‘I’ve paid my dues, Time after time
I’ve done my sentence, But committed no crime
And bad mistakes, I’ve made a few
I’ve had my share of sand Kicked in my face
But I’ve come through’………Freddie Mercury

France are the masters of late night rugby and the newly crowned kings of Europe play their best stuff when most of us are heading to bed.

As home kick off times lurch further and further past 9pm Les Bleus come into their own and last Saturday night was no exception.

By the time the worthy 2025 Guinness Six Nations champions left Stade de France ‘Super Saturday’ had become ‘Disheveled Dimanche’ as the celebrations straddled the midnight hour and beyond.

There were a few nervous moments as Scotland attempted to spoil the party but France’s power and pace, which is bordering on the scary, won through.

Bad mistakes ? Yes they made a few but they only had sand kicked in their face on one occasion and that was at Twickenham, where a plethora of try scoring opportunities butchered in that match will play on their minds as it robbed Les Bleus of a Grand Slam, but lifting the trophy at Stade de France in front of 80,000 was pretty good compensation.

Records also tumbled as Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored the most individual tries in a Six Nations tournament (8) to add to that feat he also touched down in every one of France’s matches.

France scored 30 tries in the tournament another record.

Thomas Ramos became France’s highest points scorer overtaking Freddie Michalak’s total of 436.

Now here comes the good news and the bad news.

The good news for rugby lovers and the bad news for opponents is the age profile of this French squad.

Only two of the starting XV are over the age of thirty. Uini Atonio is 34 and Antoine Dupont’s stunt double Maxime Lucu is 32.

Louis Bielle-Biarrey is only 21 whilst fly half Romain Ntamack a tender 25.

And it’s not just the backs. The forwards are also well away from their sell by date with Paul Boudehent (25) Jean -Baptiste Gros (25) and Mickaël Guillard (24) set to terrorise opposing packs for many years to come.

So the sky is the limit for this group.

Antoine Dupont will be operated on in the coming weeks as he continues his lengthy rehabilitation from that cruel ACL injury he received in Dublin, but it was a delight to see him smiling at the trophy presentation as he threw away his crutches to grab his Guinness Six Nations winners medal.

Thank you France for showing us the beauty and brutality of our wonderful game in the way which only you can.

‘We are the champions, my friends
And we’ll keep on fighting till the end
We are the champions
We are the champions
No time for losers
‘Cause we are the champions’…..

We don’t wanna be your enemy,
But when we’re on the field,
It’s red, white and green,

Get beat by the Irish,
Get beat by the Scots,
The French ought’ta struggle,
But you’re the one we want,

As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English,
As long as we beat the English, we don’t care

The Stereophonics carved their place in Welsh rugby folklore when they composed this classic song for a BBC Wales promo ahead of the clash with England at Wembley in 1999.

These days, it’s a case of as long we beat somebody-we don’t care who it is. But there is still something special about defeating the old enemy, especially for those of us living and undertaking missionary work on the wrong side of the River Severn.

The final day of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations Championship straddled the seasons. An icy cold wind wrapped in bright sunshine bathed Cardiff in a blanket of hope, one that would see Wales finally get that elusive and shackle-breaking win they were desperately seeking.

There was something in the air pre match, the prospect of a win based purely on hope and history and very little evidence.

Perhaps Wales Under 20s defeating England the previous night and depriving them of a Grand Slam set the tone, whatever, it was almost tangible.

The front page of Wales’ National newspaper The Western Mail had a one word header ‘Calon’ the Welsh word for Heart.

Sadly, all those hopes, feelings, and expectations were brutally blown away as England scored ten tries to rip the heart out of Wales.

For the Welsh fans, it was heartbreaking. To see their team demolished physically was a sobering experience and a sad reminder of where they sit in rugby’s world order.

Everything 50/50 went England’s way, which is usually how it goes when your team is on top, tries from headed assists included.

Wales had their chances, a dropped ball over the line, an early disallowed effort from Blair Murray who on another day could have had a hat trick.

But ifs and buts are almost an irrelevance when you lose a match, 68-14.

It was sad to see so many fans leaving the last chance saloon before last orders, but a heart, or should I say calon, can only take so much.

