Where to follow the match of the Blues
To discover
Ranking Tournament 6 of Nations
Calendar and results 6 Nations
The meeting is broadcast live on France 2, commented on by Matthieu Lartot and his consultant Dimitri Yachvili.
The match can also be followed on lefigaro.fr/sports with relevant comments from Quentin Gesp.
A meeting refereed by Englishman Matthew Carley.
Read alsoSix Nations: the dazzling revival of French flair
Why this match is being played on a Friday night
With the arrival of Italy in 2000, the Tournament, which traditionally took place on Saturday, opened to Sunday and, more rarely, to Friday evening, in order to accommodate the third meeting.
A prime time slot likely to drain the audience, which interested France Télévisions and the FFR.
Who has reached an agreement with the Welsh Federation, the least reluctant to this unusual schedule.
The Blues will thus play for the 8th time on a Friday evening, for the 6th time against the Welsh, and the 4th at the Millennium.
A box that does not succeed too much with an overall record of 3 wins for 4 defeats (2 and 3 against Wales).
But, during the last French Grand Slam, in 2010, the Blues won (20-26) in Cardiff… on a Friday evening.
It should be noted that, last year, the France-Scotland match,
postponed due to a tricolor cluster, had been rescheduled just after the Tournament, on a Friday evening.
For a bitter defeat of the Blues, 23 to 27, followed by 7.7 million viewers.
The best Blues since 2006
The XV of France has won its last six matches (Argentina, Georgia, New Zealand, Italy, Ireland, Scotland), its series since… 2006 (it had also won six matches in a row).
To find better, you have to go back to 2004 and a series of eight straight wins.
Read alsoXV of France: from forgotten to essential, the rebirth of Jonathan Danty
Blue series for the Welsh
Since the quarter-final of the 2019 World Cup in Japan, which saw the Leek XV win 20-19 against a French XV reduced to 14 after the expulsion of Sébastien Vahaamahina by the South African referee Jaco Peyper (who will be a linesman tonight in Cardiff…), the Blues won their three confrontations against the Welsh: 27-23 in Cardiff in February 2020 in the Tournament;
38-21 in October 2020 in a test match;
32-30 on March 20, 2021 again in the Tournament.
But beware, Wales have won 10 of their last 11 matches in their Cardiff lair.
His last defeat dates back to February 2020 against … France.
Fickou, the milestone of 70
The center of the XV of France will celebrate its 70th selection this Friday against Wales.
At almost 28 years old (March 26), Gaël Fickou is approaching the Top 20 of French internationals since, if he were aligned against England, he would return there on a par with Morgan Parra, Jean-Luc Sadourny and Olivier Brouzet ( 71 selections).
Just ahead, we find Yannick Jauzion (73), Lionel Nallet and Guilhem Guirado (74).
The center of Racing 92, who started in blue on March 16, 2013 during a victory against Scotland at the Stade de France (at 18 years and 11 months) by coming into play in the 75th minute in place of Mathieu Bastareaud is the most capped player in the current XV of France, far ahead of prop Uini Atonio (42) and scrum half Antoine Dupont (38).
Read alsoSix Nations: 10,000 tickets for Wales-France not sold in Cardiff because too expensive
The big eight renewed
For the third game in a row, the staff of the Blues decided not to touch their package of forwards.
As against Ireland and Scotland, Baille, Marchand, Atonio, Woki, Willemse, Cros, Jelonch and Alldritt will start.
The XV of France crowned this weekend if…
The XV of France can win the Six Nations Tournament, its first since 2010, on Saturday evening of the 4th day, on two conditions: a bonus victory in Wales and a draw between England and Ireland.
His two pursuers face off on Saturday (5:45 p.m.) at Twickenham.
