Latest news with #2025SixNations
Telegraph
15-03-2025
- Sport
- Telegraph
Six Nations Super Saturday predictions: Who are our experts backing to win championship?
The 2025 Six Nations concludes this weekend with Ireland, England and France all capable of winning the title in three mouth-watering matches stretching from early afternoon to a late night in Paris. First Ireland take on Italy in Rome with the wooden spoon possibly looming for the hosts in a strange anomaly given that they have won a match. Next up is England's visit to the Cardiff cauldron. France, who finished round four with a one-point lead in the standings by virtue of a greater haul of bonus points, will then know exactly what they need to prevail in the 8pm kick-off at Stade de France. Telegraph Sport's rugby experts predict how the weekend will unfold. Italy 14 Ireland 52 How Simon Easterby would have loved to have fielded the side that is available to him in Rome against France last week. With James Lowe, Mack Hansen and Garry Ringrose restored to the back line, and a first appearance on the bench of Tadgh Furlong, expect Ireland to finish their campaign with a bang to ease the disappointment of their humbling by France and put some title pressure on England and Les Bleus. The fascinating subplot will be how Jack Crowley grabs hold of the game, with his first start of the championship. Wales 15 England 40 Wales will hope for a rousing finish to another tough campaign against the old enemy and it should make for a fantastic atmosphere, but I expect England to push on from their display against Italy and the specific target of needing four tries should sharpen minds and free up their attacking intent. France 28 Scotland 30 Gregor Townsend knows what it takes to win in Paris, and talk of France's procession to the Six Nations title will no doubt have fired up the Scotland players, as it famously did in 2021 when they needed a bonus-point win to pip Wales. Scotland won 27-23 and they should also have beaten France at Murrayfield last year only for the match officials somehow to rule that Sam Skinner had not scored with the final play of the game. It will take a monumental effort, but Scotland have the back line to cause France problems in the wide channels, in the scenario that France struggle to replicate the intensity of their display against Ireland. France hold on to pip England Italy 23 Ireland 45 It has been a disappointing campaign for Italy, with their defensive fragility nullifying moments of brilliance in attack. I expect that frustrating trend to continue to finish the tournament. The visitors are welcoming back important reinforcements and Jack Crowley has a point to prove at fly-half. All that should add up to Ireland spending at least a couple of hours as clubhouse leaders. Wales 24 England 35 Matt Sherratt can certainly cause a stir here. The Wales scrum has earned penalties since round three, while a back row of Aaron Wainwright, Jac Morgan and Taulupe Faletau is a classy unit. Injuries at centre or lock would throw Steve Borthwick into contingency mode quickly. All that said, England can rouse themselves to prevail in a loose, entertaining game, scoring four tries to clinch second. France 39 Scotland 30 This could be a cracker to cap a compelling couple of months and Scotland might have reflected on the lessons of their loss to South Africa in November. In that encounter, they created enough chances to oust the Springboks and countered their opponents' fearful power everywhere except the scrum. Even if France do not replicate the devastation of a 34-point surge in Dublin, a home crowd should carry them to the Championship. France win in style Italy 17 Ireland 53 The virtue for Ireland of going first on 'Super Saturday' is that there is no specific points total to chase, merely the knowledge that they must win by as wide a margin as possible to have any chance of being crowned champions. Italy should prepare for another shellacking. After shipping 73 to France, they are at risk of a repeat humiliation against a side scalded by a heavy loss in Dublin. The problem for the Italians is that while they can flicker in bursts, courtesy of Ange Capuozzo, they lack the cohesion for a true 80-minute performance against opposition of this calibre. Wales 18 England 30 The danger for England is self-evident, with a wounded Wales desperate to avert a record-extending 17th consecutive Test defeat. But their commitment to all-out attack is promising, with Tom Roebuck making his first start on the wing and Tommy Freeman primed to round off his exceptional Six Nations with a switch to 13. I just cannot envisage Wales, for all their back-row heft, having enough to trouble England in the second half. France 48 Scotland 21 With Gaël Fickou's restoration at outside centre, France's attack is little short of terrifying. Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored in his seventh straight Test against Ireland, breaking the record of a certain Damian Penaud, who achieved history of his own by equalling Serge Blanco's mark of 38 tries for his country – in 38 fewer games. Scotland, by contrast, remain a maddening study in thwarted promise. Their late toil last Saturday, where a succession of visits to the Welsh 22 yielded nothing, was an apt reflection of their tournament, full of expansive intent but ultimately lacking in composure. They will do well to keep title-chasing France from scoring 50 at home. France hold their nerve Italy 14 Ireland 54 Ireland are too professional and classy to allow a potential banana skin to blindside them. Despite defeating Wales, Italy have not managed to build fully on their impressive 2024 campaign and an Irish side looking to avenge that French humbling should have too much for them. Plus, there are Lions spots on the line; there might be a title to win, too. Wales 22 England 30 It is never easy for England in the Cardiffian Lion's den but this Welsh side, while resurgent, is still some way off the level required to trouble the better sides for 80 minutes. Expect it to be cagey for 50 minutes before the visitors achieve some daylight. England know, too, that a bonus-point victory puts pressure on France. France 42 Scotland 29 France might have thrown one match away this championship but their phenomenal victory in Dublin has granted them a reprieve. Lightning will not strike twice and although the Scottish challenge will be stern, the visitors just do not have the depth nor bench firepower to compete after 65 minutes, which is where France excelled against Ireland. France to win title, but draw with Scotland Italy 25 Ireland 30 The Irish have fallen off a cliff the last few games and it would be no surprise to see them run uncomfortably close by the Italians. Would then be a long wait for Simon Easterby's men. Wales 18 England 21 If this is indeed a Welsh revival then it will need more than a couple of losing points. England are not up to much, but if they can survive what is sure to be a monumental atmosphere they will be too strong. France 30 Scotland 30 The Tartan attack was electrifying in that first 50 minutes against Wales. Without Dupont and the pressure of silverware, the French will be vulnerable. I think it will be thrillingly close. And perhaps there will be no separating the two teams. Wales to upset England, France to win overall Italy 21 Ireland 40 Bounce-back performances are required from a lot of Ireland's Lions hopefuls but they should have enough here. Italy, while a delight to watch, just switch off for too many long periods in games and their regression in this year's championship has been frustrating. Wales 25 England 23 Admittedly, the fact that England have shown real progress – please do not revert back to kicking for victory, trust your skills – combined with Wales' losing run means this call is made with slightly less conviction than a few weeks ago. But Wales have shown flashes of progress in the past two games, and Wales-England can be a funny fixture where form does not matter. Since the end of the autumn, this fixture has stood out with flashing alarm signs. Imagine the noise if Wales pull it off. France 42 Scotland 33 There will be a point in this match where Scotland have France feeling very concerned, and another point where the crowd will breathe a sigh of relief as the home side pull away. Still seething at France for how wasteful they were at Allianz Stadium, but their bench feels too powerful for Scotland. Galthié's side are too good to have produced only one title – time to add to that. One final note: Louis Bielle-Biarrey, on seven tries, has a real chance to tie or surpass the record of eight tries in one Home, Five or Six Nations, held by Cyril Lowe (England, 1914) and Ian Smith (Scotland, 1925).
