Wales player ratings vs France: 2025 Six Nations

Friday, 31 January 2025 at 22:32

byHarry Tovey

Wales player ratings vs France as Warren Gatland's men began their 2025 Six Nations with yet another comprehensive defeat.

Find your local Greene King and settle in for the 2025 Six Nations!

Wales head coach Warren Gatland, ahead of the game, stated that France “are slow starters”, and perhaps that statement was correct for the opening 15 minutes, but once Fabien Galthie’s side got going, they were unstoppable.

Tries from Gregory Alldritt, Emilien Gailleton, and Julian Marchand and braces from Theo Atissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey saw France easily pull apart a bruised Welsh side.

This was the first time in the Six Nations that Wales have failed to score any points in. The question now for Wales is where do they go from here. Next week in Rome is a must-win for Gatland's men.

Scroll down for Wales player ratings vs France.

PLAYER OF THE MATCH:

WALES PLAYER FRANCE VS WALES:

15. Liam Williams - 5

30-year-old Liam Williams, in the build-up to the match, announced to the media that he wanted 100 caps for Wales, and when asked about the upcoming Lions Tour, he said: “Never say never.” Wales needed Williams's experience in this encounter, but he never seemed to get going, as it was a quiet evening for the fullback. At times in the encounter, he was guilty of defending too narrowly, allowing Dupont to work his magic in exploiting gaps on the outside.

14. Tom Rogers - 5

The Carmarthen-born winger, who has never played in the Six Nations, earned his sixth cap after last featuring for Wales during the 2023 World Cup warm-up matches. Although defensively, there wasn't much to fault, he chased well and put pressure on the French backline under the high ball, but Blair Murray replaced him early into the second half.

13. Nick Tompkins - 4

He was the primary ball carrier for the visitors in the backline when in attack, running some great lines. However, a knock-on before the 15-minute mark nearly proved costly for his side as Paul Boudehent pounced on the loose ball and put France in an attacking threat. He was another trying to use his experience, but nothing was coming off for the Saracens man.

12. Owen Watkin - 3

The 28-year-old’s night in Paris was cut short after a collision around the middle of the pitch on 26 minutes. The inside centre showed some excellent handling skills but didn't really do anything that was eye-catching. Debutant Dan Edwards replaced him.

11. Josh Adams - 5

Adams hit a milestone, running out for his 60th appearance for Wales. The 29-year-old is another player who has been a welcome return for Gatland’s squad for this Championship. The Cardiff Rugby player is a scoring machine, having crossed the whitewash 21 times for 105 points. But he couldn't make much of an impact as he never really got given the ball.

10. Ben Thomas - 6

There were a lot of questions going into this game about whether the 26-year-old should be starting at 10, and this start in Paris was only his third on the international stage at fly-half. He didn’t stay at 10 for long as Owen Watkin went off injured. There was, at times, some aimless kicking, but Thomas attacked well and was quick off the line to put pressure on the hosts’ defence.

9. Tomos Williams - 6

Williams is another player wanting to be selected for Andy Farrell’s Lions squad. He’s been quality for Gloucester Rugby in the Gallagher Premiership and carried that form into this encounter. The 30-year-old, playing his 60th game, wasn't able to make much of an impact as he probably wanted to due to the solid defence of the home side. His defence around the breakdown area was one of his main attributes. Rhodri Williams replaced him on 70 minutes.

1. Gareth Thomas - 6

Thomas, alongside Will Rowlands, had the most experience in the Welsh pack, albeit only 35 appearances, but he set the tone for the rest of his teammates to follow, and that was to be firm in defence in the opening exchanges. One noticeable collision was on Uini Atonio early in the game, and the 31-year-old seemed to hold firm against him during scrum time. If truth be told, he was head and shoulders above everyone else in the front five.

2. Evan Lloyd - 4

Cardiff Rugby’s Lloyd couldn't have asked for a much harder first start for Wales as he was thrown straight into the deep end at the Stade de France. In the Autumn Nations Series, Wales’ lineout success was at 85.4%, the second-best of all competing Six Nations sides. However, the hooker was shown the Championship’s first yellow card after making a high tackle, and that sin bin proved costly. Despite all this, he was decent at the lineout but let himself down with the yellow card.

3. Henry Thomas - 5

Like Lloyd in the front row, Thomas was also making his first start for Wales. The tighthead has a lot of experience playing in France after stints at both Castres Olympique and Montpellier in the Top 14. That experience perhaps showed as he was solid at scrum time and was a great asset in defence. He was eventually replaced on 45 minutes by Keiron Assiratti.

4. Will Rowlands - 5

The Racing 92 player was great around the breakdown area, and as one of the more senior players on the pitch, he needed to have a big game. He was a strong ball carrier, but like his Autumn Nations Series form, it was still below par from the second row, with more gears to find.

5. Dafydd Jenkins - 5

After having shoulder and knee operations last year, the Six Nations captain from the 2024 Championship and the youngest captain Wales have ever had featured. He played the full 80 minutes, and perhaps that was needed for Jenkins on the international stage. He made powerful hits and looked hungry for the ball, but he was underwhelming.

6. James Botham - 6

With Aaron Wainwright going off early in the contest, Botham stepped in and played a great game around the breakdown area while carrying well. He was quick-thinking close to the line at one point early in the match, preventing the hosts from scoring.

7. Jac Morgan (C) - 6

Returning to captain duties for the first time since the Rugby World Cup, he had a great showing like all his counterparts in the back row. He carried well in attack, trying to lead by example, but nothing was going Wales’ way.

8. Aaron Wainwright - N/A

With the experienced 104-cap number eight Taulupe Faletau sidelined due to injury, Wainwright needed to impress, as the 34-year-old is expected to return for next week’s game in Rome against Italy. However, after three minutes, he was taken off with a blood injury and replaced by Leicester Tigers' Tommy Reffell, who immediately made an impact off the bench.