CARDIFF • France coach Fabien Galthie has hailed his youthful team for having survived the "hell" of the Principality Stadium to secure a 27-23 victory over Wales and keep their Six Nations Grand Slam dream alive.

Les Bleus raced out to a 17-9 half-time lead on Saturday thanks to tries from full-back Anthony Bouthier and lock Paul Willemse, with Romain Ntamack pulling the strings at fly-half.

Wales fired back in the second period with a Dillon Lewis try but a doughty French defence held firm, an Ntamack intercept try sealing a first win for Les Bleus in the Welsh capital since 2010.

"The players produced a superb match. They played the game," said former captain Galthie, who took over from Jacques Brunel following last year's Rugby World Cup in Japan, where the French lost to Wales in the quarter-finals.

"We're very happy to be able to share these moments, between ourselves but also with everyone who loves rugby, the people who support French rugby.

"To be here is hell, but it's magic and that's what we're looking for," said France skipper Charles Ollivon, who again had a masterful game in the back row after also shining in the opening championship home wins over England (24-17) and Italy (35-22).

The Wales XV boasted a Six Nations record of 859 caps, compared to France's 234 but that counted for little in the Cardiff cauldron, according to the flanker.

"That spirit won us the match today," Ollivon said. "We have not invented anything, we did simple things with a lot of heart. It's simply a bunch of mates who have won."

He also admitted that the Grand Slam was now a distinct possibility, with their next match away against Scotland, before they round off their Six Nations campaign at home against Ireland.

"Now what we dream of is winning at Murrayfield because that will come around very quickly," he said. "We'll go step by step, but we want to go even further, I won't lie about that."

Wales coach Wayne Pivac, whose side's hopes of retaining their Six Nations title are all but over, was left ruing a handful of missed opportunities in attack and what he said were some dubious calls by English referee Matthew Carley.

"We came out well in the second-half, to score and get back to the one point, the momentum was with us," he said in reference to Lewis' converted try that made it 17-16.

"Obviously (there was a) three versus one and it's a 14-point turnaround and that's disappointing."

Pivac, who took over from Warren Gatland after the World Cup, also had an issue with a deliberate knock-on he said had been committed by the French, which he argued should have been at least a penalty, if not a yellow card.

"The slap down, we've had a look at that and we think the officials may have got that one wrong," he said. "The other disappointing one is when the fresh tighthead (Demba Bamba) came on and we're on the line hammering away. He went straight across the scrum and was rewarded (with a penalty).

The New Zealander, however, commended the French for having "played very well". He added: "We created a lot, we're heading in the right direction, it's about taking those opportunities."

Earlier in Rome, Scotland defeated Italy 17-0 to record their first win of the campaign, leaving the hosts bottom without a point.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS