WALES HAD the chance to lift the Six Nations title in Paris after England’s defeat to Ireland, but they never came anywhere near securing the 37-point winning margin required. It was a game littered with errors at the Stade de France – there were spilt balls and turnovers aplenty – but Les Bleus bounced back from last week’s loss in Rome to score three opportunistic tries and easily see off the Welsh. In doing so they clinched second spot in the championship table and condemned Wales to fourth – but who sizzled in Paris and who’s washed up?
FRANCE
Winging in: Vincent Clerc sneaks over for France's third try
Maxime Medard 68
Few dangerous runs but not as effective as he has been.
Vincent Clerc 78
Great reactions to score his try and came close to adding another.
David Marty 74
Nice touches and distribution but little opportunity to attack in space.
Damien Traille 76
Solid midfield presence – stopped Wales centres making inroads.
Alexis Palisson 68
Ball didn’t come his way often so couldn’t show his talents.
Francois Trinh-Duc 75
Lovely chip to set up Clerc try – controlled attacking game well.
Morgan Parra 72
Few wayward kicks at goal but otherwise a good performance.
Thomas Domingo 68
Pinged a couple of times at the scrum but worked hard at closequarters.
William Servat 73
Another who was solid in defence, doing his duty in the tight.
Nicolas Mas 76
Got the better of James and even appeared on for a second cameo late on.
Lock stock: Man of the Match Lionel Nallet runs in his second try
Julien Pierre 81
A workhorse display – his chargedown led to Nallet’s second try.
Lionel Nallet 84
Two tries is a rarity for a second row – and he worked hard for them.
Thierry Dusautoir 79
Hounded Phillips around breakdown and generally made nuisance of himself.
Julien Bonnaire 74
Not as prominent as the other back-rowers but good work-rate nonetheless.
Imanol Harinordoquy 78
A relatively quiet display by his standards but still influential.
WALES
Running man: George North showed his potential with a late break
Lee Byrne 59
One kick straight to touch and mistake under high ball marred performance.
Leigh Halfpenny 66
Ankle tap prevented first-half try but often runs too laterally.
Jamie Roberts 72
Powerful run through midfield late on, used size effectively in attack and defence.
Jonathan Davies 67
Metres from scoring in second half but mainly called into defensive duty.
George North 71
Lovely run from deep late on showed potential of this teenager’s ability.
James Hook 62
Chargeodwn of his kick led to second French try and yellow-carded for late tackle.
Mike Phillips 64
Under pressure at contact from French back row and got caught a couple of times.
Paul James 63
Mixed fortunes at scrum and not as present in loose as he has been.
Matthew Rees 74
Another strong display – made tackles a hooker shouldn’t be able to.
Star man: Ryan Jones stood out for Wales
Adam Jones 68
Wouldn’t have known he’d been out injured so long given this display.
Bradley Davies 66
Lost ball a couple of times in contact but impeccable work ethic.
Alun Wyn Jones 68
Showed good reactions to pounce on loose ball and defended well.
Dan Lydiate 75
Put himself about in defence – drives people back in tackle.
Sam Warburton 65
Had to leave field early on and he was missed at the breakdown.
Ryan Jones 80
Huge work-rate as a carrier and tackler – stood out in losing team.
THE KEY
0 – Should never play for this team again
10 – Shocker – lucky to get picked again this season
20 – Out of his depth
30 – Did one or two things right – must improve
40 – Willing but woeful
50 – Minimum requirement for a professional – average
60 – Solid effort and a decent performance
70 – Made key contributions and guaranteed his place for next time
80 – Superb – should give himself a pat on the back
90 – A personal best – his greatest game ever
100 – Faultless – no one could play a better game in this position