Wales vs France
22nd February 1300hrs
Rugby – Wales – Six Nations
Pick France +6 handicap
Bookmaker bet365
Odds: 10/11 odds taken 18:26 GMT, Wednesday 19th January
France were left top of the pile after two rounds of the 2020 Six Nations championship. With wins over England and Italy, Les Bleus have made a decent start.
Now comes their first big way test of the campaign. Wales will be looking to rebuild back in Cardiff after a loss in Ireland last time out.
Table of Contents
Wales can defend home territory
Wales haven’t lost at home against France since 2010. It has been a mixed start to the 2020 Six Nations campaign by Wales, opening with a thumping 42-0 win in Cardiff over Italy, before falling 24-14 in Ireland.
The one area in which the Welsh look as if they need a little step up in performance levels is in the sacrum. It hasn’t quite been as secure and solid as new head coach Wayne Pivac would have liked.
In last year’s Grand Slam-winning campaign, Wales only gave up seven tries in the entire competition. So shipping four in their defeat in Dublin a couple of weeks ago will have hurt them.
Ireland were able to hurt Wales up front, dominating territory through the forwards and gaining a big foothold in the game from there.
The defeat against Ireland saw Wales lose for the first time in nine Six Nations matches. In a bruising match, it took a long time for Wales to get going. They will be facing a huge French pack as well on the weekend.
Wales collected a 20-13 win in Paris last year and they’ve won four of the last five meetings. It was a dramatic 14-13 success that they took over the Les Bleus in their last home fixture against them in 2013.
None of the last five meetings between Wales and France have been settled by more than a nine-point margin.
Can France keep up the momentum?
France were brilliant on the opening weekend of the 2020 Six Nations. They were at home against England, who were doing all the talking about putting the French under massive physical pressure.
It was the other way around in the match, however, as the big French forwards dominated and absorbed everything that England threw at them.
It was a 24-17 win for France and a massive one in terms of importance for them.
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It will be fascinating to see how they handle themselves on the road now for the first time this year. They have former Wales defensive coach Shaun Edwards, and it will be so interesting to see if this French side can hold a disciplined defensive display together.
In their second game, France hosted Italy and weren’t as consistent over 80-minutes as they had been against England. They were patchy, especially when they changed most of their pack midway through the second half.
They allowed Italy to come back at them a bit, but France still took a 35-22 win and even though they eased off, never looked in danger.
Wales vs France Betting Advice
Just back at the 2019 World Cup Wales and France went head to head in a thriller. The Welsh came out with a victory by just one point.
In the last four meetings, two of the matches have been settled by just one point, another by two points and the other was by five.
Key Facts – Wales vs France Betting Tip
- Wales beat France 20-19 at last year’s World Cup
- Wales are W1 L1 in this campaign, France are W2
- France have won only one of the last five Six Nations meetings with Wales
So another tight clash can be expected. Wales have lost three of their last four games played now. How they were bullied and harassed up front against Ireland will be a concern.
This is likely to be another tight encounter and expect France to come at them hard up front early on. That’s where it is going to be key for the visitors, who can defend a +6 handicap.
The best betting odds for Wales vs France
Wales to win: 10/21 at Bet365
Draw: 25/1 at Bet365
France: 15/8 at Bet365
