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| - France head into round three of the Six Nations this weekend atop the table having kicked off their campaign with victories over England (24-17) and Italy (35-22). Fabien Galthie's men will be seeking a first win in Cardiff since 2010 on Saturday when they take on Wales, who blanked Italy (42-0) before falling to Ireland (24-14). Here AFP Sport picks out three key factors that could have an impact on the outcome at the Principality Stadium: Wales prop Wyn Jones ripped open a can of worms by accusing France of illegal tactics at the scrum. "We know they will hit and chase and cheat," Jones said, conveniently ignoring the point that all teams try to get away with as much as they can at the scrum. His comments evoked a terse response from France team manager Rapahel Ibanez, capped 98 times as hooker for Les Bleus. "It is a rude and puerile attack from another age," Ibanez said. "We have referees, these are the tournament referees with whom we work well, very intelligently." Wales coach Wayne Pivac sought to play down Jones' words. "We're working solidly on our scrum," the New Zealander said. "We're looking to paint clean pictures and be squeaky clean." France scrum-half Antoine Dupont has, arguably, been the stand-out player of the championship this season. The French love their number nines, often referred to as "le petit general" and often considered more influential in playmaking than the fly-half. Dupont, an adept sniper with a keen eye for a gap, has been a key cog to the French revival, combining perfectly with Toulouse clubmate Romain Ntamack. His opponent on Saturday will be Gareth Davies, chosen for his linespeed in defence, over replacement Tomos Williams, with ex-Toulon player Rhys Webb not making the match-day 23. "Clearly, we've got three quality nines," said Pivac. "But Gareth's the right one to start in this game." Wales captain Alun Wyn Jones will win his 137th cap when he leads out his side against France. The 34-year-old lock is a talismanic figure for the Welsh, a stalwart in defence who showed his versatility when he delivered a deft offload that led to a Tomos Williams try in the 24-14 defeat by Ireland. "It's massive what he's done with Wales," France's South African-born lock Bernard Le Roux said of Jones. "He started in 2006 when I was still in school. He made more than 20 tackles in his last game. He's a leader, he's everywhere. He's a nuisance on the field." Le Roux will be partenered in the French boiler house by fellow South African Paul Willemse, and the pair will have their work cut out to shut down the Welsh skipper. lp/dj
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