France kept their hopes of a Grand Slam alive with their 29-22 victory over Wales at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, but at the end they were hanging on by their fingernails as the Welsh attacked frantically. Only one team can now win the Grand Slam -- France -- but to do so they will have to beat England at Stade de France on the last day of Six Nations 2004.
The weather was great, but the ground carried on cutting up as it had done in 1999. It meant the odd loose divot, the odd stumble and the suspicion that a better surface may make for better rugby.
It was above all at scrum time that it suffered -- as did the Welsh increasingly as the game went on and their scrumming disintegrated -- twice with disastrous effect.
On one occasion, the Welsh won the dilapidated scrum and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde got a foot to the awkward ball. Serge Betsen picked up and ran before smuggling a pass in the tackle to Elissalde, who ran some 50 metres to score the try that made it 26-12 and made the game safe for France.
Safe? Not quite as the spirited Welsh fought back and came closer and closer on a splurge of penalties in their favour. Twice, surprisingly given the way they were battling, they offered for the scrum. At the second, five metres from France's line and close to their posts, with fullback Gareth Thomas inexplicably playing left flank, Thomas failed to control the ball and it squirted out to Elissalde who hoofed the ball 50 metres down field.
The penalties flowed on in Wales's favour in those last frantic moments until a tap and run, a runaround by Stephen Jones and a sweet give by replacement Ceri Sweeney gave another replacement, Martyn Williams, a try that took the score to 29-22.
More penalties and more frantic Welsh attack till Martyn Williams battled to control the ball on the ground, the French won it back and replacement French halfback Dimitri Yachvili hoofed the ball out and his side into the possibility of a Grand Slam.
The first half was bitty. In fact, much of the game was bitty, with little continuity as the French line-out was a near disaster, the Welsh line-out was not much better, the Welsh ruled the loose and the French massacred the scrums. But the Welsh looked like going into the break leading.
Then, on the stroke of half-time, France snatched the lead from a Welsh side which had probably had the better -- not by much -- of the half. Most impressive were the Welsh forwards at tackle and maul. Most unimpressive was the French line-out which lost them five of their own throws. But the worst of Wales in the half was the penalty count. They had conceded nine penalties to France's five.
Because Wales were attacking better for most of the half, their five penalties produced four kicks at goal and 12 points for Stephen Jones who in so doing went past Paul Thorburn as Wales's second highest points-scorer after Neil Jenkins.
France scored first when Colin Charvis unbound prematurely from a scrum and Elissalde goaled. Then Imanol Harinordoquy went off-side and Jones goaled from about half a metre inside the French half to make it 3-3. Jonothan Thomas hung on to a tackled player and Elissalde made it 6-3.
Then Jones kicked another three -- twice against Sylvain Marconnet. Wales were then ahead 12-6.
There had been moments of movement in the tight half. William Servat had a charge after a pop-pop at the front of a French line-out. Shane Williams had a run and a grubber to force the French to yield a line-out not far from their line. Yannick Jauzion made the best break of the match and a delicate chip by Frédéric Michalak boded ill till brave Gareth Thomas gathered the bouncing ball and cleared.
The try had an innocent beginning. France won a line-out and for once got a drive on. When that petered out the ball came lobbing back to Michalak going left. He stopped, ran back to his right where the forwards were. He gave to Vincent Clerc who stepped inside Gareth Copper and gave to Imanol Harinordoquy on the wing where he scored. It was the third time in this Six Nations that the tall loose forward has disguised himself as a wing and scored.
France were better in the second half, getting quicker ball from the tackle. Christophe Dominici had a dart and Michalak a clever run. Wales were penalised twice at the tackle and Elissalde made the score 19-12. Stephen Jones got three points back for Wales when Jauzion was penalised at a tackle.
Then came Elissalde's try and the signal for the start of the replacements/substitutes.
Olivier Magne came off the bench for his 75th cap, won two line-outs and had a good run with Harinordoquy. He replaced starting No.8 Thomas Lièvremont who had a hesitant return to Test rugby.
When the Welsh front row, digging in for survival, was penalised, Elissalde made it 29-15.
Then came Wales's best period of the match as Martyn Williams got a try to make it 29-22 and with a draw beckoning the Welsh attached with hwyl, only for the final whistle to deflate their efforts.
Man of the match: On the Welsh side Stephen Jones was clever, cool and effective and he made the try. Colin Charvis, blood and all, was heroic and big Michael Owen put himself about. Gareth Thomas is an everywhere man -- at times in too many places where he is less effective than in his selected place. For France Jean-Baptiste Elissalde scored 24 points, but his service was too slow and clumsy. Pieter de Villiers was the only one of that destructive French front row to play out the match. Fabien Pelous was all things manful. Our Man of the match is Serge Betsen -- putting on pressure, making tackles and running incisively.
Moment of the match: There may have been doubts about its legality, but that little flip from Betsen in the tackle which sent Elissalde's speeding down the touchline was and exciting moment. But really the play that stopped the breath was that final frantic Welsh attack in wave on wave when a draw seemed just possible.
Villain of the match: There was none.
The Teams:
Wales: 1 Gethin Jenkins, 2 Mefin Davies, 3 Iestyn Thomas, 4 Brent Cockbain, 5 Michael Owen, 6 Jonathan Thomas, 7 Colin Charvis (c), 8 Dafydd Jones, 9 Gareth Cooper, 10 Stephen Jones, 11 Rhys Williams, 12 Iestyn Harris, 13 Mark Taylor, 14 Shane Williams, 15 Gareth Thomas
Reserves: Huw Bennett, Dwayne Peel, Tom Shanklin, Ceri Sweeney, Ben Evans, Gareth Llewellyn, Martyn Williams
France: 1 Pieter De Villiers, 2 William Servat, 3 Sylvain Marconnet, 4 Fabien Pelous (c), 5 Pascal Pape, 6 Serge Betsen Tchoua, 7 Imanol Harinordoquy, 8 Thomas Lievremont, 9 Jean-Baptiste Elissalde, 10 Frederic Michalak, 11 Vincent Clerc, 12 Yannick Jauzion, 13 Damien Traille, 14 Christophe Dominici, 15 Nicolas Brusque
Reserves: Yannick Bru, Jean-Jacques Crenca, Olivier Magne, Dimitri Yachvili
Unused: David Auradou, Cedric Heymans, Aurelien Rougerie
Attendance: 72500
Referee: Dickinson s.
Points Scorers:
Wales
Tries: Williams M.E. 1
Conv: Jones S.M. 1
Pen K.: Jones S.M. 5
France
Tries: Elissalde J-B. 1, Harinordoquy I. 1
Conv: Elissalde J-B. 2
Pen K.: Elissalde J-B. 5
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