Rugby Weekend Watch & Bet

Match information

Wales are winless so far in the tournament, falling agonisingly close to Scotland (26-27) and England (16-14) before being soundly beaten 31-7 by Ireland. Looking for a first win against an underwhelming French outfit, Gatland has made two changes in his forward pack, plus a positional switch, as well as a pair of changes in the starting backline. The experienced New Zealander is not shy about making bold selection calls, just ask Brian O’Driscoll, and he has shown his ruthlessness once again. Gatland picked an incredibly young squad for this Six Nations but has backed experienced players in some of the key positions, notably in the centres. Nick Tompkins started all three fixtures, and George North partnered him in the latter two. However, for the fourth match, he has opted to change tactics and has dropped Tompkins and North not just from the starting lineup but from the matchday 23 entirely, effectively reducing the cap tally in the starting team by a whopping 117 Tests. Generally, it is a bold call to replace both of your starting centres for a big Test match, but it is made even bolder as Joe Roberts earns just his second cap ahead of North, who earned his 120th last time out. There is a changing of the guard in the Wales Test set-up, and this is a clear indication of just that. However, considering how comfortable France have been in extended periods of possession, it is certainly a risky tactic to drop two key decision-makers in defence.