Six changes for Wales as experience preferred over youth for France clash

Kiwi, Gatland, 59, having gained his first win in his second spell in charge of the nation 29-17 against Italy last time out, has opted for experience within his ranks with returns for seasoned veterans Alun Wyn Jones, fly-half Dan Biggar and centre George North to the starting XV.

Partnering North in midfield will be Saracens Nick Tomkins with the budding youthful partnership of 20-year-old duo Joe Hawkins and Mason Grady missing out completely from the matchday 23. 

With Wales looking to finish strongly in the tournament ahead of September’s World Cup, Gatland there is also a recall for flanker Aaron Wainwright, whilst Louis Rees-Zammit gets the go-ahead to replace injured full-back Liam Williams.

France will enter the match still with an outside chance of winning the tournament, knowing victory over Wales will heap pressure on Ireland’s Grand Slam bid against England in the evening’s conclusion to the tournament.

Having produced a breath-taking performance to dismantle Steve Borthwick’s English side 53-10 at Twickenham last weekend, Gatland is fully aware of the daunting challenge his side faces.

“I think France last weekend put in probably one of the best performances seen in a long, long time. They’re the number two team in the world. They bring a really physical approach to the way they play, and they’ve tended to start well,” said Gatland.

“They’ll be disappointed with the defeat in Dublin [against Ireland], but last week’s performance was outstanding.

“So that’s the important thing. We’ve got to go out there and start well, make sure we’re in that arm wrestle with them and give ourselves that opportunity.

“They’re a team that kick the ball a lot, so we’ve also got to make sure that our backfield is right, and we’ve got to be good in the air.”

“Last weekend was really important for us getting a win in the Six Nations and building a bit of confidence. It was a step in the right direction but there’s still lots for us to work on.

“We’ve worked hard on a few things in terms of tidying some of the defensive lapses that we’ve made and getting some of those things right. We’re still working hard on our attack.

The match will also see a landmark 100^th cap for 32-year-old number eight Taulupe Faletau, someone Gatland believes has been a great advocate to Welsh Rugby.

“Toby has been a fantastic servant. Even though he’s reaching 100 caps he’s still pretty quiet, but he’s incredibly well respected by the players for what he’s achieved,” continued Gatland.

“I remember in the early years he was just a constant and he became absolutely World class in terms of his performances.

“There’s lots of things that people don’t see in terms of his ability to read the game. He’ll run support lines that people don’t see.

“You see that when you’re going back through the videos and there have been times where he’s been on the end of a pass and scored tries. We saw that last week; Rhys Webb makes a break and Toby scores a try.

“Getting 100 caps is a great recognition for what he’s achieved in the game. It’s fantastic for him and his family and hopefully, we can go out there and give him a really good performance and something for him to remember. 

Wales XV to play France

15 Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester), 14 Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby), 13 George North (Ospreys), 12 Nick Tompkins (Saracens), 11 Rio Dyer (Dragons), 10 Dan Biggar (Toulon) , 9 Rhys Webb (Ospreys), 1 Wyn Jones (Scarlets), 2 Ken Owens (Scarlets, Captain), 3 Tomas Francis (Ospreys), 4 Adam Beard (Ospreys), 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) , 6 Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), 7 Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), 8 Taulupe Faletau (Cardiff Rugby).

Replacements

16 Bradley Roberts (Dragons), 17 Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), 18 Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Rugby), 19 Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs) , 20 Tommy Reffell (Leicester Tigers), 21 Tomas Williams (Cardiff Rugby) 22 Owen Williams (Ospreys) 23 Leigh Halfpenny (Scarlets).

(Lead image: WRU / Six Nations)