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.

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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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Krzysztof Kieślowski’s meditation on love, fate and unheard harmonies of the universe was a much vaunted film trilogy with a tricolour motif (to be followed by White and Red); the trilogy is a triptych with overlapping images and character-glimpses, all destined to be tied up in a chaotic conclusion. The first film Three Colours Blue was released in 1993 and starred Juliette Binoche.

For Wales the colour blue is a constant theme as they spend the early part of this week in Nice on the blue coast (Côte d’Azur).

After suffering defeat to Les Bleus last Friday night they are currently in Nice preparing to face another set of blues (the Azzuri) in Rome on Saturday.

Despite the glorious sunshine, blue may also be a word to describe the mood in the camp of a team that cannot find a win for love nor money.

A win in Italy would provide a brief moment happiness for Wales wonderful travelling fans but would it change anything ?

The drastic innovative and trailing blazing initiatives required to get Welsh rugby back on track are as far away as ever, fiddling whilst Rome burns seems an appropriate analogy for those that run OUR game this particular weekend.

The final film of Krzysztof Kieślowski’s trilogy was entitled Three Colours Red let’s hope it is the colour Wales and its fans will be painting the town on Saturday night.

The nine circles of hell, as depicted in Dante’s Inferno, represent a gradual descent into increasing levels of sin and punishment—from the first circle, Limbo, to the ninth circle, which is reserved for the worst sinners. Each level represents various types of wrongdoing and the corresponding punishment.

If there were a rugby equivalent (perhaps we could call it Jonathan Danty’s nine circles of rugby hell) then Wales would have felt like they were entering the ninth circle on Friday night facing a French team led by Antoine Dupont whilst being on the crest of a slump with twelve consecutive defeats under their belts.

Welsh rugby and its administrators have been regular visitors to all nine circles over the last few years and show no signs of leaving the vicinity anytime soon.

In The Divine Comedy, Dante, (as opposed to Danty), passes through the gates of Hell, which bear the inscription ‘Abandon all hope, ye who enter here’, the Stade de France felt a bit like that for Wales last night, as they began their 2025 Guinness Six Nations campaign.

France home internationals are gradually starting later and later, this one had edged out to a 9.15pm kick off, a time when this aged rugby writer is usually making his final preparations for bed time. But this is Paris, and if New York is the city that never sleeps, then the French capital is the city that will grab a quick cat nap, down a few espressos and just keep going.

The boys in blue find the nocturnal battles to their liking although to be fair it would be stretching the imagination to call this one sided match a battle.

Wales held out for the opening seventeen minutes before the French wingers took flight, the French crowd were less prudent and the first Mexican wave arrived after only five minutes.

A 28-0 half time lead allowed France the luxury of sparing their main men with Antoine Dupont replaced on 49 minutes followed by a raft of other changes with Twickenham in mind.

Wales struggled to cross the gain line often kicked aimlessly and showed no penetration or ingenuity in attack they are a pretty depressing watch at the moment.

France’s only concern after their 43-0 victory was the red card given to Romain Ntamack, he will be a big loss in the tougher games that lie ahead.

So Wales eternal quest for a victory continues and the next opportunity to halt the descent comes in seven days time ironically in Dante’s home-Italy.

Paris may be the city of lights but here in the early hours of a chilly Saturday morning there is nothing but darkness for Wales.

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They gathered in Rome last Tuesday for the official launch of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations, and as the captains and coaches gathered in the Colosseum for the official photoshoot, the setting could not have been more appropriate.

The gladiatorial nature of rugby these days is given the thumbs up or the thumbs down depending on how you like to see the game played, but there is no doubting the size and strength of the athletes on show over the next few months, as winter turns to spring with the backdrop of this wonderful tournament to entertain and excite us.

It is twenty-five years since five became six, and Italy joined the fun to create a Six Nations tournament, so it was appropriate that the Azzuri were the hosts of a launch that featured opera singers and a catwalk. La dolce vita could not have been more evident.

So what will this year’s tournament bring ? For the 2019 winners Wales, they hope and pray for a win, a win of any kind, against any team, any way, and any how, an extremely limited ambition, but one which emphasises the state of the game in my home country.

Italy, who once had a hold on the single win desire, have moved on, their aspirations are now much greater, and they are looking to compete with greater optimism that is justifiable after some of their performances over the last two seasons.

Reigning champions Ireland are aiming for a third title in a row something that has never been achieved in Six Nations history.

The match in Dublin against France on 8 March already has the makings of a championship showdown.

For Scotland and their golden generation, is this the year it all comes together ? Losing Captain Sione Tuipoloti for the entire tournament is a huge loss, but any team that has Finn Russell pulling the strings is always in with a shout.

England have such depth and talent it seems incredible witnessing the lack of success they have achieved, but if they can put together for eighty minutes the cameos they performed against the All Blacks and the Springboks in the Autumn, who knows what they could achieve.

They open their campaign against Ireland in Dublin, with plenty of injury concerns, as tough a start as you could possibly imagine.

And finally France, they are a joy to watch, and with Antoine Dupont back as scrum half and Captain it would be no surprise if they were to go all the way. They have to go to Twickeham and Dublin, but a squad filled with Stade Toulousain and Union Bordeaux Bégles players can surely negotiate those tricky hurdles.

So, let the games begin. Whether you are watching from the stadium, the pub, the rugby club or the sofa, I hope your Six Nations is filled with moments that last a lifetime, and may the memories of past encounters with friends and family, many of whom are no longer with us, light up those very special dark winter weekends.

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France’s Top 14 rugby’s wealthy relative has had its somewhat secretive financial arrangements revealed due to the recent debates across the channel into the clubs adherence to payroll regulations.

A forty-five page document relating to a study carried out by the audit firm Nexia S&A provided an inventory of the salaries of the Top 14 players.

The average salary last year for the 520 professional players was €259,000 gross, just over €21,000 per month. That’s five times more than in Pro D2 or 33% higher than that of the Gallagher Premiership.

There are approximately ten players receiving salaries in and around €600,000 per annum including Owen Farrell of Racing 92, Toulouse scrum half Antoine Dupont, La Rochelle’s duo Rochelais Grégory Alldritt and Will Skelton plus Bordeaux’s Matthieu Jalibert.

Away from the mega earners 27% of Top 14 players received less than €60,000 gross per year. The average squad of the Top 14 clubs was composed of fifty-five players, thirty-three of which declare a gross salary of more than €480,000, or €40,000 per month. These are inevitably the stars of the championship and, in the vast majority French internationals players.

As for club budgets the figures below are eye watering if you happen to live on this side of La Manche.

Toulouse 49.3 million Euros

Stade Francais 45 million

Toulon 39.6 million

Lyon 37 million

La Rochelle 35 million

Clermont 34 million

Bordeaux 33 million

Racing 92 32.1 million

Montpellier 30.4 million

Pau 28 million

Bayonne 27 million

Castres 24.7 million

Perpignan 22 million

Vannes 21 million