Robert Jones
Former Wales scrum-half on BBC Radio 5 live

"Jake Ball has played well for the Scarlets, but can he replace someone like Alun Wyn Jones? He is one player you don't want out of the team. His work-rate, his leadership and his aura is just something else.

"The likes of Sam Warburton and Taulupe Faletau have capable replacements, but I think that Alun Wyn Jones is a cornerstone of the pack - a bit like prop Adam Jones used to be. The team just doesn't play as well without him."

Listen to build-up to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live

Jonathan Davies
Former Wales fly-half on BBC Radio 5 live

"I think that Warren Gatland has to look a the World Cup and if players are not performing they have to be dropped. A few of the players are on the wrong side of 30 and if they are not performing it is worth throwing the youngsters in."

Listen to build-up to live commentary on BBC Radio 5 live

Andrew, Richhill: "Imagine if Wales and England were both to record victories this weekend. It would leave the Six Nations Championship wide open with England, Ireland, France and Wales all locked together on two wins and one defeat each, with just two games to go and all to play for. It's entirely possible it could happen."

Image source, Getty Images

France have already registered double the number of wins they managed during the whole of the 2013 Championship, when they finished bottom of the table with just a single victory over Scotland. But captain Pascal Pape is still not satisfied. No, the Stade Francais lock wants his players to "make a statement" in Cardiff.

"We want people to speak about us and we want to make our own history," said Pape, who was part of the side (pictured above) that won in Cardiff en route to the Grand Slam in 2004.

On playing at the Millennium Stadium, the 33-year-old added: "There is no better rugby ground than this stadium. With the roof closed there will be a fantastic atmosphere and it will be an unforgettable evening if we manage to win here."

Richard Hinman: , externalHuge game for both teams, I fancy Wales to bounce back, winning by 5-7 points

Jonathan Carpanini:, external Beers are in, Indian curry (korma for me), and ready for the match.

The atmosphere is building in Cardiff, the Millennium Stadium is filling and both camps are going through their last minute preparations ahead of the seventh fixture of the 2014 Six Nations. A good time to remind ourselves of the key team news.

As well as dropping Mike Phillips to the replacements bench, George North moves to outside centre for Wales while Luke Charteris returns from injury. The late withdrawal of Alun Wyn Jones means a second cap for Jake Ball, with Andrew Coombs coming onto the bench.

France centre Mathieu Bastareaud has recovered from a shoulder injury to start. Flanker Bernard Le Roux, who suffered concussion in the 33-10 win against Italy on 9 February, is replaced by Wenceslas Lauret.

BBC Sport's Bruce Pope at the Millennium Stadium: "The Welsh Rugby Union seems to be expecting a chilly night despite the closed roof at the Millennium Stadium, as it has kindly provided the journalists with free hand-warmers (and pens, notebooks and team-sheets) - most thoughtful. Here's hoping we end up with a match to warm the heart as well."

But tonight would be nothing without contributions from your good selves so send your chit-chat in this direction either via Twitter using the hashtag #bbcrugby, external or by texting 81111. And, there's more, because you can always visit BBC Sport's Facebook page, external if that's your thing.

Can Wales bounce back from their Ireland setback to defeat France? Which players has impressed you so far in the 2014 Six Nations? Which team will win the Championship?

Forget The Voice! This is your platform to put your name up in lights.

BBC Radio 5 live

What a digital age we live in. BBC Radio 5 live sports will provide live commentary of the Wales v France match and there are a number of ways to listen to it. One such way is by clicking the 'Live Coverage' tab on the top of this page.

In fact, you can listen, read or watch this year's tournament on whatever piece of technology you've got at your disposal. PC? Smart phone? Tablet? Television? Radio? Use whatever you've got. Heck, why not use them all at the same time.

Keeping tabs on what's happening in Cardiff will be easy. There will, of course, be live text commentary to keep you company and, from 19:55 GMT, when BBC One get in on the act, there will be pictures of moving humans to accompany these words. You can either click the play button on the picture at the top of this page or glide your mouse (or finger) onto the 'Live Coverage' tab.

Image source, Getty Images

Nine months ago the Wales number nine shirt seemed a very long way away for Rhys Webb. After suffering cruciate knee ligament damage against Leinster in May, the then-24 year-old Osprey underwent reconstructive surgery.

Since then though things have been on a steady upward path, with his recent form enough to shunt Mike Phillips down to the bench.