Hope was springing eternal, the whole of Wales was willing and praying for this to be the day that the Welsh victory drought finally found rugby precipitation.

But Wales left Murrayfield parched and the thirst for a win continues for at least another week.

The signs were good, an unchanged starting fifteen for the first time in sixty six matches, and an uplifting inspiring performance in the previous game against Ireland to put wind in their sails.

Wales displayed the good, the bad and the ugly in this Jekyll and Hyde performance, sadly the bad and the ugly massively outweighed the twenty minutes of good.

The first half bordered on the grotesque for the men in red as Scotland achieved a four try bonus point after only thirty three minutes.

All the power and precision evident in Cardiff was nowhere to be seen as the home side cut through at will. Scotland’s 28-8 half time lead was extended to 35-8 eight minutes into the second period, but that was the last time Scotland troubled the scoreboard.

Finn Russell’s departure signalled a Welsh revival and with the match seemingly won the Scots disintegrated.

Three tries in the last quarter earned Wales a try scoring and a losing point, those two points might even allow Wales to avoid a wooden spoon depending on next week’s results.

Had Taulupe Faletau’s try not been disallowed Wales might well have achieved one of the great rugby comebacks, but they need more than ifs and buts as their losing run extends to sixteen matches.

Next week it’s England under the roof, and if the rugby gods have read the script the Welsh capital will turn into an oasis as the long drought finally comes to an end, it’s time to offer up a prayer or two.

French rugby fans simply adore Dublin, they fly over in their thousands every other year to watch Ireland face “Les Bleus”.

When I was young, which admittedly is an awfully long time ago, they used to bring over live cockerels and release them on the field of play, obviously this is now outlawed, or it may just be that chickens find Air France fares a bit too expensive these days.

The Irish will charm you, entertain you, smile at you and then kick the living daylights out of you on the rugby field, there aren’t many more hospitable capitals on this planet than Dublin, as any Six Nations fan who has been there will happily tell you, once they have recovered from their lack of sleep and mind-numbing hangover.

Yesterday at the Aviva Stadium the match had the feel of a championship decider and ultimately that may well be the case.

France had a blip in round two against England, Ireland were blip-less, in fact there have been no sightings of blips in these parts for quite some time.

But at the Aviva Stadium France displayed an industrial beauty as they physically dominated one of the best sides in the world.

And It wasn’t all industrial, the backs painted pictures that would have put Renoir to shame.

The loss on 28mins of Antoine Dupont, to what appears to be a very serious knee injury, stunned France, but replacement Maxime Lucu provided his best game in a French jersey and was a major catalyst for everything that shone in Les Bleus attack in an unbelievable second half.

France led narrowly 8-6 at half time but a Dan Sheehan try on 43 minutes gave Ireland a 13-8 lead before three tries in twelve minutes from Boudehent, Bielle-Biarrey and Jegou took France ahead 32-13.

A Ramos interception on 75 minutes set up Penaud for a fifty metre run in which made it 42-13, France were home and hosed.

With a metaphorical glass of red and a Gauloise in hand they allowed Ireland two consolation tries in the final three minutes.

With ten minutes to go the French had a metaphorical glass of red and a galloise in each hand and allowed Ireland in for two tries that made the scoreboard look slightly more respectable.

The title is now in France’s hands when they face Scotland in Paris at 9pm next Saturday.

Historically for many Welsh fans, the favourite away trip has always been the one to Edinburgh and for so many different reasons.

 One of which is the fact that until 1975 the matches at Murrayfield were not “All Ticket” so people paid at the gate, as a result, the Welsh always travelled in heavy numbers.

The red tsunami flowing down Princess street as the Scarlet hordes made their way to the famous stadium, framed by the beauty of the castle and the Scott Monument, was a wonderful sight on those crisp cold Saturday winter afternoons.

However, things went horribly wrong on St Davids Day 1975 when at least 104,000 were squeezed into the ticketless stadium for the biannual encounter.

It was a miracle no one was seriously injured, and after that narrowly avoided disaster, Scotland matches then became ticket only affairs.

That weekend trip to see Wales play Scotland in Edinburgh was perceived to be a test of manhood undertaken by many generations of Welsh fans.

