Wales player ratings: Welsh defence fails to withstand firing French attack in Six Nations Test

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Wales finish the Six Nations in fifth spot after falling to a 41-28 defeat at the hands of France. Here are the player ratings for Warren Gatland’s side.

15 Louis Rees-Zammit: Proved to be an attacking threat when given the space to run it back at France but overall, it was an uninspiring performance at full-back. 5

14 Josh Adams: Precious few opportunities on attack, but was once again strong in the key areas under the high ball and covered well in defence. 5

Centres shine on attack, struggle on defence

13 George North: A memorable day as he broke Shane Williams’ record for Six Nations tries by a Welshman. While he had success with ball in hand, he was one part of the midfield partnership that got ripped to shreds by Les Bleus. 6

12 Nick Tompkins: A first start of the Six Nations, and Tompkins was his usual busy self in the midfield. While a few of his decisions on defence and effectiveness left much to be desired, he was solid on attack. 6

11 Rio Dyer: A performance brimming with heart, effort and work rate. When he did get some good service in space, and it was rare, he shone, gaining over 90 metres and grabbed a try. 7

10 Dan Biggar: Another under-par performance from the veteran pivot. He did have some bright moments with some great kicks, but  Romain Ntamack outplayed him. 4

9 Rhys Webb: The veteran half-back picked up from where he left off last week with swift accurate service. He threw a sublime pass for North’s record-breaking try. His efforts were limited by Wales’ ruck speed as the French pack effectively slowed their attack. He tested Les Bleus’ defence around the fringes but had little success. 6

Pack overpowered

8 Taulupe Faletau: 100 up for the veteran back-rower, and it was a typically industrious outing, a trademark of his. Penalised twice and missed a few tackles, but he was a handful to defend. 6

7 Justin Tipuric: The France back-row got the upper hand over the Welsh but that wasn’t entirely Tipuric’s fault. He spent a large chunk of the match racking up a handy tackle count completing 18 out of 18 in total. 6

6 Aaron Wainwright: Catapulted into the starting line-up, Wainwright could have made more of his chance. He is known for his work rate and he showed why. Often overpowered by the French pack, but some promising signs. 5

5 Alun Wyn Jones: Possibly playing his final Six Nations match, Jones showed he was still up to the task despite his game being interrupted with a head knock and an early substitution. When he was on the pitch, he was carrying and offloading well and was a sound lineout option. 5

4 Adam Beard: A pest to France’s lineout and safe option for his side. Did well to breakdown some of France’s mauls and tackled better than most of his teammates. 6

Poor front-row performance

3 Tomas Francis: Bested in the scrums by Cyril Baille and went deep into the game. A quiet performance overall. 4

2 Ken Owens: Wales’ lineout was accurate while he was on the pitch, and he landed a handful of hefty hits and carried strongly to the line. Made way for Bradley Roberts, who was better in the position. 5

1 Wyn Jones: His struggles at scrum time hamstrung his side as Uini Atonio bettered Jones in the set piece. A few good moments around the park, but was rightfully taken off shortly after the break. 3

Replacements: The players who came off the bench and made the most of their chances. Tomos Williams added intensity and accuracy at scrumhalf while Roberts powered forward and grabbed a first Test try. Tommy Reffell pestered the breakdown, while the scrum was better with the replacement props on. 7