Wales vs France Preview & Tips - France to hammer sorry Wales in the Six Nations

France will be licking their lips at the prospect of taking on Wales this weekend after they eased to an impressive 36-14 win over Ireland in the opening match of the tournament this year. 

France have won five of their last 10 against Wales, with the Welsh winning the other five meetings. 

Things do not get any easier for Wales in the Six Nations this weekend, quite the contrary in-fact. Their 48-7 hammering at the hands of England at Twickenham was a big defeat, but they now face arguably the best team in the competition in the form of France. 

Against England, Wales were their own worst enemies as they coughed up four yellow cards. Incredibly, Wales went down to 13-men in the 17th minute after continued infringements before repeating the trick in the 67th minute. While England piled the pressure on and should be given credit for putting Wales in all sorts of problems, the Welsh were guilty of throwing the ball around when they should have kicked for touch and missing tackles in key areas. 

While England have the ability to throw the ball around and play quickly, they are not in the same bracket as the French. Indeed, there are few that can match the free-flowing rugby that France bring to the table, and this will likely spell huge trouble for the home side. 

Defensively, Wales are a shadow of their former-selves, meaning trying to batten down the hatches will not likely work. On the flip side of things, they are hardly frightening with the ball in hand. While they can cut a team open, they are not consistently good enough with the ball in hand to threaten to outscore a team like France. 

I predict a big loss for Wales in this one as they sink to a second big loss in the competition this year. 

France laid down a marker in their opening match of the 2026 Six Nations as they eased to a try-scoring bonus point win over Ireland. 

While the Irish are not currently on the same level as they have been in recent years, they are still a tough side to beat. This made France's 36-14 win even more impressive as they carved their opponents open. Had it not been for France conceding a lot of the momentum midway through the second-half, Ireland would have sunk to a huge defeat. 

This week, I expect to see a ruthless performance from France. The last time Wales played at home they were kept scoreless in a 73-0 loss to South Africa back in November. While I do not predict quite as large a winning margin this week, I am backing the French with a big handicap as they hammer Wales backwards with their forwards before unleashing their backline. 

I am also backing Louis Bielle-Biarrey to add to his brace in the first match by scoring the opening try of the game, something he managed against Ireland in match one.