Few sporting spectacles match the electricity of a Friday night Championship match – a perfect antidote to the long winter nights that are (hopefully) by now starting to recede in the rearview mirror. And where better to embrace this tradition than in rugby-mad France, where the clash promises drama, passion, and an irresistible Parisian flair?
France v Wales kicks off on Friday 31st January, 20:15 GMT, and here's what's in store for us all...
A unique tradition
While Friday night matches are a rarity in international rugby outside the Six Nations, they’ve found a home in this Championship – particularly in France. The French rugby public has a flair for celebration and an appetite for occasions that mix sport with spectacle. Fridays are about anticipation: the end of the working week, a reason to gather with friends and family, and a chance to extend the weekend with a grand occasion.
The crowd energy is different. It’s not just about the match, of course: it’s about the entire evening. The streets of Paris are alive, the bars are packed, and you can feel the city’s heartbeat pulsing towards the Stade de France.
For Fabien Galthié’s men, it’s the chance to pick up where they left off in November, with an undefeated Autumn Nations Series campaign that included victory against the All Blacks.
For Warren Gatland’s Wales, the task represents one of the toughest for any team in the Championship – not least for a side going in on the back of a winless year. However, Cymru can take inspiration from the words of Albert Einstein: “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
Memories under the lights
How much can we read into previous Friday night fixtures and what they might mean for us in 2025?
Well, it all began back in 2009. On that occasion, Wales were the defending champions following Gatland’s first ever campaign in charge, where they swept all before them to claim the Grand Slam in 2008.
Wales were two from two going into Round 3 at the Stade de France following convincing wins over England and Scotland, and looked like they would make it three when Lee Byrne scythed through for the opening try midway through the first half.
Thierry Dusautoir’s try on the stroke of half-time swung the momentum, with the teams going in level before wing Cedric Heymans danced his way over as France emerged 21-16 victors.
A year later, France repeated the feat, this time in Cardiff with a 26-20 success on their way to claiming the Grand Slam (one they would have to wait over a decade to reclaim).
An intercept score from Alexis Palisson, and another opportunistic try from François Trinh-Duc put France in control and they held on despite Shane Williams’ brilliant solo effort at the death.
While Wales went down to England at home in the next Friday night game in 2011, beaten 26-19, Gatland’s team then beat France twice in a row in 2014 and 2016, either side of another loss to the English.
Both were comfortable wins, 27-6 in 2014 thanks to tries from George North and Sam Warburton, along with 17 points from Leigh Halfpenny. Then two years later it was North again, and 14 points from Dan Biggar, that helped earn a 19-10 win.
The recently-retired North, clearly a fan of the Friday night fixtures, scored twice in a 22-9 win over Ireland in 2017, as well as playing a leading role in the most recent Friday clash.
In perhaps the most memorable of them all, France (who had beaten Italy 34-17 in 2018 in the only Friday fixture at that point not to feature Wales) raced into a 16-0 half-time lead thanks to tries from Louis Picamoles and Yoann Huget in the 2019 Guinness Men’s Six Nations opener at the Stade de France.
Wales then produced the biggest comeback in Championship history with North again grabbing a double, pouncing on mistakes from Huget and Sébastien Vahaamahina after Tomos Williams had got Wales on the board.
The second North try, a long-range intercept, proved to be the match-winner in a 24-19 victory that sparked a fourth Grand Slam of the Six Nations era for Wales.
Why this year’s opener is unmissable
2025’s curtain-raiser has storylines aplenty, including who exactly France will field at fly-half, while Dan Biggar recently told us that this match is something of a free hit for Wales. France, fresh from their dominant Autumn Nations Series campaign, will be eager to assert their dominance early in front of a passionate home crowd. French fans will expect nothing less than a statement victory.
But despite Wales’ recent torment, don’t count them out. A handful of returning, experienced players could be all Gatland needs to super-charge the game plan he has in mind for his team (one difficult to implement last year with such inexperienced personnel). The return of talismanic figures like Taulupe Faletau, Liam Williams and a back-in-form Josh Adams adds a layer of intrigue and belief to their camp.
The prospect of Antoine Dupont, the world’s best player, going head-to-head with opposing scrum-half Tomos Williams – currently setting fires for Gloucester – is enough to make any rugby fan’s heart race.
The social occasion
In France, it’s common for fans to gather hours before kick-off, sharing charcuterie and wine in a quintessentially French prelude to the game. Cafés and brasseries around Paris will hum with excitement, their televisions tuned to pre-match coverage as locals debate team selections and predict the scoreline.
And for those lucky enough to be in the stadium, the experience is unparalleled. The raucous singing of ‘La Marseillaise’, the thundering of fireworks and drums, and the eruption of the crowd with every notable action.
The Guinness Men’s Six Nations has always been about more than the rugby: it’s a cultural celebration, and Friday nights only serve to elevate that spirit.