The arduous train journey to the game was known as ‘The Killer’ leaving Cardiff at 2100 on Friday night. The train would arrive in Edinburgh at 0700 on Saturday morning. 

The return journey commenced immediately following the match, with the train leaving Edinburgh at 2100 on Saturday night, and arriving in Cardiff at 0500 on Sunday morning. It was not a journey for the faint-hearted.

I know of people who travelled on this weekend marathon and never even got to see the game due to socialising a bit too fervently. 

They returned home with a mysterious and rare form of amnesia, unable to recall the events of the entire weekend, but despite this malady the moment the victims arrived home they started saving, weekly, for the next trip in two years time.

What used to be a pilgrimage now appears to have turned into something of a wake as Wales’ losing run extends further. 

Memories of past wonderful triumphs drift further from the mind in the suffocating gloom that is choking Welsh rugby.

But if Wales haven’t quite found the light at the end of tunnel, they have at least located the tunnel.

Despite a 15th consecutive defeat at home to Ireland last weekend, Matt Sherratt, the interim Wales coach, has delivered some rugby CPR to his group of players. After pushing the men in green so close, there is some cautious hope and even, dare I say it, optimism coursing through the travelling fans veins.

Should that elusive win come at Murrayfield next Saturday, then ‘The journey home on The Killer’ will feel like a trip on the the Orient Express.

Now they give shows of their own. Thumbs up! Thumbs down! And the killers, spare or slay, and then go back to concessions for private privies.— Juvenal, Against the City of Rome (c. 110–127 A.D.)

The Gladiators in Ancient Rome, long before Russell Crowe had been invented, were at the mercy of the spectators judgement if they suffered a defeat. Thumbs up signalled killing the gladiator whilst “a closed fist with a wraparound thumb” meant sparing him.

Outcomes at the Stadio Olimpico yesterday were not quite as drastic as those at the colosseum, but it was indeed a matter of rugby life and death for France’ Guinness Six Nations title hopes.

France had the temerity to drop their top try scorer Damian Penaud a statement from coach Fabien Galthie to send out a message to his charges that no player is guaranteed a place in the team.

That message appeared to have the desired affect as France left Italy in Roman ruins scoring eleven tries in a 73-24 win.

Italy started brightly and scored the opening try after just eleven minutes through Tomasso Mennoncello to give them a 7-0 lead.

That lead lasted just three minutes before Mickaël Guillard touched down for France. Ramos’ conversion made it 7-7.

Les Bleus never lost the lead again following that score, and with four further first half tries to one by Juan Ignacio Brex for Italy, the visitors had a commanding 35-17 half time lead.

Six second half tries from relentless France left the Italians shell shocked, and a Garbisi try on sixty one minutes was all they had to show for their efforts.

This was France’s biggest ever Six Nations victory and they were utterly ruthless, never taking their foot off the gas.

So in the end Les Bleus got the thumbs up, and we are now set for a wonderful showdown in Dublin two weeks hence, a mouthwatering match against Ireland that could effectively decide the title.

Rome wasn’t built in a day but France’s Guinness Six Nations hopes were definitely reconstructed in one.

“When Irish eyes are smiling, Sure it’s like a morn in Spring,

In the lilt of Irish laughter, You can hear the angels sing.

When Irish hearts are happy, All the world seems bright and gay,

And when Irish eyes are smiling, Sure, they steal your heart away’.

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling is a lighthearted song in tribute to Ireland. Its lyrics were written by Chauncey Olcott and George Graff, Jr, set to music composed by Ernest Ball. It was first published in 1912, at a time when songs in tribute to a romanticised Ireland were very numerous and popular both in Britain and the United States. During the First World War, the famous tenor John McCormack recorded the song. The song continued to be a familiar standard for generations. The song has been recorded on over 200 singles and albums and by many famous singers, including Bing Crosby, Connie Francis, and Roger Whittaker.

Ireland and Wales are Celtic neighbours separated by the Irish Sea, So how close exactly are we? Well, the Llyn Peninsula and the Wicklow mountains are only just over 31 miles apart.

