 At the 2011 World Cup , Wales reached the tournament semi @-@ finals for the first time since 1987 where they lost 9 – 8 to France after a red card for captain Sam Warburton . The two teams met again in March 2012 , where Wales needed a win to claim their third Six Nations Grand Slam in eight years , which they did with a 16 – 9 victory . This was followed immediately by an eight @-@ match losing streak , which was eventually broken during the 2013 Six Nations , where Wales retained the Championship for the first time since 1979 wins . Wales reached the quarter @-@ finals of the 2015 World Cup at the expense of hosts England , then lost 23 – 19 to South Africa . 
