Sean Fitzpatrick: Sacre Bleu, what a Wales performance

Sam Warburton. Photo / Getty Images

Opinion

Wales were quite outstanding last night - they are the form team of the tournament - and the Rugby World Cup semifinal with France shapes as a fascinating clash on Saturday.

France finally did what everyone has been afraid of them doing - they turned up to play with all the heart and skill they possess but which is so often lost in whatever issues are affecting them at the time. The difference between the team last night and that which lost to Tonga was worlds apart.

But I really have to take my hat off to Wales. They were a revelation. Their skipper, Sam Warburton had a field day against those big, powerful Irish loosies and the whole team played with confidence, precision and made few errors. They were excellent.

They had a game plan and they executed it almost perfectly. They wanted to control the ball, control field position and put pressure on the Irish backs who haven't played that well all tournament. Rhys Priestland was outstanding at first five and ran the game well and big Jamie Roberts bashed holes in the Irish midfield defence.

What impresses me too is that they have been building well all tournament and are set up for a good semifinal performance. Their loose forwards, Warburton, Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau, complement each other well and they are a real force now.

I am also sure Wales will be very happy they have got France in the semifinal. They'll feel they can win that - and who knows which French side will turn up? The French could turn in two games in a row like that - but you wouldn't bet on it, would you?

The English only have themselves to blame. They would have been going out to put it on France and score first - because they know that the French, once they get ahead, can be very difficult to peg back. So it proved.

The French started better and you should think back to the New Zealand game against the French. The tricoleurs were on top for the first 10 minutes but the All Blacks closed them down. England didn't.

Their scrum wasn't working - playing Matt Stevens on the loosehead was a poor option although it did settle down later in the game when he moved across to tighthead. They just couldn't cope with the French when they ran at them and the English defence - supposed to be a strength - went missing more than a couple of times. People like Manu Tuilagi played well but their skills and their ball handling let them down when they had to get back into the game - and the French just closed them out in the end.

As for the French, we finally saw the rationale behind playing Dimitri Yachvili and Morgan Parra in the halves and Franncois Trinh-Duc played well, directing the game, when he came on. Thierry Dusautoir was everywhere, as usual, Julien Bonnaire had a big game but perhaps the player who most typified the change in the French was Imanol Harinordoquy.

The No 8 was lucky to be there ahead of Louis Picamoles, I thought, who has been one of their best forwards. But Harinordoquy was immense last night, running hard and really proving a handful for the English - doing to them what they wanted to do to the French.

Fascinating stuff and it's really set up a good semifinal for Saturday and the very real prospect that Wales, if they can get past the French, just might end up in their first World cup final.