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

Read Antoine Dupont’s story in my new book Behind Enemy Nines available from Amazon via this link for only £5.99

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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.

Read Gareth Edwards and Antoine Dupont’s stories in my new book Behind Enemy Nines available from Amazon via the link below for just £5.99 post free. kindle version only £2.99.

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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

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

For those of us who love or even just care about Welsh rugby, our dreams are not only being trodden on they are being rained down on by the contents of a metaphorical seagull suffering from gastroenteritis.

The incoming co-head of the United States Department of Government Efficiency Elon Musk allowed me to launch the following message on his X platform a few weeks ago.

“Breaking News, The WRU have stated that a review of all the reviews is being undertaken. The reviewers who review the review will present a view of the review of all the reviews after it has been viewed by the WRU”

The incredible response I had shows just how much and how many people still care deeply and passionately about Welsh rugby, and almost all voiced their concern about the governing body whose communication output makes a Trappist monk appear verbose.

So here we are a week after Wales final Autumn Series International and guess what, there’s another review on the way. 

A review of the November programme will be led by, yes you guessed it, Welsh Rugby Union chief executive Abi Tierney who says it will be completed before Christmas, although whether the turkey’s will vote for Christmas is a moot point.

A completed ‘One Wales’ strategy designed to give Welsh rugby a definitive five-year plan due in June has been delayed yet again as the WRU and regions continue to negotiate a fresh financial deal.

These reviews are stacking up in greater number than Welsh defeats and are just as painful and demoralising to witness

Meanwhile, the task of capturing young hearts and minds is a woeful afterthought in all the turmoil. 

As Welsh international football enjoys success, it often appears that there is a mindset with the powers that be that there is somehow a divine right that rugby will always be the national sport of Wales.

This will not happen at international level without some serious emphasis on grasping social media output which at the moment is pretty woeful.

Innovative fresh and bold initiatives need to be explored, it is 2024 not 1971 after all.

A visit to Cardiff City Stadium for the round ball game is a cheaper more atmospheric experience with a family friendly vibe uninterrupted by people continually getting up and down from their seats collecting beer. The National Anthem is sung much better.

We need a dynamic, exciting programme to entice youngsters to capture hearts and minds keep them enthused, involved and valued, but I expect we will need another review led by the governing body before that happens.

Gwlad! Gwlad! Pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad.

John Keats described Autumn as;

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;

In the Autumn Nations Series, Wales have been the lonely Banana left stranded in the fruit bowl, slowly turning black and looking more and more unappetising as the days go by.

Yesterday that banana was finally put out of its misery and thrown in the bin, and along with it the hopes and dreams of a proud rugby nation.

This was Wales twelfth defeat in a row and creates the damning and embarrassing statistic that they have gone an entire calendar year without a win, a feat, if you can call it that, last suffered in 1937.

There was a time when attending a rugby international in November necessitated the acquisition of gloves, scarves, hats, and even a hip flask to keep out the bitter cold.

These days, as the seasons all blend into one and the climate becomes as unreliable as the Welsh line out, some Autumn days are actually warmer than those we endured during a miserable summer.

However, yesterday, Storm Bert was in town and decided to hit Cardiff like a Damian De Allende tackle.

The rain fell from the heavens some say it was the tears of JPR, Barry, JJ and Grav, luckily the closed roof obscured their view of Welsh rugby at its lowest point in the professional era.

Just six days after being trampled and caught on the hop (forgive the pun) by the Wallabies, it was the turn of the antelope fraternity to pick over the Welsh rugby carcass.

The Springboks are a team for all seasons and all conditions. The apparent simplicity of their game would, you imagine, be equally simple to negate. But they do it so well, and with such power and physicality, whilst also continuing to provide more add-ons than even my O2 mobile phone contract can offer.

Before kick off, the only thing that appeared in doubt was the margin of victory for the visitors. The was even talk of Wales 96-18 defeat in 1998 being bettered.

The 45-12 score line does not make great reading and with the Springboks leading 26-5 at half-time the prospect of a second half avalanche looked ominous.

But what wales lacked in precision accuracy and physicality, they made up for in calon (heart) effort and sheer bravery.

Straw clutching may well have become a Welsh national pastime but to limit this Boks team to 19 second half points was a creditable effort.