"The different dimension of play is that Webby is a bit quicker, a bit more nippy I'd say," said former Wales scrum-half Dwayne Peel of coach Warren Gatland's selection of Webb over Phillips.

"You can go from hero to villain overnight and vice versa, so it's vital we got the two wins and momentum seems to be here now." So said Mike Phillips after Wales bounced back from defeat to Ireland to overcome France and Italy on their way to winning the 2013 Six Nations.

Fast forward 11 months and the 31-year-old, the most decorated scrum-half in Welsh rugby history, has paid the price for the defeat to Ireland two weeks ago, the highly experienced international dropped and replaced by Osprey Rhys Webb.

Phillips, who has 82 caps, was particularly looking to facing France, the country where he plays domestic rugby for Racing Metro. Yet there's still a number of players in the Wales team who earn their weekly wage in France. They include Phillips' Racing Metro team-mates Dan Lydiate, and Jamie Roberts. Lock Luke Charteris, 30, plays for Perpignan.

There is plenty of wildlife on display on the merchandise stalls surrounding the Millennium Stadium, with a cockerel, dragon and a photo-bombing sheep all for sale.

Jeremy Guscott
Former England centre on Wales v France

"This idea that Wales should have had a plan B and C against Ireland is a misnomer. It's more about making different decisions at different times in the game, mixing things up slightly, kicking more, passing less. Wales didn't maul the ball once, while it was such an effective weapon for Ireland.

"Because of the defeat, all of a sudden people are saying Wales are going to win the Wooden Spoon. That's just ridiculous. They lost one game in 2013, still won the Championship and are far from out of it this year. And most pundits agree that no team will win a Grand Slam this season.

"The French pack won't shift either; they will be prepared for an arm wrestle at the Millennium Stadium. But Wales have beaten France the last two years, so won't be lacking in any confidence."

Image source, Getty Images

Back to tonight. Seven months after masterminding a stunning British and Irish Lions series win in Australia, Wales coach Warren Gatland is facing a severe test of his leadership. The 50-year-old has been in charge of Wales for more Test matches than any other coach. More than Clive Rowlands; more than Graham Henry; more, even, than John Dawes who oversaw much of the Golden Era of the 1970s.

He has seen his team come within a whisker of reaching the Word Cup final in 2011 and claim Six Nations Grand Slams in 2008 and 2012. Throw in a Heineken Cup with London Wasps and a victorious British and Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2013 and it would be reasonable to suggest the Kiwi has little left to prove.

Yet when defending champions Wales step out against France later for Gatland's 55th game in charge, his leadership will be under scrutiny like never before.

Image source, Getty Images

This is the hors d'oeuvres before Saturday's back-to-back feast. After a mini break last weekend the Championship is back in full swing, and the final two fixtures of the weekend are both mouth-watering for entirely different reasons.

Rome is the setting for Italy against Scotland (13:30 GMT start), the two teams who have yet to register a win. It is a match that could go a long way to deciding who ends up with the Wooden Spoon. Then it's off to Twickenham for the first time in this tournament as heavyweights England and Ireland (16:00 GMT) clash. It is a match that could go a long way to deciding the title.

But enough of tomorrow.

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That's not the news Wales wanted at the start of round three in the brutal five round bout that is the 2014 Six Nations Championship. The Red Dragons are not on the canvas just yet, but the bloody nose Warren Gatland's men suffered at the hands of Ireland two weeks ago in Dublin has left them bruised. Can they recover and deliver a hefty blow to France's hopes of winning the title?

Can France triumph in Cardiff as they look to go from the Wooden Spoon to title winners in the space of 12 months?

France fans have flooded into the capital of Wales all day. But will the Gallic cockerel - a symbol of the French fighting spirit - be crowing later?

We're less than an hour to kick-off but a bad start for Wales already, with breaking news from the Millennium Stadium that Alun Wyn Jones is a late injury withdrawal. The lock, who captained the Lions in last summer's third Test victory over Australia, damaged a foot in training and is replaced by 22-year-old Jake Ball, with Andrew Coombs promoted to the bench.

Image source, Getty Images

They said they were a team on the brink of glorious Six Nations history. They said the defending champions had the quality, the ammunition and the courage to win a third successive title. They said Wales were the team to beat. Yet Warren Gatland's Class of 2014 are in danger of making the experts sound foolish following an uninspiring win over Italy and a comprehensive defeat to Ireland.

Can Friday night under the Millennium Stadium floodlights against France re-energise Wales? Or will the lights go out on their Championship campaign for good?