FRA
No.Name
15Maxime Medard, FB
14Damian Penaud, W
13Romain Ntamack, C
12Wesley Fofana, C
11Yoann Huget, W
T
10Camille Lopez, FH
2
9Morgan Parra, SH
1Jefferson Poirot, P
2Guilhem Guirado, H
3Uini Atonio, P
4Sebastien Vahaamahina, L
5Paul Willemse, L
6Wenceslas Lauret, FL
7Arthur Iturria, FL
8Louis Picamoles, N8
T
Replacements
16Julien Marchand, R
17Dany Priso, R
18Demba Bamba, R
19Felix Lambey, R
20Gregory Alldritt, R
21Baptiste Serin, R
22Gael Fickou, R
23Geoffrey Doumayrou, R

*Players currently on the pitch are shown in bold

Game Info

Venue: Stade de France
8:00 PM, February 1, 2019
All CommentaryKey Events

Match Commentary

81'+119-24 End of second half
80'A reminder: Wales trailed by 16 points at half time. They hadn't scored a point. And they've turned it around, away from home, to give their Six Nations the best possible start. Wow, what a match!
80'The ball goes loose, Wales have it! Gareth Davies punts into touch! The game is over, Wales have won! Tears for France, disbelieving stares from Wales. How on earth did they do that?
80'Ntamack trying to make ground, but France have gone nowhere so far. Good tackling by Wales around halfway. Fickou is released wide on the right but he has little room to move. Tenth phase of possession.
80'Into added time. The next time the ball goes dead, the match is over.
80'And France have stolen the lineout! A miss by Wales, who threw long, too long. France to build, midway inside the Wales half
80'One last play in this match, you would have to imagine.
79'Can this massive France pack turn over Wales at the scrum? Yes! No! They wheeled the scrum deliberately and it's a penalty to Wales. There's enough time on the clock to make them kick for touch and come back into play.
78'Not a great kick to touch by Lopez, who could have bitten off a bit more distance. Then the lineout is sloppy, not clean off the top from France. Still, they have it and can build. Superb tackle from Wales, and it's knocked on by France. Scrum for Wales, and is that the match?
78'Substitute on - Aaron Wainwright , Wales
78'Player substituted - Josh Navidi , Wales
77'Wales caught offside at the scrum. Quick tap penalty by the French! No, they've been called back. Which will give the French a chance to kick for the corner and have one last lineout. This is for the win.
77'Substitute on - Owen Watkin , Wales
77'Player substituted - Hadleigh Parkes , Wales
75'France are into the 11th phase, the 12th phase. They're 35 metres from the Wales line though. Was that a high tackle? The crowd thought so, the referee didn't. Medard trying to find a gap. Baptiste Serin probing for the French at scrum-half. Twenty phases. Twenty-one. Forward pass! Hands on heads for the French who need something good to happen. Ntamack it was with the forward pass as he tried to switch play cleverly.
74'Can someone be the hero for France? We're nearly into the final five minutes. They need a converted try to win. Wales just need to dig deep and hold tight.
73'Biggar hits the conversion. Wales lead by five. France have now shot themselves in both feet in this second half, gifting North two tries.
73'Gael Fickou takes a great high ball in Wales territory, and there's really good opportunity for France. And then... a long miss pass is disastrous! It sets George North away, and he's over! TRY WALES! That could have been a try for France and instead it's Wales who have the lead again! Unbelievable scenes.
73'Player substituted - Rob Evans , Wales
73'Substitute on - Wyn Jones , Wales
73'Substitute on - Elliot Dee , Wales
73'Player substituted - Ken Owens , Wales
73'19-24 Conversion - Dan Biggar , Wales
72'19-22 Try - George North , Wales
71'Substitute on - Gregory Alldritt , France
71'Player substituted - Louis Picamoles , France
70'They do. Ten minutes remain. This is beginning to feel familiar to the opening game in Paris last year, when Jonny Sexton landed a dramatic last-gasp drop goal to clinch the match. Ireland would go on to win the Grand Slam. Just saying...
70'19-17 Penalty goal - Camille Lopez , France
69'France looked like they were pushing early again in the scrum -- but they get away with it, and then turn the Welsh in front of their own posts. Penalty France, huge roar from the crowd as this should be an easy three points for Lopez. And France should -- should -- have the lead again.
69'Drop goal-missed
68'Well, France did hit an up-and-under at the earliest opportunity, but it went to Gareth Davies who dealt with it brilliantly -- only to then throw a pass straight to Ntamack! Then Lopez tries another drop goal, it's blocked by Tipuric, and Lambey latches straight on to the deflection in stride. He's brought to ground -- and then France knock on in the aftermath. What a 30 seconds that was!
67'A setback for Wales as Liam Williams has to go off for a blood injury, with Gareth Anscombe -- who has had better nights, to be honest -- coming on at fullback. Don't be surprised if the French give him a quick test of nerve, given half a chance.
67'Best bit of French handling of the second half as they try to create something in Wales territory, but eventually the mistake creeps back in and the knock on gives Wales the scrum.
