Looking for a French renaissance

AS CHAMPIONSHIP openers go, last weekend’s games produced sufficient talking points to whet the appetite of what lies ahead. Two away wins for Wales and France bucked the trend of most tournaments, particularly the Heineken Cup, where victories on the road are so hard to come by.

New coaches Warren Gatland and Marc Lievremont made the perfect start to their respective jobs. Gatland, in particular, has reason to be happy having presided over a first Welsh victory in Twickenham since 1988. It will buy him the time he needs to revamp this Welsh team.

However at times last Saturday Wales were way off the pace. If two unforced errors from Jonny Wilkinson and Iain Balshaw were central to the Welsh revival in the second half, the feelgood factor which Gatland has instilled in the squad over the past few weeks was central to enabling them to hang in and deliver the most unlikely of results. At half time they looked dead and buried.