Clinical France wallop wretched Wales on Antoine Dupont's return

Wales suffered a 13th successive Test match defeat and a record Guinness Six Nations loss to France as an Antoine Dupont-inspired Les Bleus demolished them 43-0 in Paris.

France were widely expected to dominate the tournament opener, and so it proved as they secured a bonus point before half-time after wings Theo Attissogbe and Louis Bielle-Biarrey each scored two tries.

Dupont, back on the Six Nations stage after missing last season's tournament due to Olympics sevens commitments, played havoc with Wales’ defence, showcasing his creative brilliance.

He was unplayable at times, and it proved another painful experience for Wales and under-pressure head coach Warren Gatland ahead of a crunch clash against Italy in Rome next weekend.

Forwards Julien Marchand, Emilien Gailleton and Gregory Alldritt added second-half touchdowns, while full-back Tomas Ramos kicked four conversions as Wales failed to score a point for the first time in a Six Nations game.

But there was a late blow for the French when fly-half Romain Ntamack had a yellow card upgraded to red following a high challenge, and he is now set to miss Les Bleus’ appointment with England.

It was a demoralising Six Nations start for Wales, who finished only a point short of equalling their all-time worst defeat in the tournament of 54-10 against Ireland 23 years ago.

Wales monopolised possession from kick-off, but France were soon on the front foot and Dupont was held up over the line by Tom Rogers, before a bloodied Aaron Wainwright departed to be temporarily replaced by Tommy Reffell.

Leicester flanker Reffell was immediately heavily involved, making a crucial tackle and facilitating a turnover before Wales went back on the attack and continued to impress during an opening 15