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21 min: France win the scrum penalty so have a free shot. Moefana’s direct run makes yards. It’s a simple approach from the French until Dupont puts in a kick for Bielle-Biarrey on the left wing but it’s too long and bobbles out of bounds. Not like Dupont that. He had room to pick his spot. Brex receives some treatment after feeling the full force of Moefana’s run. Ramos nudges the penalty out for a five metre line-out.
20 min: Another slick exit from Page-Relo from the restart but France are on the attack from a solid line-out. Barre nudges a grubber into the right corner where Allan has to gather but he’s swiftly bundled over the line by the chasing Attissogbe. Five metre scrum to France on the right. Can the replacement prop Spagnolo hold for Italy?
Penalty! Italy 10-7 France (Allan, 18)
Sweetly struck. He doesn’t miss many and this one, from straight in front about 40m out, sneaks inside of the right post.
16 min: This is a cracking game. Italy are attacking with great zip, Their midfield is winning the gainline battle and Capuozzo, with a bit of room on the right wing, wriggled past a defender and off-loaded to keep the move going. Strong runs from Lamaro and Negri. There’s a late challenge off the ball from Boudehent and it’s a penalty for Italy within range. Fischetti hobbles off. That’s a big loss early on for the home team.
TRY! Italy 7-7 France (Guillard, 14)
France respond! It’s Guillard who notches his first Test try through sheer strength and power, carrying three Italians over five metres to the line. France are perhaps a little lucky as Dupont looked to have knocked on in the build up at the back of the ruck. Not so according to the officials. Direct running with a touch of wizardry on the wing from Barre. Classic French try. Ramos brings us level from the tee.
13 min: Italy’s exit game has come on leaps and bounds. A Page-Relo box kick lands over halfway after the restart. They look like a slick outfit. But France are back in their territory with Dupont conducting short and direct runners. Into the 22 now with some heavy carries.
TRY! Italy 7-0 France (Menoncello, 11)
BANG! Italy respond with a belter. They win a free kick from the scrum and Page-Relo ignites the move. It looked so simple with Menoncello running onto a short pass against the grain from Brex and he exploded through the line and sprinted away from Allan. The French defence was nowhere to be seen. Allan adds the extras. Italy are up and running.
10 min: Barre has dotted down after some excellent build up, but we’re looking at a potential forward pass on halfway. Yup! No try! A shame for the French. Attissogbe had done brilliantly on the right tram with a grubber, pick up and pass for Barre on his inside, who then jinked up field and under the poles. But a Ramos pass drifted forward so we’re back for an Italian scrum just inside French territory.
9 min: Allan misses the 50m shot at goal.
8 min: Italy’s line-out is neat, and they’re playing with confidence. Garbisi shows bravery to take it flat at the line. The midfield is keeping France honest and their relentless tempo means French defenders are all over the place. Aldritt, who lost the contact, is off-side by the time Page-Relo picks up at the base of the ruck and milks the penalty on halfway.
6 min: After an age Italy win the scrum and launch a strike play from their own 22. Capuozzo on the wraparound and Gesi has it on the opposite wing. They kick down field, get it back and then return it with interest. France take the mark in their own 22 which means a big net gain for Italy. Ramos hoofs it out on halfway. Slick exit work there from the home team.
4 min: France hammer the line but Italy’s defence holds and they force the knock-on as Barre’s grip on the ball is loose. Page-Relo’s clearing kick is charged down but they do get it away. France are back in the red zone though with Moefana charging through a gap in midfield off a line-out. Now they’re searching for an opening down the left tram. Guillard is about seven metres out in front of the poles. Ramos finds space on the edge down the left but there’s a fantastic steal on the ground. Ramos was isolated and Italy swarmed. They’ll have the scrum feed in their own 22 on the right touch.
1 min: Ramos kicks off and Guillard wins a turnover on the ground. France kick to the corner and win it as they set up an early drive inside Italy’s 22.
Sergio Parisse, flanked by his two kids, brings out the match ball to warm applause. If the Italians can match his standards they’ll romp to a victory.
Anthems done. Not long to go now.
Italy are looking to make it three straight home wins for the first time in the Six Nations.
This would perhaps be their best ever result.
Anthems now….
The players are assembling in the tunnel now. Rome looks a picture in glorious sunshine! I’ve got a mate who has just sent a picture from the stadium and I must say I’m incredibly jealous.
France’s defence coach, Shaun Edwards, a man of few words, says that “There’s definitely a renewed intensity” to the group after the loss to England.
“I’m a big believer that when the guys lose you need to give them support.”
I bet there were some harsh words spoken in private though.
“When you play one of the best teams in the world, you have to be really accurate with everything you do.”
So says Italy’s coach Gonzalo Quesada.
Simple, eh?
Despite last year’s 13-13 draw, France have had it all their own way against Italy in recent years.
