Wales are facing a daunting task when they take on Six Nations champions France next weekend, with the team's form having been abysmal of late. The reality is that there are numerous areas where Wales need to improve if they want to stand any chance against their opponents.
Defence is perhaps the most glaring weakness in Welsh rugby at the moment, and it will be a significant challenge for them when facing France's powerful pack. According to former England wing Chris Ashton, Wales' mauling at Twickenham exposed some mental flaws as well as technical issues with their defending.
Attack has also been an area of concern for Wales, who struggled to string together any meaningful phases against England. The lineout has been a particular issue, with the team's lineout malfunctioning on numerous occasions. Ex-Wales and Lions wing Alex Cuthbert believes that Wales lack power in the forwards and need bigger players to compete with France's physicality.
Mental preparation is also key for Wales, who have struggled to be switched on at times throughout their recent games. According to former Wales wing Philippa Tuttiett, Wales should be fearful of France's team, which has taken their game to a new level since the autumn. The way this fresh-faced France beat Ireland was so impressive and will give them a significant boost going into the match against Wales.
If Wales are able to significantly improve all these elements of their play, they may yet have a chance against France. However, given the state of their form at present, it's unlikely that they can take anything from the encounter unless there is some major improvement before kick-off on Sunday.
Defence is perhaps the most glaring weakness in Welsh rugby at the moment, and it will be a significant challenge for them when facing France's powerful pack. According to former England wing Chris Ashton, Wales' mauling at Twickenham exposed some mental flaws as well as technical issues with their defending.
Attack has also been an area of concern for Wales, who struggled to string together any meaningful phases against England. The lineout has been a particular issue, with the team's lineout malfunctioning on numerous occasions. Ex-Wales and Lions wing Alex Cuthbert believes that Wales lack power in the forwards and need bigger players to compete with France's physicality.
Mental preparation is also key for Wales, who have struggled to be switched on at times throughout their recent games. According to former Wales wing Philippa Tuttiett, Wales should be fearful of France's team, which has taken their game to a new level since the autumn. The way this fresh-faced France beat Ireland was so impressive and will give them a significant boost going into the match against Wales.
If Wales are able to significantly improve all these elements of their play, they may yet have a chance against France. However, given the state of their form at present, it's unlikely that they can take anything from the encounter unless there is some major improvement before kick-off on Sunday.
The French are looking strong right now and I'm not surprised they're being considered the favorites to win... France's game has improved dramatically since the autumn and they've been taking down top teams like Ireland, so that's a big boost 
. Wales need to step up their defensive game and improve their lineout if they wanna give France a run for their money 
. The French pack is intimidating and if Wales can't match them physically, it's gonna be tough to take the fight to them 
. Wales' mental prep needs to be on point too, 'cause if they can't get into the zone, they'll be in trouble 
. If they can just fix these areas, maybe they can pull off an upset... but I'm keeping my expectations low 
. To be honest, I think they need to work on their mental game and come up with a solid plan of attack – literally! They're struggling in the lineout and have been caught out by big hits from opposing teams. But what really concerns me is that they seem lost at times, like they're not even fully switched on during games 
. France has taken their game to a whole new level since autumn, so it's going to be tough for Wales to compete if they can't bring their A-game. Fingers crossed for them though!
. Can't we just have a clean design for once? The font is still so tiny and hard to read on my laptop screen! And don't even get me started on the comments section... so many spam bots 
. I swear, I'm reading an entire article just to see how many ads are trying to interrupt me 
. And what's up with the formatting? Can't we have a simple grid layout like most other websites? It's so outdated looking 
. Anyways, back to the match... yeah, Wales gotta step up their game if they wanna take on France 
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. Defence has been atrocious lately and facing a physical French pack will be a nightmare 
. They really need to address these problems ASAP or it'll be tough to get anything from the match.
. They've dominated their last 3 games, averaging 25 points per match 
. Their attack has been almost unstoppable, with a +100% expected points difference in their last 2 games 
. Wales will need to bring their A-game if they want any chance of taking them down 
, with an average of 1.4 metres gained per carry 
. It'll take some serious improvement from them if they want to get anything from this match 
.
and Wales need to find that love for rugby again if they want to beat France! 
. Let's hope Wales can find that starting point and turn their season around! 
Wales are in trouble, big time! They got destroyed by England and now they're up against a team on fire 
- France! Defense is a disaster 
and attacking? Forget about it 
. I don't see them doing much of anything unless they make some MAJOR changes before kick-off 
. Wales might as well just try to keep up with France's pace and hope for the best 
. Not looking good 