Graham Price: I expect Wales players to try harder, this was unacceptable

Wales and Lions legend Graham Price reviews last week’s capitulation against England and looks ahead to France

What did I say last week? Don’t expect miracles. This is a team under reconstruction.

This was under the assumption that we were actually going to make life difficult early on by fronting up and matching England’s intensity.

This was just not good enough.

There was no ‘in-your-face’ defence that one would expect from a team that were attempting to fight their way back to respectability.

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However, unfortunately, our Six Nations campaign began in humiliating fashion as England’s seven-try win would suggest.

As a former front-row forward, I was anticipating the sort of arm wrestle that I expected to see in the early stages of every game. However, it didn’t happen. I didn’t, for one minute, expect to win it but I did expect us to try harder than we did.

England started as if they had already won the arm wrestle. It was as though they had just taken that as read.

Poor discipline and the loss of composure were two familiar weaknesses in our performance. It was identified during the autumn internationals that we needed to make serious improvements. They were cruelly exposed and England ruthlessly took advantage. At times it was capitulation.

Unforced errors such as Ben Thomas’ interception pass – and not for the first time – and Dewi Lake’s failure to execute the tap penalty correctly, let us down badly.

In fact, Taine Plumtree’s yellow card and subsequent penalty try summed up the whole game for me – indiscipline, poor judgment, loss of composure, poor defence and poor execution.

The warning signs were evident from the opening minutes. We struggled to get out of our own half and were repeatedly penalised for infringements at the breakdown. It was inevitable that a yellow card was on the way, not just one but two and so early in the game.

It is not easy for the best sides to cope with being a player short. However, to be down to 13 men was simply out of the question, especially for a team with our difficulties, who are still searching for some sort of stability.

I felt that the game was over as a competition by 17 minutes after Nicky Smith and Lake were yellow-carded. Then later in the game it was repeated when Thomas and Plumtree were carded. It just became a question of by how many points.

Even when we showed brief moments of attacking intent, slow decision-making and poor execution halted any momentum and our loss of composure under pressure was so obvious. The awarding of yellow cards has now become a serious issue.

There was a brief period of respite in the second half during the settling in of the subs. Josh Adams’ try provided a rare bright spot, but it came long after the outcome of the game was decided and offered little in the way of improvement.

England continued to dominate possession and territory, adding further tries as Wales’ defence continued to be breached under sustained pressure.

For Wales, this defeat extends a worrying run of results and leaves the coaches with urgent questions to answer. We knew all the issues following the autumn internationals, but the manner of this defeat has posed more questions than we had beforehand. I would say that the leadership of the team under pressure will need to come under scrutiny ahead of the France game. It wasn’t one of Lake’s better games as captain.

France will be coming to Cardiff as favourites, as they usually, do these days.

Their pack is heavy, mobile and skilful. Their half-backs play with their heads up, and Antoine Dupont is back in the team, calling the shots. Their backline can punish you from turnover ball in an instant – as they proved in their comfortable victory over Ireland.

What separates this French side from those of old is discipline and belief. It’s not flair. They’ve always had that. Nowadays, it’s no longer a case of which France team will turn up.

They expect to win now, and that changes how they manage games. They know how to win ugly and they’re streetwise. That should worry their opponents more.

France are now the modern Six Nations tournament benchmark.

The big question, as ever, is how long we can physically cope with France.

France pride themselves on dominance up front, and they’ll test us as early as possible in the set-pieces. Any indiscipline here will be punished. How we respond will give us an idea of what sort of afternoon we are going to have.

Lineout ball has to be cleanly won. You don’t want to make it easy for France by giving away our possession or promising field positions.

Defensively, the challenge is as difficult as it gets. France don’t just attack wide. Their ball carriers punch holes first and then expose weakness.

Missed tackles against France are basically invitations to score.

At the breakdown, France will be ruthless. They will be contesting just enough to frustrate but never quite enough to get caught consistently. This is where we need to maintain our discipline and composure. Allow France to win quick ball and you’ll be chasing shadows all afternoon. On the other hand a moment of indiscipline on our part could mean yet another yellow card.

Our kicking game must be spot on. France are at their most dangerous when they are given opportunities to counter attack.

We should attempt to drag France into a contest rather than a spectacle. Stay in the fight. Make it uncomfortable for them and slow it down when needed. Keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Ultimately, this game isn’t about where Wales are ranked or where France are expected to finish.

It’s all about avoiding another humiliating defeat. Emotionally, the team need to find something extra and a fair bit of old-fashioned bloody-mindedness wouldn’t go amiss either.

And if they don’t?