The Independent
24-02-2025
- Sport
- The Independent
Six Nations title permutations: What Ireland, France and England need to win the championship
There are just two rounds of the 2025 Six Nations remaining and the title race has taken shape with three teams still harbouring realistic ambitions of lifting the trophy on 15 March. Ireland are hunting history as they look to become the first team to win three straight Five or Six Nations outright titles and are still on track for a grand slam after downing a surprisingly feisty Wales side 27-18 in Cardiff in round three. France still appear to be their closest challengers, especially with a monumental game between the sides lined up for round four in Dublin, after Les Bleus took out their frustration over a surprise defeat to England in round two on a helpless Italy – crossing for 11 tries in a French record 73-24 rout. Speaking of England, the incredibly dramatic wins over France and then Scotland have ignited their hopes of a first Six Nations crown since the Covid-interrupted 2020 edition. Slightly 'friendlier' remaining fixtures against Italy and Wales will give Steve Borthwick's men belief that they can steal in and pinch the title away from their more-fancied foes. Here's what each team needs to win the title but first, a look at the current table and the remaining fixtures: Remaining 2025 Six Nations fixtures Round four Saturday 8 March: Ireland v France - Aviva Stadium, Dublin (2.15pm, ITV) Saturday 8 March: Scotland v Wales - Murrayfield, Edinburgh (4.45pm, BBC) Sunday 9 March: England v Italy - Allianz Stadium, Twickenham (3pm, ITV) Round five Saturday 15 March: Italy v Ireland - Stadio Olimpico, Rome (2.15pm, ITV) Saturday 15 March: Wales v England - Principality Stadium, Cardiff (4.45pm, BBC) Saturday 15 March: France v Scotland - Stade de France, Paris (8pm, ITV) IRELAND As mentioned above, Ireland are the favourites to win this year's championship and are the only side with a 100 per cent record so far after victories against England, Scotland and Wales. The easiest route to the title for interim coach Simon Easterby's men is securing victories over France and Italy in the final two rounds to seal the grand slam. In fact, a draw with France and win over Italy would also be enough to lift the trophy providing it was either accompanied by at least one bonus point or their final points difference was better than England's if both teams ended on 20 tournament points. If Ireland lose to France (who they currently lead by three tournament points) in round four, then things would get complicated and the exact situation would depend on bonus points, final-day results and potentially points difference. Given France's mammoth points difference of +91 following big wins over Wales and Italy, realistically Ireland (currently +28 points difference) will need to finish at least one point above them in the final reckoning to take the title. That would require either getting multiple bonus points in a loss to France or Scotland doing them a favour by avoiding defeat to Les Bleus on the final day. France reignited their title hopes with a thrashing of Italy in round three which, combined with their 43-0 triumph over Wales on the opening day, means they will almost certainly have the advantage in points difference if they finish level on tournament points with another nation. Their title chances will be over if they fail to win either of their remaining two games but beat Ireland in Dublin and they are right in the hunt. They currently trail Ireland by three tournament points, so restricting them to no more than one bonus point in defeat would guarantee Fabien Galthie's troops finishing above the men in green providing they then score a bonus-point victory over Scotland on Super Saturday. They currently lead England by one tournament point and points difference, rather than head to head record, being the determining factor if teams finish level on points plays to their advantage. Two bonus-point wins would take England to 20 tournament points, meaning France would need nine from their last two matches to match them (and then beat them on points difference). Scoring four tries in one of their final two victories would achieve that goal. England have the trickiest route to the title and any realistic hope begins with them securing bonus-point wins over Italy and Wales in the final two rounds to move to 20 tournament points. Even then, Borthwick's men will be relying on results elsewhere, starting with France beating Ireland in round four. If Ireland don't get any bonus points while losing that contest, then England will be guaranteed to finish above them with two bonus-point wins. However, if Ireland get one bonus point in defeat to Les Bleus, then it would come down to points difference between the sides should the men in green secure a bonus-point win over Italy in round five and Ireland currently have a healthy advantage there (+28 to -3). While England need France to beat Ireland in round four, they could do with victory not being too convincing. Given France's uncatchably superior points difference (+91 to -3), England cannot afford them to end the Six Nations on more than 19 tournament points. That is eight more than their current total, meaning that two French wins without a four-try bonus point would still allow England to finish above them but a try bonus point in either victory would make that impossible. If France do secure a bonus-point win over Ireland, then England would be relying on a favour from Scotland on the final day by avoiding defeat.
