Wales centre Jamie Roberts is relishing the chance to give high-flying France and form player Mathieu Bastareaud a hard time in their RBS 6 Nations rugby union clash in Welsh capital Cardiff tonight.
France began their 6 Nations campaign with a comfortable win over Scotland at Murrayfield, where Bastareaud scored two first-half tries, then trounced last year’s Grand Slam-winners Ireland 33-10 in Paris, with Bastareaud’s colleague Yannick Jauzion among the tries.
“He’s been playing well for the last couple of games,” said Roberts of Bastareaud. “He’s a very strong runner, and if you don’t put him down first shot, he’ll give them a lot of go-forward.
“And let’s not forget Jauzion. He’s been there for years – he’s a very experienced centre. There’s a great partnership there – they are two big players, and we’re going to have to be on the money defensively.”
'We have to make sure that we don’t underestimate the contribution that Jamie made against Scotland' – Warren Gatland
Wales themselves began with a 30–17 defeat to a misfiring England side at Twickenham, but then mounted the mother of all comebacks in all-time classic against Scotland at the Millennium Stadium in their second match, reversing a 21–9 Scottish lead just after half time to win 31–24 with a last-gasp try. And Roberts is determined that this next fixture will continue Wales’s momentum, as well as dish out a little revenge.
“They got the better of us at the Stade de France last year, and are on a roll after winning their first two games,” added Roberts, “but this is a great opportunity for us to spoil the party.”
Wales boss Warren Gatland has also tipped Roberts to shine.
“We have to make sure that we don’t underestimate the contribution that Jamie made against Scotland,” Gatland commented. “[Scotland assistant coach] Gregor Townsend thought one of the big differences that ended up telling in the game was Jamie – he was really difficult for Scotland to handle, and kept running hard.”
For more on all this weekend’s RBS 6 Nations action, stick it between the posts at www.rbs6nations.com
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