Match Report

Halfpenny kicks Wales to victory over wasteful France

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Dan Biggar’s second-half try and the unerring boot of Leigh Halfpenny secured Wales a fourth successive win over France to keep their 2015 RBS 6 Nations title hopes alive.

Dan Biggar’s second-half try and the unerring boot of Leigh Halfpenny secured Wales a fourth successive win over France to keep their 2015 RBS 6 Nations title hopes alive.

Warren Gatland’s side are fast-becoming Les Bleus’ bogey team and a fourth win in a row against their Gallic counterparts had not been achieved by Wales since the 1950s.

But while Camille Lopez and Morgan Parra were both wasteful from the kicking tee, Halfpenny was ruthless in securing a 15-point individual haul and Biggar crossed for a fine team try.

Brice Dulin did cross late on for France’s first try against Wales since the 2011 RBS 6 Nations but Halfpenny replied with his fifth penalty to secure an impressive victory.

Both sides came into the game having won one and lost one from the first two rounds but it is Philippe Saint-Andre’s side that will now need to look inwards after a second consecutive defeat in the 2015 Championship.

For Gatland and Wales meanwhile, they will be hoping that Ireland do them a favour against England tomorrow in Dublin before welcoming the men in green to Cardiff in the next round of games.

It was the visitors who started brighter and after 11 phases of heavy Welsh pressure the hosts infringed at the breakdown and Halfpenny made no mistake with the penalty from bang in front .

France then came closest to the opening try with their first foray into Welsh territory but Lopez’s cross-field kick was palmed back by Yoann Huget and could not find Dulin with the try line beckoning.

A second cross-field kick moments later was less successful as the recalled George North comfortably claimed the catch but with a penalty advantage, play went back and Lopez slotted home to level up matters.

Much of the build-up had focused on Mathieu Bastareaud’s relegation to the bench for France but he was introduced very early on as Remi Lamerat went off injured.

Lopez then missed a long-range effort from the tee with a quarter of the game played but it was Wales dominating possession and territory.

A clever grubber kick from Jonathan Davies wrong-footed Dulin and was collected by Liam Williams deep in the French 22. The ball was then spread right and Wales earned another penalty that the unerring Halfpenny slotted for a 6-3 lead.

For all the Welsh dominance however it was France who thought they had the game’s first try when Huget went over in the right corner but his celebrations were premature after Lopez’s pass to release him was marginally forward.

And with clock in the red at the end of the first half Lopez missed another penalty chance meaning that Wales went into the changing rooms three points ahead.

Scrum-half Parra momentarily took over the kicking duties for the hosts after half-time but the result was still the same as his first effort was pushed across the posts.

And chances continued to be wasted by the hosts as a fine outside break from Wesley Fofana again put Les Bleus on the front foot but when the ball came back inside Bastareaud’s break was called up for a marginal obstruction in the build up.

Saint-Andre’s side had really come to life after the interval and while a try was not forthcoming the increasingly influential Parra was dictating proceedings and another penalty in front of the posts was not wasted this time as Lopez returned to the kicking duties to level the scores.

Parity did not last long though as from the first Wales attack of the half they secured another penalty that the clinical Halfpenny duly slotted.

After that bright French start Wales began to dominate possession in the same way they had the first half, a Biggar drop goal hitting the post and going wide as they set up shop in their opponents’ half.

But the fly-half was not frustrated for long, as North’s fine initial break established the territory for the game’s first try. Fine interplay from Rhys Webb and Dan Lydiate then released Biggar and the No.10 dived over for his first Wales try in the right corner.

Halfpenny missed with the extras from out wide but Wales had a 14-6 lead with less than 20 minutes remaining and were starting to turn the screw.

Another Halfpenny penalty opened up an 11-point lead for the visitors, if a France comeback was going to materialise it had to come quickly and with Parra now off injured it looked unlikely.

But with 12 minutes remaining France finally had the try the Stade de France was craving, Dulin bravely diving over in the left corner after fine offloading within the forwards had made the initial advance.

Lopez’s conversion from the touchline also crept over and with ten minutes left France only trailed by four.

But that hope was short-lived, Halfpenny again the executioner with his fifth penalty of the night to open up a seven-point lead with the clock ticking down.

France pushed hard in the closing stages, knowing – as they had in Dublin two weeks ago – that a converted try could only secure a draw, but Wales held firm and despite their loss to England on the opening night they remain firmly in contention for the title.