Stepping off the Eurostar at a chilly Gare du Nord in Paris is a timely reminder that winter has well and truly made itself at home in Northern Europe.

The brightly lit café’s in Rue Dunkerque radiate an enticing warmth as the temperature falls in the fading dusk.

As we make the most of the hiatus between storms Éowyn and Floris, there could well be a whirlwind about to hit the Welsh team just up the road in around twenty-four hours time.

The 2025 Guinness Six Nations starts in January, a rare occurrence even if it is by the skin of its teeth, with a 9.15pm kick off at Stade de France on the last day of the month.

By the time we leave the stadium after all the press conferences, it will be February, and with the likely probability that Wales will have gone another month without a win, making it fifteen since they achieved a competitive victory in the warm Autumn sunshine of Nantes at the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

On paper this game looks a mis-match, on grass it looks even more one-sided. France an established team laden with power, pace and rugby intelligence are odds-on favourites and rightly so.

Tomorrow morning I shall pay a visit to the Basilique du Sacré-Cœur de Montmartre to appeal for some divine assistance, but I fear that for Wales prayers may not be enough, I have never wanted to be proved more wrong.

Bon nuit

TOMORROW NIGHT’S TEAMS

REFEREE PAUL WILLIAMS (NEW ZEALAND)