| Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Friday, 11th March Kick-off:20:00 GMT |
| Coverage:Live on BBC One, BBC iPlayer or online at 19:30 GMT; listen to BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio Wales; text commentary available on BBC Sport website, app. |
Dan Biggar, Wales captain, says he’s happy people are talking about Grand Slam-chasing France in the lead up to the Six Nations showdown at Cardiff.
Fabien Galthie’s team is looking for a fourth leg in their Six Nations sweep, which would be their first clean sweep since 2010. Many observers consider France to be the best side in the World.
The defending champions Wales suffered defeats against England and Ireland, and were narrowly defeated by Scotland. Biggar, however, kicked a match-winning goal in his 100th international.
Biggar stated, “It’s going to take a huge performance for us to pick up a win but we are confident.”
“We are very happy for France, [Antoine] Dupont, [Romain]Shaun and Ntamack [Edwards]To take all the headlines, stardust, and other things.
“We hope to go quietly under radar and do our businesses on Friday night.”
It was nearly a year ago when France caused heartache in Paris for Wales by inflicting the Grand Slam.
Wayne Pivac had led for the majority of the captivating contest. Brice Dulin crossed at end to secure a 32-30 victory at home.
Wales won the Six Nations title again the next weekend, but they lost the tournament sweep.
Also, revenge is possible in Welsh minds.
Biggar insists, “Not this weekend. We haven’t ever mentioned it.”
“We are not bothered by France’s Grand Slam or Championship win.
“We don’t care about finishing on a high.
Although Wales may have lost to France last year, they showed a blueprint for how to fight back against the Les Bleus revolution.
Biggar stated, “It’s unfortunate we were playing them during that Grand Slam match in Paris, and we couldn’t get over the line.”
“It’s funny, that campaign, we won 4 games up to then and played well against England.
“But it’s clear that the French game was the best of our games as a group and we were on the losing side.
“We took it to France and made it very clear that we didn’t just want to absorb everything they were throwing at us.
It is hard with the top-level players France has. They have the talent and power to score 20-plus points.
“So, we knew we had to score at least 20 points in order to get a chance to win.
“That was our mindset when we started, and that’s what it is now.”
Although Wales’ Paris team was at its best, Pivac suffered a prolonged injury list during the last twelve months.
Since the 2019 World Cup, the New Zealander has not used the same starting lineup in 25 matches.
“There have been many injuries that have prevented the ability to [same]Biggar said, “Team being named.”
“The boys know our structures and play and what we are trying achieve.
“It’s nothing major for us in terms team changes. It’s about the person coming into that team trying their best to make them feel as relaxed and comfortable as possible.
Wayne has a larger picture. He has been trying to improve his strength and depth in preparation for next year’s World Cup.
French flair
Biggar believes France has improved since March 2021. France beat New Zealand in November last year and opened the Six Nations campaign by beating Ireland, Scotland, and Italy.
Biggar added, “Based on the form they’ve shown over 12 months they’re playing some thrilling rugby underpinned by an amazing-sized pack and ball carrier they’ve got.”
“This French team is likely to be slightly different than the ones we’ve played in the last few seasons in terms the size of the pack, in-form player and coaching setup.
They won’t give you too much to eat. It’s about being disciplined and matching them physically.
“Physicality was a big thing for us on Friday night. Take a look at how they destroyed Scotland in half.
It’s about being physically fit. We will have to work hard to get Friday night’s dinner.
Biggar and Tomas Williams will face off against France’s formidable halfback partnership of Dupont & Ntamack.
Biggar added, “Dupont is a great influence and his partnership avec Ntamack have flourished. They’re in good shape.”
“They’re going be very dangerous men.”
Edwards was the defence coach, and he spent over a decade as a member of Warren Gatland’s Wales backroom staff. He said goodbye after the 2019 World Cup.
Biggar said that “Shaun made a tremendous difference going in there, and added some discipline and work ethic,”
“They’ve always been talented and have always faced off against great athletes. But they’ve got that extra edge now and look like the real deal.
“He sent me an SMS after the Scotland match. Although it was nice of him, I haven’t spoken to him in a while.
“Knowing Shaun he will continue to do business as usual up until the end.
“Then I will probably try to catch up with him after the match.”