Yahoo
08-02-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
World Rugby confirm Wales rankings disaster after defeat to Italy
Wales' defeat in Italy has condemned them to a new record low in the World Rugby rankings It has been confirmed Warren Gatland's side have now dropped below Georgia to 12th. The slump, which would have been unthinkable not so long ago, comes at a time when many are calling for the Rugby Europe Championship favourites to be given the chance to stake a claim for a Six Nations place. Even Wales legend Sam Warburton believes a Six Nations relegation match should be held between the bottom nation and the winners of the second tier competition, which has been dominated by the Georgians for years. You can read about that here. READ MORE: Wales player ratings as Warren Gatland gets selection wrong but Faletau still has it READ MORE: Wales are clueless as Gatland's experiment fails and leaves him on the brink After the game against Italy in Rome today which saw Wales lose 22-15, they have slumped further down the rankings. You can see how the game unfolded here. Dan Biggar and Jamie Roberts described the performance in Italy as one of the team's poorest performances in recent memory. Jamie Roberts said that we "cannot accept this is the level we should be playing at". Shane Williams, who was reporting on the game for ITV, said that the "gameplan was totally wrong!" Following the first weekend of the 2025 Six Nations, Wales were already in 11th - the country's worst ever ranking. They have now lost 14 consecutive matches over the past 15 months or so. Georgia beat the Netherlands 40-7 in the latest round of the Rugby Europe Men's Championship 2025 on Saturday, meaning they now move above Wales.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
France vs Wales LIVE: Six Nations 2025 match stream, latest score and rugby updates today
France vs Wales LIVE The 2025 Six Nations kicks off tonight in Paris as France host Wales at Stade de France. Les Bleus are in fine shape heading into the tournament as favourites, looking to add to their solitary title won in 2022. It couldn't be more different for Wales, who have lost their last 12 matches, including every game in 2024, and last year picked up the wooden spoon. Head coach Warren Gatland is overseeing a transition to a young squad, but many of his players are yet to taste victory in a red shirt and many onlookers will be expecting tonight to defeat no.13. France will be raring to go, and have Antoine Dupont chomping at the bit after skipping last year in favour of Olympics preparations. It's likely to be a busy night for experienced pair Josh Adams and Liam Williams, and Tomos Williams will need to continue his fine form if the Welsh are to get anything out of tonight's game. Kick-off in Paris is at 8.15pm, and you can follow all the build-up, action and reaction with our dedicated match blog below. Kick-off: 8.15pm, Stade de France How to watch for free in UK France team news and XV Wales team news and XV Prediction: Easy start for favourites 21:06 , Alex Young 41min: France drive and drive before Bielle-Biarrey is spotted free on the left, takes one step inside and then drops on the line. Bonus point on the stroke of half-time. 21:05 , Alex Young 40min: Relief for Wales as Gros drops the ball just yards from the line so we go back to the penalty. Last chance before the break. 21:03 , Alex Young 39min: France get the scrum and there's Dupont again looking for the run of Attissogbe, but this time the bounce isn't kind and the ball spins out of play. 21:02 , Alex Young 37min: Dupont pings another beauty for Bielle-Biarrey to chase but Rogers gets back and gets hand on the ball to prevent a fourth try. 20:58 , Alex Young 35min: Little bit of good news for Wales as Lloyd's yellow will not be upgraded to a red. 20:57 , Alex Young 34min: It's starting to get messy as more magic from Dupont sees him dance through the Welsh defence before unselfishly pops it wide for Attissogbe to run over. 20:56 , Alex Young 32min: France can't get any advantage from the penalty, which is wasted so the original pen is sent into touch. We'll have a five-metre line-out. 20:54 , Alex Young 31min: Lloyd is shown a yellow for a high tackle after a TMO review, so he gets an eight-minute timeout and France get a penalty. 20:53 , Alex Young 31min: Better from Wales as Dupont's kick is blocked and then the visitors are able to clear their lines. 20:52 , Alex Young 30min: Wales have twice now gifted France possession with silly individual mistakes. 20:51 , Alex Young 29min: Wales knock on inside their own 22, so that's a France scrum. 