Eryri to Howth is some 85 miles, so the closeness is very real, and with that closeness comes a fierce rivalry that goes back many decades.

That rivalry was reconvened yesterday in Cardiff, and it ended with Irish eyes smiling, and Welsh eyes moist, though not with salty tears as was the case in Paris and Rome. On this occasion, they were moist through glistening with pride after putting in a staggering performance that rocked one of the best teams in world rugby.

Wales and Ireland had met 135 times up until yesterday, with Wales winning 70, Ireland winning 58, and 7 matches drawn. It came as no great surprise that Ireland narrowed that gap with a victory in the Welsh capital.

Wales with a new coach and only six survivors from the starting fifteen that faced Italy were desperate to prove themselves on their first home game of the championship, following two away games that showed an alarming lack of gain line penetration and attacking nous.

What Wales provided this afternoon had most of the Principality Stadium rubbing their eyes in bewilderment as they witnessed an energy and physicality that it was thought this squad were incapable of. A dominant scrum, an imaginative attack and a fully functioning line out were equally unexpected.

The fact that the game was still in the balance with two minutes left to play was perhaps the biggest shock of all.

But like all great sides, Ireland managed to dig out a win and gain a Triple Crown in the process.

Irish eyes may well have been smiling, but it was Welsh hearts and minds that probably had the greatest reward. They were finally given hope plus a slice of optimism.

Despite Wales’ 15th consecutive defeat, the future doesn’t seem quite as bleak as it it did this morning, and maybe that elusive win we are all so desperate to witness may be nearer than we think.

Monsieur Dupont (ta, la, ta, ta)
Monsieur Dupont (la, la, la, la)
You made me see so tenderly
That I was never loved before
Monsieur Dupont (ta, la, ta, ta)
I know it’s wrong (la, la, la, la)
That I don’t ever want to go home anymore

Sandie Shaw was one of the most successful British female singers of the 1960s. 

She had three number one singles and won the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest with the ‘Puppet on a string’.

In 1969 she had a top ten hit with a song called ‘Monsieur Dupont’ it reached number six in the UK singles chart.

Now Sandie always sang barefoot which caused quite a stir at the time, no Adidas predators for her, yet her footwork was nothing like as spectacular as the man from Lannemezan.

Whether she had a premonition about a wonderful scrum half still yet to be born is a moot point, but maybe it is time for a re-release of this record to coincide with the continued stratospheric rise of the wonder of the modern game Monsieur Antoine Dupont.

Another one of Sandie Shaw’s number one hits was the composition ‘Always something there to remind me’ now that definitely relates to the Toulouse Demi de Mêlée.

Last Saturday at Twickenham Dupont left us with an awful lot to remind us of his wonderful talents. Also the unthinkable happened with the try-line at his mercy he dropped the ball, we never realised he was human.

Nicknames feature heavily in the world of sport, whether it is your local pub team or at the top end of the professional game, no one gets away without a nickname or two, Dupont has several.

Those who know him well call him Toto. Less familiar connections refer to him as ‘Ministre de l’intérior.’ Toulouse teammate and fellow French international Cyril Baille refers to him as ‘The Martian’ when I asked him why? He replied, “Dupont does not come from the same planet as the rest of us.”

After defeat at Twickenham France head to Rome next Sunday to face Italy.

Rome has been a significant staging post for Antoine, he made his France debut there in 2017 and scored his first international try in the eternal city in 2019. This time he will be looking to get Les Bleus back on track after their loss to England.

Former France scrum half nine Richard Astre now aged 76 is in no doubt as to the talents and influence of Dupont.

“With Antoine Dupont, I find a taste for the initiative. For a long time, the number nine was asked to be above all a passer of the ball, with speed and more speed. I had the impression that the scrum-half was no longer taking the initiative, that he was no longer the brain of the team, and that he had left this function to the number 10. I thought it was a shame. Antoine Dupont, on the other hand, searches for spaces, he is even voracious of them. He put the church back in the centre of the village.”

A poetic conclusion from Astre the scrum-half who won six Top 14 titles in eleven years with Béziers and captained France on six occasions.

There is no doubt that the church is well and truly back in the centre of the village, and the congregation that come to worship Antoine Dupont France’s rugby messiah continues to grow.

