France will be aiming to take maximum points from their 2025 Six Nations opener against hapless Wales at the Stade de France on Friday.
To Win
France 1/50 | Draw 55/1 | Wales 12/1
The hosts, buoyed by the return of the fabled Dupont/ Ntamack halfback combo, will look to pick up where they left off after showing imperious form in November, beating each of Japan, New Zealand, and Argentina. Even without the likes of injured stars Jonathan Danty, Gaël Fickou, and Charles Ollivon, theirs is the squad most likely of all to realistically compete with Ireland for championship glory.
With Thibaud Flament and Damian Penaud also out, albeit expected to return soon, Fabien Galthie has been forced into fielding several “second stringers”, though the uncanny depth at his disposal means there is not an extreme amount of value lost.
They line up against a Wales outfit that hasn’t won a game since the pool stages of the last Rugby World Cup in a run stretching back 12-Test matches. For even more context, the last time the Dragons claimed a win over France was way back in the 2019 RWC quarterfinal in Japan, with Le Bleu claiming six consecutive head-to-heads in that period.
Warren Gatland has named British & Irish Lions Liam Williams and Josh Adams in his starting side for some much-needed experience, while Cardiff’s Ben Thomas gets the nod at flyhalf and skipper Jac Morgan packs down on the side of the scrum. These men will have vital roles to play in front of what should be a vociferous crowd at the Stade de France.
The key for the visitors will be shutting down France’s gargantuan pack containing the likes of Manny Meafou (all 2.03m and 145kg of him) and Uini Atonio (1.96m and 149kg). That said, even teams like the All Blacks have tried and failed in this department, and hence it stands to reason that Wales may find out of the depth in Paris.
Verdict: Wales (+27.5) 9/10
It should be a long evening for the Welsh in the French capital.
