And we are off! The 2025 Six Nations starts at the Stade de France on a Friday night in… January?! It’s good to be back. Here are our France v Wales predictions for the opener in round one.

Warren Gatland’s side are desperate for a win but it doesn’t get much harder first up than a trip to the French capital with Antoine Dupont back from his sevens sojourn and Romain Ntamack fit again.

Read more: Every single men’s side to win a Six Nations Grand Slam

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France v Wales predictions

Alan Pearey, Writer/Chief Sub at Rugby World: France 34-20 Wales

Paris seems to bring out of the best of Wales, whose last emphatic Six Nations defeat there was in 2011. Their back-line is fortified by the return of experienced campaigners Josh Adams and Liam Williams, while Ben Thomas has earned his shot at the ten shirt. Tomos Williams, his half-back partner, is in masterly form.

The concern for Wales is whether they can subdue the power of the French pack, and thus restrict the influence of Antoine Dupont. Uini Atonio and Emmanuel Meafou are both 140kg-plus.

So expect Jac Morgan and James Botham to rack up huge tackle counts but also to try to win the jackal battle – an area of relative weakness for les Bleus.

Two-thirds of the French XV play for the Toulouse and Bordeaux-Bègles sides that are running club opponents dizzy in Europe. They are untouchable at turning defence into attack. Can Wales stem that flow and end their 12-match losing run? No, not this time.

Related: Wales Six Nations 2025 preview: How can Warren Gatland’s side avoid another wooden spoon?

Joe Robinson, Editor of Rugby World: France 52-12 Wales

If Antoine Dupont returning to the Six Nations was not enough to get French fans all excited, we will also see Romain Ntamack back in action in the championship for the first time since 2023. The double act are back to their terrifying best, and combined with full-back Thomas Ramos, have got Toulouse playing some of the best rugby we have ever seen from a club side.

You get the feeling that with this trio in the team, and not to mention the Bordeaux contingent in equally-mesmeric form, France will enter every game with an air of inevitability. That losing simply is not an option.

As for Wales, France away on a Friday night is quite literally the last game they will have wanted to have started their Six Nations with. Last year was a horrid one which culminated in 12 consecutive losses, the nation’s worst record in its 144-year history.

Asking the Welsh to beat the streak with a trip to Paris to face Dupont and Co seems almost like bullying. Are there reasons to be cheerful for Welsh fans? Well Warren Gatland has brought experience back into the side with former Six Nations champions Josh Adams and Liam Williams getting starts. Tomos Williams is also the tournament’s in-from scrum-half (after you have removed Dupont from the equation). But that won’t be enough and I foresee another gruesome evening for Welsh rugby on the horizon…

Kick-off time: 8.15pm GMT – Fri 31 Jan

TV channel: ITV (UK) – How to watch the Six Nations

Venue: Stade de France

Capacity: 81, 338

France v Wales head-to-head results

2024 Six Nations: Wales 24-45 France

2023 Six Nations: France 41-28 Wales

2022 Six Nations: Wales 9-13 France

2021 Six Nations: France 32-30 Wales

2020 Autumn International: France 38-21 Wales

France v Wales team news

FRANCE

15. Thomas Ramos
14. Théo Attissogbé
13. Pierre-Louis Barassi
12. Yoram Moefana
11. Louis Bielle-Biarrey
10. Romain Ntamack
9. Antoine Dupont (captain)

1. Jean-Baptiste Gros
2. Peato Mauvaka
3. Uini Atonio
4. Alexandre Roumat
5. Emmanuel Meafou
6. François Cros
7. Paul Boudehent
8. Grégory Alldritt

Replacements:
16. Julien Marchand
17. Cyril Baille
18. Georges-Henri Colombe
19. Hugo Auradou
20. Mickaël Guillard
21. Oscar Jégou
22. Nolann Le Garrec
23. Émilien Gailleton

WALES

15. Liam Williams
14. Tom Rogers
13. Nick Tompkins
12. Owen Watkin
11. Josh Adams
10. Ben Thomas
9. Tomos Williams

1. Gareth Thomas
2. Evan Lloyd
3. Henry Thomas
4. Will Rowlands
5. Dafydd Jenkins
6. James Botham
7. Jac Morgan (captain)
8. Aaron Wainwright

Replacements:
16. Elliot Dee
17. Nicky Smith
18. Keiron Assiratti
19. Freddie Thomas
20. Tommy Reffell
21. Rhodri Williams
22. Dan Edwards
23. Blair Murray