Wales snatch second place in Six Nations with gruelling win over France

Liam Williams touches down for the first try. Photo / Getty Images

Wales 14 France 13

Thank God that is over.

Wales winners by a point but this was a drab end to the NatWest Six Nations.

The fact that France failed to win shows that their renaissance will have to wait – really they only had one big win in them this year.

At times this was incredibly difficult to enjoy, such was the dearth of skill on offer – both sides ruining the second half with countless errors.

Most inside the Principality Stadium would have had ear-ache by the end, so often did they hear referee Ben O'Keeffe's whistle.

By taking a losing bonus-point France made sure England suffered the intense embarrassment of a fifth-place finish – their worst performance since 1983.

Wales have beaten France to finish second in the Six Nations. Photo / Getty Images

Wales' win took them into second – good to see on the table, but really they were a country mile behind Ireland in this championship, as was everyone else.

This match is one of the few Six Nations rivalries that does not have a trophy available for the victors – surely something the marketing bods will address in years to come – but with a second place finish, and £3.5million in prize money, tangible for both this was worth winning.

Away from that, for France it was a chance to prove they had more in them than a blood-boiling win over England.

And for Wales they needed to end a so-far positive, if not stunning, tournament with a third win to justify new selections and their ever-expanding style of play.

Having been so cruelly beaten by Ireland thanks to a Johnny Sexton drop-goal in Paris in the opening round, which ultimately set up the Irish Grand Slam charge, France used that form of scoring to open their ticket here.

Francois Trinh-Duc coolly knocked over the kick after four minutes to take France 3-0 up.

But it did not take long for a typical implosion – in fact it occurred as quickly as the next play.

Josh Navidi tackles Mathieu Bastareaud. Photo / Getty Images

Dan Biggar kicked off left and the ball bobbled over the 10-metre line – the French left it but Wales gathered and played on, passing to the left wing. Then Scott Williams grubber-kicked behind the French and his namesake Liam hared after the loose ball.

The hero of the previous minute was firmly the zero – Trinh-Duc performed an amazing fumble under pressure, missed the ball completely and Liam Williams touched down.

Martyn Williams, the 100-cap former Wales flanker, described it as a 'Laurel and Hardy' moment at half-time. It was certainly slapstick.

Leigh Halfpenny skewed the conversion from wide out, but made amends with his next shot, a penalty after a deliberate French knock-on.

And then when Justin Tipuric was taken out at the lineout with 16 minutes on the clock, the full-back hit another penalty to push Wales into an eight-point lead. At this point it was French mistakes, rather than scintillating Welsh play that were the visitors' undoing.

Soon, though, they woke up. Hooker Adrien Pelissie, in for injured captain Guilhem Guirado, broke away down the right and fed Wenseclas Lauret who Liam Williams brought down. But with the Welsh defence drawn to that area of the field like bees to a honeypot France moved the ball away to the left and soon found a gaping hole.

Gael Fickou runs in his side's first try against Wales. Photo / Getty Images

Trinh-Duc put Gael Fickou through it and the wing joyfully galloped away through centres Hadleigh Parkes and Scott Williams. Maxime Machenaud hit the kick and France were back within a point.

All that was left of an exciting half was another Halfpenny penalty, and a chance for Machenaud to miss only his second kick of the tournament.

The entrance of scrum-guru Rabah Slimani on 52 minutes was sure to change things up front – and boy it did. From his first set-piece the prop pulverised Rob Evans and won his country a penalty on the half-way line. Impact.

But of course Trinh-Duc then banged his touchline-finding kick about as wide as the Severn, kicking it way long. What is it with insouciant French fly-halves? Some clichés are there for a reason. A couple of French fans stood up in the stands – 'Sortez-vous!' they offered.

For all the game's first-half effervescence, it was annoyingly peppered with needless and basic errors in the second.

Skipper for the day, Mathieu Bastareaud, was still quite the sight however. The dreadlocked 20-stone centre was all bish, bosh and bash – he battered in the red wall all night and was caught baying 'allez, allez' at his troops several times.

Alun Wyn Jones and Scott Williams embrace after the match against France. Photo / Getty Images

But he could not find a way through. If he provided momentum, Ben O'Keeffe's referee's whistle took it away. Most attacks ended with a mistake, a blast on the pipe and a break in play – the game had stalled dramatically by the hour mark.

It looked like a dumb penalty or moment of magic would win the tie. Liam Williams performed one of the former, coming through a ruck illegally, but then Trinh-Duc madly hooked the kick to the left.

It was such an easy shot for a Test goal-kicker; what a miss.

France had another chance for glory when big Remy Grosso steamed down the left wing with space opening up in front of him, but Halfpenny shut the door on him expertly – putting the Frenchman's leg into touch.

Then Wales went on the surge, using George North as the least subtle weapon around, sending him surging on – but Bastareaud was equal to him, turning the ball over at the ruck before letting out another primal scream of delight.

The last breakdown steal from Camille Chat meant France ended with one point to take home, at least.

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