67'Player substituted - Wesley Fofana , France
67'Substitute on - Geoffrey Doumayrou , France
67'Substitute on - Gareth Anscombe , Wales
67'Player substituted - Liam Williams , Wales
65'Brief threat from France as the ball bobbles around in midfield and is giving a toe-punt forward towards the Wales in-goal area, but George North was always going to win the race for that one.
64'It's almost like the worst thing that could have happened to France was Lopez's drop goal right on half time. There was a jubilant celebration after that, almost as if it was job done. Now, they're having to come from behind after 20 minutes of rugby that was the polar opposite of their slick, concentrated, determined efforts of the first period.
63'Dan Biggar has taken on kicking duties for Wales. He works through his routine -- and hits by far the best kick of the night, sweet as a nut and straight through the middle of the posts. Glorious hit from Biggar.
63'Player substituted - Damian Penaud , France
63'Substitute on - Gael Fickou , France
63'16-17 Penalty goal - Dan Biggar , Wales
62'Wales are attacking and have a penalty advantage. It's coming back as France stood up in the previous set-piece. No advantage, which means Wales will have a kick for the lead...
61'Wales kill the ball expertly at the breakdown around halfway, and earn a scrum as France can't get the ball moving through the bodies.
61'Substitute on - Dany Priso , France
61'Player substituted - Jefferson Poirot , France
59'Nope, dragged right of the posts. Again, a kick from over 40 metres fails to hit the target.
58'France win a penalty, the substitute Felix Lambey making an immediate impact in closing down Navidi, and Lopez will have a pop at goal from 43 metres.
58'Les Marseillaise rings round the stadium. It's a little more desperate and hopeful than the earlier triumphant renditions. France, frankly, are clinging on for dear life right now.
58'Substitute on - Felix Lambey , France
58'Player substituted - Paul Willemse , France
58'Player substituted - Morgan Parra , France
58'Substitute on - Baptiste Serin , France
58'Substitute on - Julien Marchand , France
58'Player substituted - Guilhem Guirado , France
57'Substitute on - Samson Lee , Wales
57'Player substituted - Tomas Francis , Wales
55'Wales are IN! NO! NO TRY! It looks as though Alun Wyn Jones is the man who is penalised for obstruction as Ross Moriarty picked up and charged over the line from close range. That's a marginal call...
54'France are having a crisis of confidence, Maxime Medard taking his eye off a simple pass from Lopez and putting it on the ground. Groans have replaced the good-natured jeers that had filled the Stade de France in the first 40 minutes.
53'The conversion goes over. A 16-point deficit is now down to two, in the blink of an eye. France are reeling. It was all so easy in the first half, too easy. This is very much in the balance all over again. What a start to Six Nations 2019!
53'Substitute on - Dan Biggar , Wales
53'Player substituted - Gareth Anscombe , Wales
53'Substitute on - Gareth Davies , Wales
53'Player substituted - Tomos Williams , Wales
53'16-14 Conversion - Gareth Anscombe , Wales
52'Stunning! A shocking mistake from Huget and TRY FOR WALES! And in a reverse of the first half, a mistake by Huget leads to a try for George North! Wales are RIGHT. BACK. IN. THIS.
52'16-12 Try - George North , Wales
51'France -- not for the first time in the game -- are penalised for pushing too early in the scrum. Wales opt to pack down again. The French pack is the heaviest in Six Nations history, but they're a bit too keen to make it count.
49'France had it pretty much all their own way in the first half, but have now conceded a try and lost prop Uini Atonio to injury. The No.3 had gone down during the play that led to Williams' try, and is immediately replaced.
48'Substitute on - Cory Hill , Wales
48'Player substituted - Adam Beard , Wales
48'Player substituted - Uini Atonio , France
48'Substitute on - Demba Bamba , France
48'16-7 Conversion - Gareth Anscombe , Wales
47'The conversion is over from Anscombe -- game most definitely ON!
47'16-5 Try - Tomos Williams , Wales
46'Wales are working through the phases but not making much ground at all -- until a brilliant change of direction from Josh Adams. Unbelievable vision, change of pace and purpose from Adams, and he slips an easy pass to Tomos Williams to slide over for the try. The Wales scrum-half marks his Six Nations debut with a crucial try.
45'The scrum is a bit of a mess, Wales disrupting things well, and Lopez will feed it back to Penaud to clear. Wales come straight back at them, though, as will have to be the way in this second half.
43'Sums up Wales night when Josh Navidi accidentally runs into Gareth Anscombe as the No.10 was making progress into the 22. Eventually Wales lose the ball in the tight, and the knock on gives France a scrum and a chance to clear their lines.
42'Mistake by France as Lopez is caught from behind by Tomos Williams when trying to kick downfield. Good recovery from Williams having been sidestepped in the first instance, and Wales will have a scrum 10 metres inside the French half.
