| Home team | Away Team | |
|---|---|---|
Wales
|
29 - 12 |
France
|
Last updated: 15th March 2008
FULL-TIME! The Millennium Stadium erupts! It's all over and 70,000 plus Wales fans are in dreamland. A remarkable achievement for the Gatland/Edwards partnership and one thing is for sure - there won't be a dry mouth in Cardiff tonight!
78 mins: 29-12: S.Jones picks up the bits and a wry smile is spread on the Welshman's face for all to see. The trophy is within touching distance...
77 mins: TRY!!!!!!!!!!!!! A fantastic way to seal the match and the Grand Slam. M.Williams broke the gain line in trademark fashion and went over under the posts. An appropriate way to seal a well-deserved Championship
76 mins: Magic: Moment of the match as M.Jones runs within a metre of the line from his own 22. He left Les Bleus players in his wake but was hauled down agonsingly close to the line
74 mins: 22-12: Fantastic kick from S.Jones. Start the cars, stock the bars, the Grand Slam is on its way to Wales!
73 mins: Penalty: For Wales as France are too eager on the floor, and S.Jones may well fancy a piece of this
71 mins: Penalty: M.Williams is guilty of not rolling away and Yachvilli slaps the ball right through the middle of the posts
70 mins: Urgency: France are giving it all they can and they must be commended for that. The harsh truth is that their play is just too one dimensional and Wales are dealing with it comfortably
67 mins: Brick wall: Once again the Wales defence just refuses to relent as Les Bleus are held up inches from the line
66 mins: Sloppy Poor play from Wales leads to a France scrum right underneath the posts
64 mins: 19-9: Sweetly struck through the middle. France hopes are dashed and the Millennium Stadium starts to celebrate
63 mins: Penalty: Wales are dominant now. France didn't roll away from the tackle and Jones has a chance to extend the lead
62 mins: 16-9: S.Jones strikes over in place of the substituted Hook
60 mins:TRY!! S.Williams becomes the leading try scorer in the history of Welsh international rugby. An error from Traille sees the ball land at the feet of Williams, and the nippy winger kicked the ball forward and latched onto it to go over under the posts. The Grand Slam is all but sealed
58 mins: Quiet: Not a great deal to report. France continue to probe - Wales continue to stand firm. France must score in the next five minutes to keep any championship-winning hopes alive
54 mins: Solid: France are huffing and puffing but just can't break the stubborn Wales defence down. Byrne has been a commanding figure at full-back
52 mins: Burst: S.Williams gets his first opportunity to spread his legs and he drives menacingly at the French line
50 mins: Henson returns The golden boy of Welsh rugby returns from the bin
49 mins: 50th cap: Duncan Jones enters the field to a bring up his personal milestone
48 mins: 9-9: Elissalde is putting his opposing No.10 to shame and strikes clinically through the posts to level it up
46 mins: Penalty: A sustained spell of French pressure is rewarded as Wales are guilty of putting hands on the floor just outside their 22
44 mins: Miss: The angle was against him and Hook pulls his kick wide of the posts
43 mins: Penalty: France pay the price for trying to run their way out of danger. Clerc tried to take on S.Williams when a kick to touch was the sensible ploy, and Les Bleus are penalised for holding on
41 mins: Restart: Skrela gets us going again. He manages to kick the ball forward this time and France immediately put Wales under pressure
HALF-TIME: A helter-skelter half comes to an end. Wales will feel they could be further ahead, but France are still in with a shout and must capitialise on their one man advantage after the interval
40 mins: 9-6: Elissalde makes no mistake to bring his side within three points
40 mins: Penalty: Chance for France on the stroke of half-time as Wales are penalised for offside. In the same attack Henson unleashes a nasty high tackle on Ouedraogo and receives a YELLOW CARD. 10 minutes in the bin for the Ospreys centre
39 mins: Gap Traille finds a rare hole in the Wales defence and bursts into their 22
38 mins: Superb: Stunning defence from M.Williams breaks up Les Bleus attack and sets the hosts away on an attack of their won.
