Lionel Nallet charged over twice as France bounced back from their embarrassing defeat in Italy to beat Wales 28-9 at the Stade de France, effectively handing England the Six Nations title on Saturday.
Former captain Nallet scored one try each side of the interval to restore some French pride one week after a shameful 22-21 loss to Italy at the Stadio Flaminio.
France end up in second place with six points, two behind England, who missed out on a Grand Slam when they slumped to a 24-8 defeat in Ireland earlier on Saturday.
Photo: Reuters
Wales, who needed a massive win at the Stade de France to win the championship, finished fourth behind Ireland on points difference after both teams won three games.
Ireland outclassed England in a one-sided encounter at -Lansdowne Road.
Tries from wing Tommy Bowe, captain Brian O’Driscoll and 14 points from flyhalf Jonathan Sexton gave Ireland a deserved victory that was even more one-sided than the lop-sided final score suggested.
England, bidding to win their first Grand Slam since triumphing in Dublin in 2003, were second best to Ireland in almost every department, out--muscled in the forwards and outplayed in the backs.
The emphatic nature of England’s defeat will give manager Martin Johnson and his players a chastening reality check as they now prepare for this year’s World Cup in New Zealand.
France’s Marc Lievremont, who accused his players of treason after the Rome debacle, now has something to cheer about less than six months before the World Cup after his team produced a solid performance.
Flankers Julien Bonnaire and Thierry Dusautoir were impressive, tackling tirelessly as France showed improvement in defense.
Wales were the first in action, with James Hook converting a very early penalty following a France offside.
Parra made it 6-3 as France dominated a game that started with a five-minute delay because French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe commented on the Libya crisis on France 2, the championship’s official broadcaster.
Francois Trinh-Duc then saved a certain try when he ankle-tapped Leigh Halfpenny as the winger burst through.
Lievremont’s side took full advantage of their superiority when a brilliant chip by Trinh-Duc ended in Vincent Clerc’s arms for the winger to score his 24th international try.
Wales winger George North, 18, showed glimpses of his talent with a dazzling run through the France half, before handing the ball to his supporting numbers — only for the move to end just short of the line.
Meanwhile, in Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Scotland beat Italy 21-8.
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