So, Wales are up and running in the Six Nations thanks to Friday’s extraordinary comeback victory in Paris – and an equally astonishing collapse by France. The two facts are entirely related says Harri Morgan in his reflections on the opening game of the tournament.
Wales spent the first 40 minutes of last night’s Six Nations opener trying to out-French the French.
It wasn’t to be. With a 16 point half time lead, the French left their controlled, accurate version of va va voom in the changers. Preferring instead to spark up a Marlboro Red, slurp from a glass of Bordeaux, before proceeding to drag the guillotine slowly, painfully and publicly over their own throat.
The opening stanza was concluded by a Cammy Lopez drop goal that was symptomatic of the first half – a smart decision that was delivered on the back of easy running metres and a skill level that made a mockery of Wales’ inability to handle the Parisian deluge.
From a Welsh perspective, it was more points conceded on the back of an error, albeit a judgement rather than another handling mishap.
My toys were all over the living room floor at this point.
The Welsh comeback was ignited by a play that saw either team at polar opposites on the effort chart. Josh Adams hit the gas and found a gap on the edge of the French ruck and had Tomos Williams backing up on his inside to take the scoring pass.
It became real when Yoann Huget made an almighty error, albeit one that would have been far more shocking had it not occurred in the context of French rugby.
He coughed up a Hadleigh Parkes nudge, which was more speculative than spectacular, to leave George North with an open net.
The Chocolat in the Pain was inserted in the 72nd minute as George North plucked a Sebastian Vahaamahina brain explosion from the air to cross for his second score and a Welsh victory.
The fact that North was man of the match said all you needed to know.
The result was everything and the Welsh wing had been a main contributor to the outcome, despite being sub-par in many other aspects of the process.
His decision to depart from his own defensive responsibility gifted Huget his first half try.
Shaun Edwards would probably find it easier to accept an error like Huget’s than that particular defensive play from the man of the match.
It was an award that would have sat better around the neck of Liam Williams, Josh Navidi or Justin Tipuric.
Wales overcame the first hurdle, but the players will know to expect a brutal analysis session on Monday morning. The victory should not mask a display that won’t be good enough if Wales wish to deliver on their coach’s pledge that success in Paris would be a precursor to a tilt at the Championship.