37 mins: Line-out: Wales defend a dangerous France line-out deep inside their own 22
34 mins: Knock-on: M. Jones breaks down a threatening France attack but knocked the ball forward in the process and Les Bleus win a scrum
31 mins: Off the ball: Traille gives Byrne a cheap left jab away from the view of the referee. The Wales full-back gets to his feet but looks a touch groggy it's fair to say
30 mins: Possession: France have kept the ball well for the last few minutes and are desperately searching for the killer break. Wales are just refusing to be breached
26 mins: Turn over: France are struggling to find any rhythm courtesy of a mixture of sustained Welsh pressure and slow ball
24 mins: Knock-on: A swift France attack is brought to a halt after Jauzion knocks-on under pressure
23 mins: 9-3: 3 out of 4 for the No.10 - Wales back in charge
22 mins: Errors Straight from Hook's re-start Dusautoir spills the ball, and after holding on concedes another penalty
21 mins: 6-3: Elissalde fires home to cut the deficit
20 mins: Response> France hit-back and win a penalty of their own. M.Williams didn't release the ball and the visitors have a chance to bite back
19 mins: 6-0: And he does... No mistake this time as Wales extend their lead
18 mins: Penalty: Another error from Les Bleus who are caught offside on their own 22. Another opportunity for Hook - one I expect him to take
16 mins: Charge down: Skrela is having a nightmare start to this game. Hook charges down the French fly-half's boot and as a result wins his side a scrum in a dangerous position
14 mins: Silence: Hook drags his attempt wide much to the disappointment of the home fans
13 mins: Penalty: France kill the ball after a good break from Shanklin. A chance for 6-0
12 mins: Pressure: Wales aren't giving their oppenents a minutes rest. Hook charges down his up and under and forces Floch out of touch in his own 22
9 mins: Unbelievable: A moment of pure comedy in Cardiff. Skrela's re-start went backwards after a truly brilliant slice. Scrum for Wales on the halfway line as I continue to squint in disbelief
8 mins: 3-0: Advantage Wales. The Ospreys man makes no mistake
7 mins: Penalty: France didn't roll away and conceded a penalty well in range for Hook
6 mins: Break: A superb break from the hosts orchastrated by Hook. Quick hands saw the ball worked to Mark Jones who surged into the France 22
4 mins: Henson hit: The Wales centre gets in his second strong tackle in the opening stages to halt a swift French attack
2 mins: Penalty: Wales are caught offside and France win a penalty in their own half. Skrela finds good touch
KICK-OFF: Hook gets us underway and Henson puts in a hard early tackle on Nallett and France are forced over the touchline deep into their 22
Preview: Wales were in fine voice as well and they will be hoping their play is equally spectacular is they look to seal a stunning Grand Slam triumph
Anthems: It's that time of the day. Full of passion the French roar out their chorus of La Marseillaise
Out they come: Ian Gough leads out Wales as he celebrates his 50th cap. A packed out Millennium Stadium expects. The atmosphere is electric!
Teams:
Wales: 15 L. Byrne, 14 M. Jones, 13 T. Shanklin, 12 G. Henson, 11 S. Williams, 10 J. Hook, 9 M. Phillips, 1 G. Jenkins, 2 H. Bennett, 3 A. Jones, 4 I. Gough, 5 A. Jones, 6 J. Thomas, 7 M. Williams, 8 R. Jones (capt).
Replacements: 16 M Rees, 17 D Jones, 18 I Evans, 19 G Delve, 20 D Peel, 21 S Jones, 22 S Parker.
France: 15 A Floch, 14 V Clerc, 13 Y Jauzion, 12 D Traille, 11 J Malzieu, 10 D Skrela, 9 J-Baptiste Elissalde; 1 F Barcella, 2 D Szarzewski, 3 N Mas, 4 L Nallet (capt), 5 J Thion, 6 T Dusautoir, 7 F Ouedraogo, 8 J Bonnaire.
Replacements: 16 W Servat, 17 J-Baptiste Poux, 18 A Mela, 19 E Vermeulen, 20 D Yachvili, 21 F Trinh-Duc, 22 C Heymans
Welcome to skysports.com's live minute-by-minute commentary of the RBS Six Nations decider between Wales and France from the Millennium Stadium.
| Time | Result |
|---|---|
| Guinness Premiership | |
| Thursday 2nd October | |
| Worcester 23 - 30 Harlequins | |
| Wednesday 1st October | |
| London Irish 28 - 6 Sale | |
| Leicester 29 - 19 Northampton | |
| Bristol 16 - 23 Saracens | |
| Wasps 23 - 27 Bath | |
| Tuesday 30th September | |
| Gloucester 39 - 23 Newcastle | |
| Saturday 27th September | |
| Harlequins 27 - 28 London Irish | |
| Saracens 26 - 12 Northampton | |
| Bath 37 - 19 Worcester | |
| Friday 26th September | |
| Newcastle 17 - 3 Bristol | |