42'Mistake by France as Lopez is caught from behind by Tomos Williams when trying to kick downfield. Good recovery from Williams having been sidestepped in the first instance, and Wales will have a scrum 10 metres inside the French half.
42'Solid take from Alun Wyn Jones at the lineout -- the Wales captain is going to have to lead by example to ignite his lacklustre team in the second 40.
41'Good low kick from Medard after Wales kick deep, and Wales will have a lineout in their own 22.
41'The teams are back out on the field, the rain has not relented , and Camille Lopez will get the second half under way.
41'16-0 End of first half
41'16-0 Drop goal - Camille Lopez , France
40'Well of all the things... Lopez lands a drop goal! At the end of a half where barely anything was clearing the sticks, Lopez slides a dagger into Welsh hearts. That really couldn't have gone much worse for the visitors, and Warren Gatland has a crucial half-time team talk to deliver if his team is to avoid slipping up in the Paris puddles.
40'Last minute of the first half, France penalised for pushing too soon. Free kick to Wales, who have to decide if they're kicking straight to touch or not. They're not, Anscombe kicking deep, which will allow the French to attack one final time before the break...
40'16-0 Start of second half
39'Huge heave from the France pack -- and a massive pack it is too -- as they attempt to push over from five metres. But Wales refuse to buckle, and a loss of control gives Wales the put-in at the scrum. They will hope to bleed out the clock and see this to half-time.
37'Wales lineout -- and they've lost it! Fine turnover by the French and they are haring up field. Another penalty advantage in the blink of an eye on the Wales 22, frustration getting the better of the Welsh, and Lopez kicks it into the corner. Lineout for France, five metres out. This could be a game-breaker.
36'Some mishandling in the midfield costs France, and a quick kick forward has Maxime Medard having to work in his own 22. He covers very well, and kicks it into touch.
35'Another terrific break from France -- who really are making all the running so far, in every sense -- is thwarted by some good cover tackling, but then a brutally poor kick from hand by Anscombe flies straight into touch. More jeering from the Parisians.
34'Well, now he definitely won't - as it's Lopez who takes on the duties! And he converts. Cheeky jeer from the Paris crowd, who are thoroughly enjoying their evening so far.
34'Well, now he definitely won't - as it's Lopez who takes on the duties! And he converts. Cheeky jeer from the Paris crowd, who are thoroughly enjoying their evening so far.
34'13-0 Penalty goal - Camille Lopez , France
32'Scrum to France, five metres out. Advantage for offside. Wales are trying to slow the ball down. It's not likely to work for long. And sure enough referee Barnes takes the play back for the offside. Posts, and this one should break the kicking duck for the night, as it's right in front of the uprights. Even the shot-shy Parra won't miss this.
30'Lovely kick forward from Parra puts Liam Williams under pressure in the corner, on his own line, but nifty footwork buys him time and Wales can clear to halfway. Superb kick over the top from Penaud now puts Tomos Williams under pressure, and he's carried over his own line by Penaud who had chased superbly. France are playing wonderfully.
28'And Anscombe has missed again! Well, we're 27 minutes in and there have been five missed kicks. At some point, the teams are going to adjust and start kicking for the corner when they have 40m-plus penalties.
27'Great take of a contested high ball from Huget, who is exemplifying just how good the French handling has been so far in the wet conditions. For all of that, France are caught offside five metres inside their own half, and this will be a penalty for Wales. Shot at goal? Shot at goal...
26'It's early... but France look very good...
26'It's early... but France look very good...
24'The conversion is missed. It was the hardest of the night, way out on the left touchline, so no surprise that we're still blank in successful attempts at the posts.
24'Wales looked to have thwarted any danger, but France have worked some slick ball through midfield and Huget gets down the left flank in slides in at the corner. TRY FRANCE! George North gets caught out, overcommitting before a brilliant back-of-the-hand pass from Iturria to get Huget free.
23'10-0 Try - Yoann Huget , France
22'France are now into the Wales 22, Parra appears to be lining up Lopez for an attempted drop goal, but eventually Lopez kicks high towards the right corner. However, Liam Williams is rock solid under that high ball. A brief exchange of punts, and France have a lineout midway inside the Wales half.
19'Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones had a brief chat about that with referee Wayne Barnes, but there really wasn't much to complain about. It was a knock on, fair and square.
18'Or have they? Well, it wouldn't be an international rugby match without a late TMO intervention...

