Led by an imperial Dupont, the Blues fought like devils and gave a sacred blow to the Welsh by dominating them in Cardiff (27-23). Willemse and Le Roux, in particular, were impressive. The road to the Grand Slam is now clear with a trip to Scotland (March 8) and reception from Ireland (March 14).
Three quarters
In no way impressed, the rear Anthony Bouthier, who played in Pro D 2 last season, made a perfect copy. At ease in his role as last bastion, he scored a test full of opportunism (7th) which launched the Habs on the road to success. On the wings, Teddy Thomas is often forgotten in defense and hesitated in his last gestures on testing opportunities but Gaël Fickou was hard-hitting, registering a magnificent test refused for a forward much earlier in the action (28th). The Virimi Vakatawa and Arthur Vincent centers defended like starvation while piercing a few breaches that made the Welsh suffer.
Demis
Antoine Dupont has once again risen to a stratospheric level. The Toulouse scrum half, untenable, especially around groupings, prevented the Welsh from launching their game as they wished and improved all the balls he touched.
Romain Ntamack also performed a high performance. Strong in defense, he distributed millimeter candles. His interception delivered the Blues at a time when they were seriously starting to pitch (52 '). He performs flawlessly in his goal attempts.
Avants
The third row once again succeeded in their match. Grégory Alldritt has multiplied, imposing his power. His yellow card (40th) is due to a repetition of faults from his partners. Charles Ollivon and François Cros also showed great activity, even if they weakened a bit in the second half. The second row was the most impressive. Paul Willemse in his bulldozer style and Bernard Le Roux, in his role of secateurs, weighed heavily on the meeting. In the front line, the right pillar Mohamed Haouas, even if he received a yellow card (69th), was very active, like the hooker Julien Marchand. The left pillar Cyril Baille, in tune, was injured just before half time and was replaced by Jean-Baptiste Gros, solid in all sectors.
The players
Bouthier 7, Thomas 3, Vakatawa 6.5, Vincent 7.5, Fickou 7, Ntamack 8, Dupont 8, Alldritt 7, Ollivon 7, Cros 6.5, Willemse 8, Le Roux 8, Haouas 7, Marchand 7, Baille 6.5, then Big 6.5.