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The light at the end of tunnel becomes a stark irrelevance when you can’t even locate the tunnel.

For Wales it seems that chasms are a more appropriate analogy and at the moment they are free falling into one that appears bottomless.

The WRU fiddles as Rome burns and all the while the Welsh rugby public await with desperation for a glimmer of hope, a plan of action, a dynamic reset from those that run the game in Wales. Hope, as Reggie Perrin once said, is heading towards the horizon with its arse on fire.

Review after review has resulted in a lot of corporate and Human Resources jargon but very little, if no, drastic change or innovative plans for the future.

If holding reviews and kicking cans down the road were international sports we would be world beaters.

In June 2024 the Welsh Rugby Union announced its ‘One Wales’ strategy, eight months later were are still awaiting the full details of this initiative.

In the meantime apathy is slowly replacing anger as was evident in Paris with the distinct absence of Welsh fans travelling to the French capital.

Of course economic factors are relevant but there is no doubt people are turning away from the game, and in large numbers.

There is one group that are exempt from the sternest of criticism, the players.

You cannot fault the effort the men in red are putting into their preparation and performances it is such a shame that they are being so badly let down by the decision makers, or should that be the lack of decision makers.

There also has to be accountability from coaches. some of the recent selections, and non-selections have been quizzical to say the least.

I feel I have been writing this same article for nearly two years and in that time there hasn’t been a necessity to amend any of the content other than to increase the number of consecutive defeats Wales have suffered. By the way it’s now 14 in a row.

At the end of the current Guinness Six Nations Championship guess what ? the WRU will undertake a review. It seems implausible that there will not be changes to the coaching team before the summer tour to Japan.

The trouble with residing in Chasm’s and tunnels is that darkness becomes perpetually familiar and acceptable it is time someone somewhere lit a candle. We accept there will be no bread of heaven for a while but please at least give us some crumbs of comfort.

Heading Photo credit unknown if affected please contact for recognition

There was something very satisfying for English rugby fans in the days when the French squad disembarked Eurostar at Waterloo station, an unintended historical piece of mind games and one-upmanship was already in the bag before they had even got as far as Café Nero.

These days Eurostar’s current London terminus St Pancras doesn’t have the same emotional impact, in fact the plethora of French themed coffee outlets in the vicinity make The Bleus Brothers feel quite at home.

One man left metaphorically waiting on the platform at Gare du Nord was fly half Romain Ntamack, his 70th minute red card in the opening match against Wales and the subsequent disciplinary outcome meant he was ruled out of action this weekend.

The Guinness Six Nations tea time slot on match-day two was reserved for England v France at Twickenham, a fixture that conjures up so many memories, many of which would now carry a parental warning or an X Certificate.

The misty drizzle began to fall early morning and never relented. France played rugby in slicks when wet weather tyres were what was required. Perhaps a more accurate kicking strategy would have reaped greater benefits. 

They should have been out of sight by half-time but the two most unlikely suspects, Dupont and Penaud found the bar of soap slipping through their fingers on more than one occasion with the try line at their mercy.

A 7-7 half-time scoreline that gave England hope preceded a mad cap frantic second half where the lead changed hands several times.

Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s 75th minute try looked to have won it for France but on 79 minutes Elliot Daly went over and with Fin Smith’s conversion under the posts a formality England’s 26-25 bonus point victory was in the bag.

France’s thirty missed tackles will have Shaun Edward’s neck veins bulging but for many of the 81,912 present at Twickenham this was a match to savour one of those Six Nations days that will be recalled over a few beers, a coffee, or a glass or two of wine.

Whatever your colours this tournament is simply the best and not just for rugby reasons, it deserves to be cherished preserved and untampered with.

So St Pancras looms for France as they head back to the Gare du Nord I just hope they’re not catching the 1815 train.

England 26

Tries: Lawrence 36, Freeman 58, Baxter 70, Daly 79

Conversions: M Smith 36, F Smith 71, 80

France 25

Tries: Bielle-Biarrey 30, 75; Penaud 61 Conversions: Ramos 31, 76

Penalties: Ramos 50, 56

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