlorn figure so far this tournament, but this was his best display despite being a spectator for much of the game. A couple of sparkling touches but otherwise couldn’t influence proceedings.

11. Sofiane Guitoune: 6.5
Could never quite break fully clear but the fleet-footed winger did cause problems with his footwork and offloading. If France can give him the ball in more space, he will be dangerous.

10. Camille Lopez: 6
Struggled to contain Jamie Roberts, and often cut a frustrated figure. He is clearly a talented player but when the backline consistently lacks guile you start to wonder if he could be doing more.

9. Morgan Parra: 6
Decent service but he was rarely getting the quick ball that he wanted from his pack. Didn’t see a lot of his kicking game, which was surprising, and a contributing factor to losing the territory battle.

1. Eddy Ben Arous: 5.5
Unable to get the upper hand on Samson Lee but was a pretty solid operator whilst he was on the field. Did not contribute greatly elsewhere, only making two tackles.

2. Guilhem Guirado: 7
The hooker put in a fine shift at the coal face, orchestrating a perfect lineout and carrying with purpose and aggression. It’s a shame that the rest of his pack couldn’t follow suit.

3. Rabah Slimani: 6
Fairly solid in the scrum but didn’t get as stuck into the Welsh set piece as he would have liked. Tackled well but pretty quiet otherwise.

4. Romain Taofifenua: 4
Very poor, especially considering how impressive he has looked off the bench. He only carried twice – not enough for a man of his power and ability. He missed half of his tackles, too.

5. Yoann Maestri: 7
The guy is some athlete and another who you could not fault for effort. Toiled manfully in a losing battle at the breakdown and weighed in with 11 tackles, a very decent shift.

6. Thierry Dusautoir: 7.5
France’s biggest ball carrier in the pack and attempted to keep the tempo up with plenty of offloads, and was generally involved in the flashes of good French play. Surprisingly low tackle count for a man of his reputation, but still a force at the breakdown.

7. Bernard Le Roux: 7
France’s chief source of lineout ball and all over the park in defence, making 16 hits, but he was unable to disrupt Welsh ball when it mattered. Couldn’t get into the game with the ball in hand.

8. Damien Chouly: 6.5
Worked hard but with limited reward. Some promising barges forward demonstrated his power and athleticism but he could not give his side the quick ball they needed.

Replacements: 7
The French replacements largely had a positive impact, with Jocelino Suta and Uini Atonio adding plenty of power to the carrying game. Bastareaud ended up playing most of the game after being dropped, and gave a solid display.

By Mike Cooper (@RuckedOver)

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images