It’s never over until it’s over. And, strictly speaking, a final line cannot yet be drawn beneath the 2021 Six Nations championship with one last Parisian tango to come next Friday. This compelling drama, however, will be impossible to beat: never has a grand slam been so cruelly snatched away as it was here in the closing seconds with a 13-man Wales denied a fifth perfect season in 16 years. The Welsh can still win the title if France fail to record a big bonus point win over Scotland and maybe another crazy twist awaits in a tournament which has already seen more than its fair share. Whenever anybody mentions the Stade de France, however, Wales supporters will forever curse the memory of the one that got away. With the clock in the red it had seemed Wales might cling on, only for the coffin lid to creak open one last time. The man to emerge and apply the coup de grâce was the France full-back Brice Dulin, previously denied a 67th-minute try after an extraordinary about-turn which saw the score scrubbed out and his second row colleague Paul Willemse sent off for making contact with the eye area of the Welsh prop Wyn Jones. This time there was to be no reprieve as he gathered the final pass from the replacement Arthur Vincent to break every Welsh heart from Caernarvon to Cardiff. What a thrilling game it was, though, a swaying tightrope of a contest which initially had seemed to be heading France’s way when Antoine Dupont waltzed over for his side’s second try after just 14 minutes. Not for the first time, there was to be a ton of officiating debate. Having led 30-20 with France down to 14 men, Wales contrived to lose both Taulupe Faletau and Liam Williams to the sin-bin, leaving them with 13 men for the final seven minutes. A 77th-minute try for the French captain Charles Ollivon, converted by Romain Ntamack, dragged the score back to 30-27 but Wales, in adversity, have escaped similar tight spots in the past. This time it was not to be. The replacement Cory Hill was correctly adjudged to have sealed off at the breakdown and, with territorial advantage secured, Gaël Fickou’s midfield composure and Dulin’s finish salvaged a last-gasp try bonus point that could yet help to deliver a French title. Wales, though, should still be proud of their efforts. This is a Welsh squad, remember, who finished fifth last season and were mediocre in the autumn. Here, though, tries by Dan Biggar, Josh Navidi and Josh Adams appeared to have put them in the box seat, only for the rub of the green they have occasionally enjoyed in this tournament to vanish abruptly. If they were slightly fortunate that Adams’s score was awarded without conclusive proof of the grounding, their fine young winger Louis Rees-Zammit was a millimetre or two from scoring in the right corner, with advantage being played late in the third quarter, a stage in the game when France might have struggled to respond. In the cold light of day there will also be plenty of attention paid to whether Wales should have been awarded a penalty try for a deliberately collapsed forward drive moments earlier, rather than just the three-point penalty kicked by Biggar. Officiating calls are swinging an increasing number of games: you win some, as Wales did against England in Cardiff, but you lose some as well. Either way it was desperately rough justice on Wales’s captain, Alun Wyn Jones, who was within sniffing distance of becoming the first Welsh player to be involved in four grand slams. There he was again before kick-off, addressing the huddle, tapping his temple, giving his mates the meaningful stare. When Alun Wyn does finally retire they could do worse than cast him in Line of Duty. Either way, the big man’s 148th Welsh cap was a breathless one from the outset. France, stung by defeat to England, were ahead within six minutes, a line-out peel taking them almost up to the Welsh line where the towering Romain Taofifénua stooped to score. How unlucky Wales were not to register an instant response of their own, Gareth Davies looking as if he had slid over the line from Rees‑Zammit’s pass only to be adjudged to have been held up by Ollivon. It turned out not to matter, Biggar cutting a sharp inside line to drag his side back level. They needed every available point. Dulin’s delicate chip over the top bounced beautifully for Matthieu Jalibert, who duly fed the lurking Dupont on his elbow. Many sides’ shoulders would have drooped at that stage. Not Wales. Back they came again, running hard and intelligently and there was no stopping Navidi from close range. Four great tries inside the first quarter? Truly you are spoiling us, ambassador. The big question was the extent to which Shaun Edwards would rev up the French at the interval, with the score poised at 17-17, just as he did for so long as Wales’s defence coach. Whatever he did say mostly seemed to be lost in translation. France, who had spent just 35 seconds in the Welsh 22 in the first half, continued to look curiously passive for lengthy spells and another Biggar penalty gave the visitors a 20-17 advantage. Then came the 50th-minute TMO call that seemed to have swung the game towards Wales. There was simply not enough clear evidence, in the opinion of Wayne Barnes, to overrule the referee’s initial on-field decision that Adams had scored, with Dylan Cretin’s hand being adjudged not to have saved the day. The 59th-minute yellow card for the prop Mohamed Haouas also seemed to point to an away win but the fates, and Dulin, had other ideas. It is hard to recall a more extraordinary finish in Six Nations history.