In the 2023 World Cup Le Bleus thumped their neighbours by 53 points. It was tighter the last time they played in Rome with a late try settling the game by five points, but it was another thumping the year before that as France claimed the slam, and again the year before that.
The average score between these two over the last five meetings is Italy 13-38 France. My ten cents? It’ll be much closer than that this afternoon.
While we wait, here’s a bunch of tasty writing from yesterday’s Six Nations action:
Rob Kitson reflects on Scotland’s agony:
Andy Bull sings the praises of England’s “iron-chinned boxers”:
Michael Aylwin enjoyed watching Scotland, but laments their inability to deliver on their promise:
Gerard Meagher rates England’s and Scotland’s players:
And Luke McLuaghlin heard from Wales’ interim coach, Matt Sherratt, who managed to rouse a response from his beleaguered squad:
France team
The French are going for power over panache as Fabian Galthié has loaded his bench with seven forwards.
There are four changes from the team that started in the defeat to England with Thibaud Flament making his first appearance of the tournament in the second row alongside Mackael Guillard who came off the bench in Twickenham two weeks ago.
Fly-half Matthieu Jalibert and winger Damian Penaud have remarkably been axed from the match-day 23 altogether with Thomas Ramos slotting in at 10 and Leo Barre moving to 15. Theo Attissogbe starts on the right wing.
There are more changes on the bench with Georges-Henri Colombe replacing Dorian Aldegheri as the replacement tighthead prop while lock Romain Taofifenua joins the party. Anthony Jelonch adds extra heft while Maxime Lucu is the sole back among the subs, edging out Nolann Le Garrec.
France: 15 – Leo Barre; 14 – Theo Attissogbe, 13 – Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 – Yoram Moefana, 11 – Louis Bielle-Biarrey; 10 – Thomas Ramos, 9 – Antoine Dupont (c); 1 – Jean-Baptiste Gros, 2 – Peato Mauvaka, 3 – Uini Atonio, 4 – Thibaud Flament, 5 – Mickael Guillard, 6 – Francois Cros, 7 – Paul Boudehent, 8 – Gregory Alldritt.
Replacements: 16 – Julien Marchand, 17- Cyril Baille, 18- Dorian Aldegheri, 19- Romain Taofifenua, 20 - Alexandre Roumat, 21 - Oscar Jegou, 22 - Anthony Jelonch, 23 – Maxime Lucu
Italy team
Gonzalo Quesada has made two changes from the starting XV that comfortably beat Wales a fortnight ago.
One is a forced change with the injured winger Monty Ioane making way for Simone Gesi, who started on the bench in Warren Gatland’s last game in charge of Wales.
There’s also a change at hooker with Gianmarco Lucchesi moving to the bench and Giacomo Nicotera starting.
The previously banned loosehead Mirco Spagnolo has returns to the match-day 23 with tighthead Giosuè Zilocchi and lock Riccardo Favretto among the substitutes in a 6-2 split.
Otherwise it’s a settled backline with perhaps the most potent midfield in the competition. It’s a question of whether or not their tight five can win the arm wrestle up front.
Italy: 15 – Tommasso Allan; 14 – Ange Capuozzo, 13 – Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 – Tommaso Menoncello, 11 – Simone Gesi; 10 – Paolo Garbisi, 9 – Martin Page-Relo; 1 – Danilo Fischetti, 2 – Gianmarco Lucchesi, 3 – Simone Ferrari, 4 - Niccolò Cannone, 5 – Federico Ruzza, 6 – Sebastian Negri, 7 – Michele Lamaro (c), 8 – Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: 16 - Giacomo Nicotera, 17 – Mirco Spagnolo, 18 – Giosuè Zilocchi, 19 – Riccardo Favretto, 20 – Manuel Zuliani, 21 – Ross Vintcent, 22 – Alessandro Garbisi, 23 - Jacopo Trulla
Preamble
Daniel Gallan
Is Fabian Galthié wasting a golden generation of French talent? It’s a harsh question, but a fair one considering a team stacked with game changers, one supplemented by the best domestic league in the world, has only one Six Nations crown to show for all their dazzle.
Now, with England beating Scotland, and Ireland keeping their grand slam ambitions alive, we’re entering must-win territory for France. A loss today would see their slim hopes of a title evaporate.
In years gone by this would be a gimme. From 9 February 2011 to 6 October 2023, France beat Italy 14 times in a row. But last year, a malfunctioning kicking tee denied the Azzurri a deserving victory in Lille. Instead the sides settled for a 13-13 draw but it was the Italians who left with enhanced reputations and the French wondering if their quarterfinal exit in a home World Cup in 2023 constituted a high water mark.
Italy will fancy their chances against the one team they want to beat more than the rest. There’s a bit of a little-brother-big-brother vibe to this rivalry and the fratellini have all the tools for an upset on home soil.
Can they do it? We’ll find out once things kick off in Rome at 3pm.
Teams and more updates to come.
