Among the 23 Blues who will challenge Wales on Saturday (5:45 pm), only four of them have already set foot on the lawn of the Principality Stadium, formerly known as the Millennium. Bernard Le Roux, Gaël Fickou and Virimiri Vakatawa on the side of the holders and Camille Chat on the substitutes. This is little. And, obviously, none of them won in Cardiff, the last French victory dating from the Grand Slam in 2010. At the time, William Servat, who became assistant coach of the XV of France, was a tailgating player. Other times, other customs ... The XV of France remains on four setbacks in the Principality. The French bleusaille will therefore, for the most part, discover the Welsh "pressure cooker", closed roof, its unbreathable and oppressive atmosphere. All of screams and fury. The most flaming enclosure on the oval planet. “Saturday the stadium will be packed. We know the atmosphere will be electric, everything is in place for a great day in Cardiff, "warns Welsh coach Wayne Pivac.
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Since 2012, the XV du Poireau has been the team that has caused the most trouble to the Blues. A single victory - in 2017, at the Stade de France, after 20 minutes of scrum and a controversy over the replacement of Atonio by Slimani - in nine confrontations. During the same period, Ireland was also hard to beat, but the results were "a little" more flattering (one victory, two draws, six losses). In the World Cup, the Welshmen of 2019 (victorious in quarters, 19-20) even avenged their predecessors of 2011, eliminated in the semifinals (9-8).
859 cumulative selections, new tournament record
After its inauguration in 1999, the "Millennium", located in the city center of the Welsh capital, was the garden of the Blues who had imposed themselves 5 times on their first 7 trips. Before the trend suddenly reversed with the arrival of coach Warren Gatland. And his successor, also New Zealand, Wayne Pivac, intends to continue the tradition. "We want to build on what we have built so far and we want to be more precise in what we do and continue to improve," says the new Welsh coach.
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In the wake of the last World Cup and the sweltering semi-final against future champion South Africa, the Welsh have not revolutionized everything. They rely on a hard core of ultra-experienced players. At kick-off on Saturday, the Welsh starting XV will accumulate 859 international selections. Six Nations record. With two big returns: winger Josh Adams, best scorer in the Japanese World Cup (6 tries), and scrum half Gareth Davies, one of the world references in his position. "He's full of energy and we can't wait to see what he can do for Saturday's game," said Wayne Pivac.
Moriarty in flanker for more power
The latter chose to densify his third line by aligning, at the flanker position, the solid and usual number 8 Ross Moriarty in place of Aaron Wainwright, world famous for having taken a nudge from Sébastien Vahaamahina to Oita. "Ross has impressed off the bench so far and he has brought a lot of energy and communication too, so he deserved this opportunity to start the match," said the Welsh coach.
The only real change in weight, Shaun Edwards, the man who revolutionized the defense of the XV Leek, is now on the side of the French. In a rather tense atmosphere. Between Welsh who accuse the Blues of cheating in melee and the latter who point the finger at the management of Dan Biggar, victim of three concussions in less than six months but aligned on Saturday. The teammates of the totemic captain Alun Wyn Jones know that they no longer have the right to make mistakes, after the setback conceded at Aviva Stadium (14-24). A meeting where they had been dominated physically and in the game on the ground by the Irish. The Welsh want to wash away the affront.
Read also
- Six Nations Schedule and Results