20:48 , Alex Young 27min: Oh dear, it's game over his Watkin as he is forced off with a possible knee injury. That looks nasty. Edwards is on for his debut. 20:46 , Alex Young 26min: Wales start to build something, until Thomas decides to do an up-and-under which none of his team-mates were expecting. Silly decision and his team are right back where they started. 20:44 , Alex Young 24min: Ramos converts. What do Wales have now? 20:43 , Alex Young 23min: The other winger gets on the scoreboard as Bielle-Biarrey's run behind Adams is spotted by Ramos to run through. Easy peasy. 20:41 , Alex Young 22min: Attissogbe sees a gap and looks for his second of the night, but this times there are enough red shirts in the way. 20:38 , Alex Young 19min: Ramos converts. 20:37 , Alex Young 18min: That is glorious! Dupont waits and waits and then pings an absolute beauty for Attissogbe to run onto and dive over. Stunner. 20:35 , Alex Young 15min: France drive at the line but again the Welsh defence stands firm. They will be happy with this opening half an hour. 20:34 , Alex Young 14min: Heart-in-mouth time for Wales as another fumble under pressure allows Boudehent to punt the ball along the ground and towards the posts... but Dupont cannot collect without knocking on. Scrum around five metres out. 20:32 , Alex Young 12min: Yet more frustrations for Wales, who work the ball out the scrum and across the pitch without spotting a gap. Alldritt then wins a pen. 20:30 , Alex Young 10min: Thomas looks for Rogers down the left wing, but Ramos jumps with him, there's a fumble and Williams boots it into touch. Time for another scrum, then. 20:27 , Alex Young 9min: A few failed scrums and France give away a free kick. 20:25 , Alex Young 7min: Urgh, that's a waste for Wales as they can clear their lines but fumble the ball to force a scrum. 20:24 , Alex Young 6min: A thrilling burst from Attissogbe gets bums off seats as he skips past one, holds off another but Reffell is there to stop him in his tracks. Wales win a penalty with France not releasing. 20:22 , Alex Young 4min: Wainwright comes off badly and is replaced by Reffell in a blood sub. 20:21 , Alex Young 3min: Frantic start as France win a penalty inside the Wales 22 and Dupont goes for the line. He looks certain to get over but is halted by three in red. 20:20 , Alex Young 2min: Ramos thumps a superb kick from inside his own half and into touch for a line-out inside the Wales 22. 20:17 , Alex Young 1min: Here we go. 20:13 , Alex Young A minute's applause in tribute to France Under-18 international Medhi Narjissi, who was swept away by the sea off the coast of Cape Town last year. A tragic story. 20:09 , Alex Young The Stade de France is lit up by fireworks and a great light show. This is something else. If the Welsh were not already feeling overawed, well... 20:08 , Alex Young ...and there's back in the tunnel. The Six Nations begins in about seven minutes. 20:00 , Alex Young Not long now, the players are heading back to the dressing rooms. 19:47 , Alex Young A huge night awaits the Welsh. 📸 𝙄𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙯𝙤𝙣𝙚 👊#GuinnessM6N — Welsh Rugby Union 🏴 (@WelshRugbyUnion) January 31, 2025 19:39 , Alex Young "If Wales pull off a result tonight, it would be one of the greatest upsets in Six Nations history given the form of the two teams. "France, in Paris, are really strong and Wales' 2024 was miserable. Some say that Wales tonight have a free shot - which they do - but they just keep losing and it adds and adds to the pressure. "It would be a huge, huge upset." 19:22 , Alex Young It wasn't long ago that Warren Gatland was regarded as one of the world's top rugby coaches. A disastrous second spell in charge of Wales is damaging his reputation, though. Under the New Zealander, Wales — a proud rugby nation — has just gone an entire calendar year without a win for the first time since 1937 and is on a record 12-match losing run. Five of those defeats came in last year's Six Nations, where the Welsh finished last for the first time since 2003. With Italy — the perennial wooden-spoon winner — steadily improving under coach Gonzalo Quesada, Wales looks primed for another whitewash that could spell the end for Gatland. 19:14 , Alex Young For many, France scrum-half Antoine Dupont is the world's best rugby player. In 2021, he was player of the year and has been player of the championship in the Six Nations a record-tying three times. France missed Dupont in last year's Six Nations, when he stepped away to focus on playing sevens for France at the Paris Olympics. Naturally, he starred in France's run to the gold medal but is back in 15s and just led the French to a third straight win over the All Blacks. 