Nick Cain’s verdict on Wales: French can’t breach Shaun Edwards’ stone wall

Any sense that Wales were going to go quietly into the Six Nations night, relinquishing their champion status without a fight, was banished as they snuffed out the French – and Gallic Grand Slam aspirations – at the Millennium Stadium on Friday night.
Wales re-wrote the script of this Championship, putting them back in the running to win the title for a record third season in succession, with a display that was light years from their supine defeat to the Irish in Dublin.
They overwhelmed a limp French outfit in every facet of play, but, as promised by their defence coach Shaun Edwards, it started and finished with a stonewall defensive display that shut down every avenue the disorganised French attack tried to take.
The Welsh line-speed was electric, as they swarmed all over the wobbly French half-back pairing of Jean-Marc Doussain and Jules Plisson – and this time there were no magic moments of individual flair from Yoann Huget and Wesley Fofana to catapult them back into the game.
The leading Welsh harriers were captain Sam Warburton, who made 12 tackles as well as scoring the second try, and his fellow flanker Dan Lydiate, with the Racing Metro man notching 15 tackles. Hard on his heels was Taulupe Faletau, with the No.8 formerly known as Toby finishing on a 13-tackle tally.
If that completed a red letter day for the Welsh back row trio, they were well-supported by Rhys Priestland, with the fly-half taking his lead from Lydiate, who cuts off his victims at the ankles.
Lydiate is an almost identical beast to Joe Worsley, the blindside flanker that Warren Gatland and Edwards employed to such devastating effect during their glory days at Wasps.
The benefits of having a tackler who fells the most dangerous carriers in the opposition line-up like a demented lumberjack cannot be exaggerated. Against the French, who like to build up momentum slowly and then put the foot on the accelerator when the gaps are prised open, Lydiate’s influence was immense.
With the Welsh No.6, ably assisted by Faletau, cutting down the main French back row carrier, Louis Picamoles, before he could get into his stride, Philippe Saint-Andre’s side struggled to produce a Plan B.
More than anything, France like to play with a percussive rhythm, and, with their big runners stopped in their tracks, the short inter-passing game that they use to spring strike runners like Huget, Fofana and Hugo Bonneval was still-born.
Afterwards Lydiate played down his contribution, saying that his effectiveness is down to what match officials allow. “For the last two games I’ve been penalised off the park. Today I did exactly the same thing, and I didn’t get penalised. It’s just the way it goes…”
Asked whether the rev-up by head coach Gatland after the Ireland defeat had influenced him, the blindside executioner said: “You don’t change what you do as a player, it’s just that sometimes it works. Today it did – and, hopefully, it will continue.”
As for the French, the stage-fright that England suffered in the Cardiff cauldron 11 months ago appeared to grip them, and they were hustled out of the contest so completely that the 27-6 scoreline flattered them.
Where Gatland’s dire threats of a changing of the guard if Wales did not raise their game hit the spot, Saint-Andre’s team were flat. Even the French scrum, where they were perceived as having an advantage, backfired badly. The French did not appear to have done their homework on Alain Rolland, and the fact that the Irish whistler, who was refereeing his last Test, has paid scant attention to the new scrum laws.
After the game the French tight-head Nicolas Mas – who was sin-binned along with Gethin Jenkins for continuous collapsing ten minutes into the second half – said that the French scrum had been “too naive”.
He added: “There was no stability (on the engagement) at any time, and the Welsh came and pushed without delay.” He also said he was not warned by Rolland that he was in danger of a yellow card.
Meanwhile, Jenkins, who was sin-binned in an identical manner with the Springbok prop Coenie Ooosthuizen in the autumn by Rolland, read the referee like a book.
Perhaps that’s why he was made man-of-the-match.
Irrespective, you sense that if England are to beat Wales at Twickenham in a fortnight they will have to be as street-smart as their opponents.