It looks as though Williams has lost the ball just inches from the line, as he hit the turf before sliding over. You could kind of tell from Williams' celebrations that he figured this might be spotted, and the referee intervened just before the conversion could be kicked.
17'Wales are on the attack again, getting the furthest into French territory that they've been so far in the opening quarter. Tomos Williams is getting a chance to put hands on the ball with Wales working through the phases, and his slick inside pass to Josh Navidi sets up a break. It's worked to the left, and Liam Williams times his run beautifully, stepping inside and going over for the TRY! Wales level the match!
15'Nope, he cannot. He also pushed his kick, as Parra has with his two attempts (it was Parra, not Lopez, who missed the conversion). Is that perhaps a result of the slippery turf affecting the plant foot in the kicking process? It certainly seems a consistent flaw, and there might be a rethink over these long shots at three points.
14'Fascinatingly, Gareth Anscombe is taking this shot at goal from fully 41 metres, on the angle. Can he fare better than Parra?
13'Wales have their first spell of possession in the French half, and immediately win a penalty for offside. It's chipped over the top by Gareth Anscombe, who knew he had the advantage and also recognised the play was going nowhere fast. France gather easily, but the play will come back for that offside penalty.
11'Morgan Parra has decided to have a pop at goal, which is a bit of a surprise given the distance. It's a very sweet strike, but it's narrowly wide of the left upright.
10'The French are dominant so far, although a handling error on halfway provides a brief chance for Wales, who stab the ball forward and chase through. However, France not only tidy things up, they turn the tide and win a penalty just inside the Welsh half as Josh Adams was adjudged to have come in from the side.
8'And the conversion is pushed wide -- that's a bad miss from Camille Lopez as it was not a difficult angle at all. Perhaps the underfoot conditions played a part? That's one to watch with the place-kicking game going forward.
6'France are up to the 10th phase of this possession -- and they're over! Louis Picamoles! The big No.8 shows slick footwork to step inside, then drops the shoulder to barge over the line in dominant fashion, bodies flaying out his way. Impressive start from France.
6'5-0 Try - Louis Picamoles , France
5'France are making the most of the running at the moment, with Huget charging through into the Welsh 22. It's worked from left to right and Ntamack is making good ground before Hadley Parks makes a key tackle. France are 10 metres from the Wales line...
3'France win the lineout on the Wales 22, but it's knocked on soon after by Wesley Fofana. Sighs ring round the Stade de France.
2'France win the first penalty of the match, with Wales going in off feet on the left touchline. It's kicked to the corner -- the angle probably putting Les Bleus off from a shot at goal from 40 metres.
1'It's a deep kick and Louis Picamoles gathers in his own 22. Morgan Parra picks up from the ruck and hits a kick deep, but misses touch, and Wales will build from inside their own half.
1'It's a deep kick and Louis Picamoles gathers in his own 22. Morgan Parra picks up from the ruck and hits a kick deep, but misses touch, and Wales will build from inside their own half.
1'Gareth Anscombe to kick off -- and we are under way!
1'Anthems done, we're about to get going. It's a wet night in Paris -- who might that favour?
1'The teams are out for the anthems -- the Six Nations is about to begin!
1'For Wales, all eyes will be on scrum-half Tomos Williams, who makes his Six Nations debut at No.9 tonight. Williams played age-grade basketball before moving on to Rugby Sevens and now the full-fledged Wales XV, with Warren Gatland picking him ahead of Gareth Davies.
1'So who are the players to watch tonight? One name in the France lineup might be familiar to long-time rugby fans: Ntamack.

Romain Ntamack -- the son of former international wing Emile -- makes his debut for Les Bleus tonight having been in sensational form for club side Toulouse. Romain is 19, and he was born two months after the final staging of the Five Nations Championship in 1999.
1'There is also just about enough time to read Tom Hamilton's comprehensive preview of the tournament. He doesn't hold back:

"But again, as is the annual occurrence, there is this irritating white noise around the tournament. There seems to be a constant need in the corridors of power to snipe away at this championship on an annual basis in a mosquito-esque fashion.

Ignore those noises. For one moment, just pause and enjoy it."

Read the full preview.
1'There's a little over half an hour until kick-off, which means there's a little over half an hour to sign up to our Fantasy Rugby game.

There are weekly prizes of Beats Solo 3 Wireless Headphones, while the overall winner will claim a 13-inch Macbook Pro. And you can also take on your friends (and frenemies) head-to-head in our mini league option.
1'Hello and welcome to ESPN's live commentary of the first game of the 2019 Six Nations - France vs. Wales, in Paris.
1'0-0 Start of first half

Six Nations Championship 2019 News