Sadly, as Autumn turns to winter the problems throughout welsh rugby continue, and we still await a plan from the WRU, plus ça change as we say in West Wales

On dark winter evenings, the flat landscape of Saint-Denis can feel like Siberia. Last night, the icy winds whipped around Avenue Jules Rimet and Rue Henri Delaunay like a gaucho’s boleadora.

Icy sleet and snow had permeated the capital in the lead up, making the brightly lit cafés and bistros look a much more inviting proposition than a cavernous, bitterly cold stadium.

Stade de France hosted Les Bleus final international of 2024 against Argentina. A team that ruined their home 2007 Rugby World Cup campaign, beating them twice on their own patch, once in the pool stages and again in the third place play off.

It was another late one in the Northern suburbs of Paris, with the customary post 9pm kick off ensuring that the temperatures plummeted even further.

Pumas in the wild can run at speeds of fifty miles per hour, but the two legged variety were no match for France’s flying winger Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Gabin Villiere.

Back when I was young we had a definition of outrageous speed that referred to excrement and a shovel the boys from Bordeaux and Toulon encapsulated that definition perfectly, each scoring a try that warmed the cold Parisian night.

France went into an early lead thanks to a Thibaud Flament try in the ninth minute. Thomas Ramos and Tomás Albornoz exchanged a few penalties before the Toulon Tornado, Gabin Villiere’s 33rd minute try. A penalty try followed three minutes later, followed by another Ramos penalty to give France a 30-9 half-time lead.

France we’re home and hosed but a 57th minute try from Thomas Gallo brought the score back to 30-16 and Argentina sucked in some hope, but Louis Bielle-Biarrey flew in for a try in the 58th minute to execute the coup de grâce.

Ignacio Ruiz 70th minute try was a mere consolation for the Pumas, who were inaccurate and disjointed throughout and hampered by two yellow cards.

Autumn in the French capital is normally a relaxed tranquil time to stroll the boulevards, as the leaves begin to fall, the colours add an extra dimension to this already beautiful city.

This year things are different, there are signs that the bright red, orange and brown flora has a new kid on the block joining them, the black fern.

Blowing up from the south, the black fern threatened to spoil the native tranquillity and put the residents in the shade.

France however had no intention of turning over a new leaf, but rather to continue with the power, beauty, and brilliance that has served them so well over recent years.

Yesterday morning the city was covered in a chilly clawing blanket of fog and as the mists floated eerily above the Seine it was a timely reminder that Winter is just a side step away.

New Zealand arrived at the Stade de France with impressive victories against England and Ireland under their belt, not bad for a side in transition.

The last time these two teams met was in the opening match of the 2023 Rugby World on 8 September 2023. There were thirteen survivors from that home win (27-13). Seven in the All Blacks starting line up and six in Les Bleus.

82,000 fell silent as they were plunged into darkness to witness a spine tingling Haka with just a single spotlight shining solely on the All Blacks. It set the scene beautifully for a brutal first half, in which the New Zealand scrum shoved the French eight back almost as far as the Gare du Nord.

Tries for the white shirted All Blacks from early replacement Peter Lakai and scrum-half Cam Roigard took New Zealand into an early lead. New boy Romain Buros cut a line that D’Artagnan would have proud of to score a 36th minute try on his international debut.

The All Blacks led 17-10 at half-time and were more than worthy of their lead.

France came out all guns blazing after a gentle chat from Shaun Edwards after just four minutes of the restart Paul Boudehent crashed over from a driving maul, Ramos converted, and it was all square at 17-17.

Seven minutes later, Louis Bielle-Biarrey broke the land speed record chasing a kick ahead to touch down. As the smoke cleared from his boots, Ramos popped over the conversion and France led 24-17 and there was daylight between the two team in the Parisian darkness.

On the 67th minute it was time for musical chairs as only the French can perform it. Dupont moved to fly half, Ramos to full back, Le Garrec came on as scrum-half and Mauvaka moved from hooker to the back row.

Penalties were exchanged between replacement All Black fly half Damian McKenzie and the faultless Frenchman Thomas Ramos and with five minutes remaining France led 30-29 it was squeaky derrière time but Les Bleus held on for victory in a pulsating match.

As Saturday night drifted into Sunday morning, the crowd raced Bielle-Biarrey style to catch the last metro, Le jour de gloire est arrivé.

Mike Pearce is the Author of The Bleus Brothers available from Amazon £7.99 post free. https://amzn.eu/d/6H8pN8D