18:56 , Alex Young "I think there is more pressure on them because of the expectation from their fans. They expect them to go out there, throw the ball around, score tries and entertain everyone. "Sometimes teams can go and overplay, particularly early on, try things and make mistakes and this gives you opportunities." 18:46 , Alex Young "It's quite a long competition but it's also like a sprint, which is quite astonishing, so it's like a 400m race. "For these reasons, the opening game - whoever you face - remains special, and one to be approached with caution and motivation." 18:38 , Alex Young A little over 90 minutes until kick-off in Paris. 18:30 , Alex Young A Wales team in the midst of a record losing run could simply not have asked for a tougher start to this Six Nations campaign than opening night away in Paris. With the likes of Dupont and Ntamack back in the fold, France are favourites for the title with good reason and will be eager to put on a show in this curtain-raiser to send an early warning shot to Ireland, who host England in Dublin on Saturday. Wales can be forgiven for perhaps already having one eye on next weekend's trip to Rome, which will likely go a long way to deciding if they are staring down the barrel of another winless campaign and wooden spoon. Gatland needs to start picking up results fast but it is extremely difficult to see how they can even employ much by way of damage limitation here, much less stun fancied France, who have supreme attacking threats all over the park. Their only hope for a somewhat respectable night is that they catch Les Bleus a little cold in round one, with Galthie's side not yet firing on all cylinders. But even that seems a very tall order. France to win, by at least 20 points. 18:23 , Alex Young France XV: Ramos; Attissogbe, Barassi, Moefana, Bielle-Biarrey; Ntamack, Dupont (c); Gros, Mauvaka, Atonio; Roumat, Meafou; Cros, Boudehent, Alldritt Replacements: Marchand, Baille, Colombe, Auradou, Guillard, Jegou, Le Garrec, Gailleton Wales XV: L Williams; Rogers, Tompkins, Watkin, Adams; B Thomas, T Williams; G Thomas, Lloyd, H Thomas; Rowlands, Jenkins; Botham, Morgan (c), Wainwright Replacements: Dee, Smith, Assiratti, F Thomas, Reffell, R Williams, Edwards, Murray 18:12 , Alex Young As for Wales, Taulupe Faletau has been left out of the squad as he's not quite ready to play. Josh Adams and Liam Williams do provide some experience, along with centres Nick Tompkins and Owen Watkin, and Dafydd Jenkins is fit again to start at lock. Henry Thomas and Evan Lloyd make their first starts in the front row, with Keiron Assiratti among the replacements after reportedly struggling with a back spasm. There are only four of the same players in the starting XV from the side that were comfortably beaten by South Africa in the autumn - Will Rowlands, James Botham, Jac Morgan and Ben Thomas are the surviving quartet. Fly-half Sam Costelow will not be available for the Six Nations after breaking his collarbone playing for Scarlets in the Challenge Cup earlier this month, with Ben Thomas taking the No10 shirt. Wales' fortunes are not helped at all by a raft of other absentees including captain Dewi Lake, who will miss the whole competition after bicep surgery. Back-rower Morgan steps up as skipper in his absence, with Lloyd at hooker. Adam Beard, Mason Grady, Archie Griffin, Ryan Elias and Ben Carter are some of the other players currently unavailable for Wales due to injury, while Gatland has made some notable omissions from his tournament squad including Gareth Anscombe, Rio Dyer, Cameron Winnett, Taine Plumtree and Max Llewellyn. 18:04 , Alex Young Antoine Dupont was back on 15-a-side France duty in the autumn, but Les Bleus have now been further boosted by the return of fly-half Romain Ntamack, who starts alongside his Toulouse team-mate as their first-choice half-back pairing is finally reunited with Ntamack having not played internationally since the summer of 2023 due to injury. Star wing Damian Penaud is out with a toe complaint, leading to a start for Pau's 20-year-old Theo Attissogbe out wide. Centres Jonathan Danty and Gael Fickou are also sidelined at the moment, with Pierre-Louis Barassi partnering Yoram Moefana in a new midfield partnership, but wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey is fit to start despite dealing with an inner ear issue of late and Thomas Ramos shifts from fly-half back to 15. Mathieu Jalibert has not been picked for the matchday squad. There's a first start in the French second row for Alexandre Roumat, while Paul Boudehent fills in at openside flanker with former captain Charles Ollivon missing the entire Six Nations after knee surgery. Anthony Jelonch, Thibaud Flament, Romain Taofifenua and Reda Wardi are among France's other most notable injury absentees. Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou are both among the replacements after aggravated rape charges against the pair were dismissed by an Argentine court in December. France have six forwards on the bench, with the only cover for the backline provided by scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec and centre Emilien Gailleton. 17:54 , Alex Young TV channel: In the UK, France vs Wales is being shown live and free-to-air tonight on ITV1 and Welsh-language channel S4C, with coverage beginning on both at 7:30pm GMT. Live stream: Free coverage is also available online via ITVX and S4C Clic. 17:47 , Alex Young Good evening and welcome to the London Standard's LIVE coverage of the Six Nations clash between France and Wales. The hosts will be looking to make a comfortable start to what they hope is a winning tournament, with the bookies making them favourites to win the whole thing before a ball is kicked. Wales, meanwhile, have not won a game since the 2023 World Cup. That was 13 Tests ago. Tonight is expected to be unlucky no.13. Kick-off is at 8.15pm. Stick with us.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
France vs Wales LIVE: Six Nations 2025 match stream, latest score and rugby updates today
France vs Wales LIVE The 2025 Six Nations kicks off tonight in Paris as France host Wales at Stade de France. Les Bleus are in fine shape heading into the tournament as favourites, looking to add to their solitary title won in 2022. It couldn't be more different for Wales, who have lost their last 12 matches, including every game in 2024, and last year picked up the wooden spoon. Head coach Warren Gatland is overseeing a transition to a young squad, but many of his players are yet to taste victory in a red shirt and many onlookers will be expecting tonight to defeat no.13. France will be raring to go, and have Antoine Dupont chomping at the bit after skipping last year in favour of Olympics preparations. It's likely to be a busy night for experienced pair Josh Adams and Liam Williams, and Tomos Williams will need to continue his fine form if the Welsh are to get anything out of tonight's game. Kick-off in Paris is at 8.15pm, and you can follow all the build-up, action and reaction with our dedicated match blog below. Kick-off: 8.15pm, Stade de France How to watch for free in UK France team news and XV Wales team news and XV Prediction: Easy start for favourites 18:04 , Alex Young Antoine Dupont was back on 15-a-side France duty in the autumn, but Les Bleus have now been further boosted by the return of fly-half Romain Ntamack, who starts alongside his Toulouse team-mate as their first-choice half-back pairing is finally reunited with Ntamack having not played internationally since the summer of 2023 due to injury. Star wing Damian Penaud is out with a toe complaint, leading to a start for Pau's 20-year-old Theo Attissogbe out wide. Centres Jonathan Danty and Gael Fickou are also sidelined at the moment, with Pierre-Louis Barassi partnering Yoram Moefana in a new midfield partnership, but wing Louis Bielle-Biarrey is fit to start despite dealing with an inner ear issue of late and Thomas Ramos shifts from fly-half back to 15. Mathieu Jalibert has not been picked for the matchday squad. There's a first start in the French second row for Alexandre Roumat, while Paul Boudehent fills in at openside flanker with former captain Charles Ollivon missing the entire Six Nations after knee surgery. Anthony Jelonch, Thibaud Flament, Romain Taofifenua and Reda Wardi are among France's other most notable injury absentees. Hugo Auradou and Oscar Jegou are both among the replacements after aggravated rape charges against the pair were dismissed by an Argentine court in December. France have six forwards on the bench, with the only cover for the backline provided by scrum-half Nolann Le Garrec and centre Emilien Gailleton. 17:54 , Alex Young TV channel: In the UK, France vs Wales is being shown live and free-to-air tonight on ITV1 and Welsh-language channel S4C, with coverage beginning on both at 7:30pm GMT. Live stream: Free coverage is also available online via ITVX and S4C Clic. 17:47 , Alex Young Good evening and welcome to the London Standard's LIVE coverage of the Six Nations clash between France and Wales. The hosts will be looking to make a comfortable start to what they hope is a winning tournament, with the bookies making them favourites to win the whole thing before a ball is kicked. Wales, meanwhile, have not won a game since the 2023 World Cup. That was 13 Tests ago. Tonight is expected to be unlucky no.13. Kick-off is at 8.15pm. Stick with us.
