Wales have not lost to
France in Cardiff for 10 yearsStarting lineup contains a Six Nations record 859 capsThere was an echo of the Warren Gatland era this week when the prop Wyn Jones accused France of cheating in the scrum. It was a calculated attempt to provoke the Six Nations leaders, whose indignant response went over the top, but it also showed the pressure the champions are under.
Defeat would surrender their interest in the title and end the longest unbeaten home record in the competition. It is three years since Wales lost in Cardiff and 10 since France last won there, but there is a sense that after a decade in which Wales,
Ireland and
England dominated the Six Nations, the balance of power may be shifting.