As Warren Gatland emerged from the Stade de France tunnel ahead of kick-off on Friday night, the unmistakable guitar riff of the Bee Gees' Stayin' Alive began to play over the stadium sound system. Perhaps not an intentional jjbe at the current state of Welsh rugby, but it was almost uncanny how the beat of the iconic number matched with the Wales coach's strides onto the turf. This was no Travolta strut, however, nor the trudge of a man already resigned to a defeat that even his side's most passionate supporters had taken as a given.
As he made his way across to his team, Gatland looked resolved and trusting trusting that his players would give everything to take Barry , Robin and Maurice's lead and put up a fight to stay in the contest. To Wales' credit, they showed plenty of fight, with a committed defensive display and captain Jac Morgan, Gareth Thomas and young Tom Rogers among those putting in huge individual efforts around the park. But the reality is the gulf between the two sides meant this was never really a contest, with the game decided after half an hour and France - who were not even at their best - running in seven tries as the visitors' total lack of ideas saw them fail to register a single point for the first time in a competitive match since 2007.
The scoreline tells a brutal story, but not all that went on in Paris - positive or negative - was picked up by the TV cameras. Here's what those at home might have missed. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack.
