France v Wales winners and losers as Adam Jones makes difference but Gatland on the brink
That was a chastening 80 minutes for Wales in Paris as they were brutally put to the sword 43-0 by pre-tournament favourites France.
This was never going to end well for Warren Gatland's men but they failed to fire a single shot in the French captial. Wales conceded seven tries and did not score a single point in a Test match for the first time since getting thrashed 31-0 by Australia under Gareth Jenkins in 2007.
They find themselves in an almighty hole and it is hard to see where the next win is coming from. Here are the winners and losers from another difficult night for Welsh rugby.
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Winners
Adam Jones and Henry Thomas
The area of Wales' game which went well was the scrum and Jones has to take some credit for this. Jones has joined Gatland's coaching team as a scrum consultant on secondment from Harlequins and it looks like a shrewd appointment.
Wales were second best physically but the scrum did stand up well and the Welsh Rugby Union must pull out all the stops to tie down Jones for the long run once his Harlequins contract expires. It is a bit baffling why experienced Scarlets tighthead Thomas hasn't had more of an opportunity.
The former England international anchored the scrum well and put in 12 tackles which isn't bad going for a tighthead prop. Deserves a run of games in the number three jersey.
Jac Morgan
The Wales captain is one player in red who can hold his head held high. Morgan was totemic and was one of the only Welsh players who could match the physicality of the home pack,
The 25-year-old put in 25 tackles and made 15 carries, just two less than the top carrier Gregory Alldritt. Morgan is playing in an underpowered pack but he is an international player of the highest standard.
If Wales are going to find a way of digging themselves out of this situation they find themselves in then Morgan will be at the forefront of it. Wales are currently the weakest home nation but Morgan is the best openside of the lot.
Yes, the likes of Tom Curry, Josh van der Flier, Rory Darge and Jack Willis of Toulouse are outstanding players but Morgan is better than the lot of them. The leading contender to wear the number seven shirt for the British & Irish Lions in Australia this summer.
Tom Rogers
This was a tough evening for everyone wearing red at the Stade de France but Rogers was one of the better players. The Scarlets wing saved a try early on by succeeding to get his body underneath Antoine Dupont over the try line.
Rogers was good in the air and looked dangerous with ball in hand. Unfortunately Wales were on the back foot and he did not have enough opportunity to show his class in attack.
But the 26-year-old is playing well and deserves an extended run in the team.
Antoine Dupont and French rugby
The 28-year-old was sublime throughout his time on the field. Dupont is without a shadow of a doubt the best player on the planet and he took Wales apart in Paris on Friday evening.
The Toulouse star is the complete rugby player and it will take an outstanding team to stop France over the next couple of months. But despite Dupont's brilliance France are not a one-man side.
They have an array of world class players, especially behind the scrum, with the likes of Romain Ntamack, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Thomas Ramos and Yoram Moefana to name but a few. They also welcome back one of the world's best players in Damian Penaud over the coming weeks.
French rugby is thriving at all levels and while they face difficult trips to Twickenham and the Aviva Stadium they are the favourites for the title.
Losers
Warren Gatland
Unfortunately the buck stops with the head coach. Yes, Welsh rugby has a plethora of problems which makes the task of coaching Wales a poisoned chalice, but they should be better.
It is hard to look past the fact they have lost 13 Test matches in a row, while Friday night's 43-0 defeat in Paris was the first time Wales have ever been nilled in a Six Nations match. Wales got blown away physically and failed to score a single point.
Any coach would be up against it given the parlous state of the game in Wales but if they lose to Italy in Rome next Saturday it is hard to see a way back for Gatland.
The 61-year-old secured legendary status in Wales long ago with his remarkable achievements between 2008 and 2019, but he is fighting to save his job now. While he bemoans the negativity in Welsh rugby there really isn't much to be positive about at the moment.
The clash with Italy in Rome is a must-win for Gatland and his coaching team.
The Wales pack
People can blame Wales' attack as much as they like but it all starts up front. Gatland's men got taken to the cleaners up front by a physically superior France pack.
There was the odd impressive individual performance from the likes of Jac Morgan and Henry Thomas, while Dafydd Jenkins worked hard but could not find a way around their gargantuan opponents. Wales had periods of possession in both halves but failed miserably to get over the gainline.
On the flip side, whenever France were in possession they made significant post-contact metres, making it easy for their backs to conjure up some magic. Wales have to find a way of at least gaining parity against a strong Italy pack in Rome next Saturday.
WRU
Gatland recently claimed the performances of the Wales team are a reflection of the whole of Welsh rugby and he isn't wrong. The WRU should have fixed the roof when the sun was shining and for a long time there was too much of an emphasis on the national side to the detriment of everything else.
They are now paying the price for years of poor decisions. The whole of Welsh rugby is waiting for the full five-year strategy to get published but will the mooted changes go far enough?
That remains to be seen. WRU board member Jamie Roberts hit the nail on the head in his role as a pundit for ITV when he said the governing body has been guilty of being reactive instead of pro-active.
That has to change.
