France 43 – 0 Wales



Jack Wilkinson

@jacktwilkinson

Antoine Dupont registers three first-half assists as France canter to crushing bonus-point victory over Wales in Six Nations opener; Warren Gatland’s side toothless in attack as seven France tries go unanswered

Last Updated: 31/01/25 10:42pm

Antoine Dupont starred as France thrashed Wales in Friday's Six Nations opener in Paris

Antoine Dupont starred as France thrashed Wales in Friday’s Six Nations opener in Paris

Antoine Dupont stole the show on his Six Nations return as France inflicted a 13th straight defeat on Wales with a crushing 43-0 opening-night victory in Paris.

After guiding France to rugby sevens gold at last summer’s Olympics, the Stade de France was once again rejoicing at the brilliance of Dupont, who assisted three of the four first-half tries wingers Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey shared.

Dupont’s mesmeric opportunism featured cross-field kicks and surgical dissections of the Welsh defence, who began their daunting assignment in the French capital positively but were ultimately forced into submission as they failed to score a point for the first time in a Six Nations game.

With a bonus-point secured before half-time and the foundations for victory laid, Dupont’s cameo would last 50 minutes, before second-half tries from Julien Marchand, Emilien Gailleton and Gregory Alldritt hammered home France’s dominance.

The only blot on an otherwise perfect night for Fabien Galthie’s side was the dismissal of fly-half Romain Ntamack, who will miss Saturday’s clash against England after he saw a yellow card upgraded to red for a high challenge on opposite number Ben Thomas.

Wales were not expected to cause an upset in Paris, but the manner Friday’s chastening defeat descended into an ill-disciplined and toothless performance will raise concern ahead of next week’s crunch showdown against Italy in Rome.

More to follow.

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