Antoine Dupont to the fore as France run riot with 11-try thrashing of Italy
If there were questions over France's ability to finish teams off after coughing up numerous chances against England a fortnight ago, they have been thoroughly put to bed. A ruthless 11-try demolition of a handy Italy side on their own patch served as a reminder that, on their day, there are few better outfits in rugby than a French team in full flow.
Fabien Galthié, the head coach, made some bold selection decisions, dropping his ace winger Damian Penaud and fly-half Matthieu Jalibert from the match-day 23. A seven-one bench split was a sign of the plan and France's power game duly delivered. They stomped over the gainline with just about every carry, unloaded six heavies off the bench in one go on 48 minutes and pulverised the Italians, who sparkled on rare occasions but were totally outgunned.
France's eye-watering 73-points haul is the second-highest in Six Nation's history and with this victory they leapfrogged England into second on the table. If they beat Ireland in Dublin they could yet be champions.
There were early warning signs as the magnificent Louis Bielle-Biarrey had a try chalked off on 10 minutes as Thomas Ramos, shifting from full-back to fly-half, sprayed a forward pass in the buildup. Soon after, Tommaso Menoncello burst through a gap in midfield on the angle to hand Italy the lead. It was little more than a false dawn.
Mickaël Guillard then carried three Italian defenders on his back to score his first Test try. After a Tommaso Allan penalty, Peato Mauvaka rumbled over off the back of a lineout maul. Antoine Dupont then rounded off a slick move sparked by Léo Barré's lightning feet and hands. Dupont was officially recognised as the player of the match, but it was the French full-back who was instrumental in so much that worked in the backline.
Juan Ignacio Brex kept the try tally ticking and Italy within touching distance. Once again the French midfield of Yoram Moefana and Pierre-Louis Barassi was pulled apart like a freshly baked croissant. If there's one area of concern for France it is their weakness against first phase strike-plays from set pieces. Ireland will no doubt target them there.
Not that defensive frailties matter when you have monstrous ball carriers. With Dupont zipping it around from the front-foot, he simply had to find willing runners off his shoulder. Before half-time, Paul Boudehent and Barré would score to notch up the bonus point as France went into the break 35-17 to the good.
Five minutes after the restart, Grégory Alldritt crashed over. The lineout served as the platform but rather than maul, the ball pinged off the top for the No 8 to barrel down the inside 10 channel. France's ability to combine power with panache was in full bloom. Then came Le Bombe Equipe. French rugby has not fully shaken off the disappointment of their 2023 World Cup quarter-final defeat against South Africa, but Galthié is not too proud to pull a page from the Springboks' playbook. A new front row, as well as fresh legs in three other positions in the pack fuelled the onslaught to come.
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Better teams than Italy would have capitulated similarly. Before the hour, Bielle-Biarrey scored his sixth try in as many Tests and Dupont bagged his second of the match, collecting an inside pass from Ramos before fending off Allan with a stiff hand. The Garbisi brothers combined when the scrum-half Allesandro straightened the line and fed the fly-half Paolo off the back of a solid scrum, but the Mexican waves in the stands were proof that the home crowd had given up hope of a revival.
In the closing minutes Dupont moved to fly-half as Maxime Lucu entered the scene. It might have been a coincidence, but France looked less cohesive from then, perhaps handing Galthié enough evidence that his best player is not necessarily an option at No 10. Not that it mattered. France's domination of the gainline created space in the trams for Théo Attissogbé and Barassi to score before the close. France are back with a bang and remain in the hunt for the title.
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