France vs Italy LIVE: Six Nations rugby result and reaction from Stade de France
Follow latest reaction from Stade de France after Les Blues opened their campaign with a win on Sunday afternoon
France began their bid for a first Six Nations title since 2010 with a 37-10 bonus-point win over Italy at a rain-soaked Stade de France on Sunday, as winger Gabin Villiere ran in a hat-trick.
The Azzurri, looking for a first Championship win since 2015 and their first ever victory in Paris, took a surprise lead when teenage debutant Tommaso Menoncello gathered a kick to finish in the corner.
France struck back with Anthony Jelonch and Villiere tries to take an eight-point lead into halftime.
Villiere weaved a path through the Italian defence to cross again after the break before Damian Penaud added the bonus-point score, and Villiere dived over for his third with the clock in the red.
France are level with Ireland on five points at the top of the table after the opening round, ahead of their meeting in Paris next Saturday.
Italy face England in Rome on Sunday, where both sides will be looking to respond to opening-day defeats after the English lost their opener in Scotland.
Player to Watch - Paolo Garbisi
Kieran Crowley has emphasised a need for more Italians to ply their trade outside of their homeland, with just two top-level teams meaning starting places are exceptionally limited within the bounds of the Italian domestic professional structure. Certainly the form of both Paolo Garbisi and Federico Mori, a surprise exclusion from today’s squad, in the Top 14 after summer moves to Montpellier and Bordeaux respectively will encourage the Italy head coach that his players can make an impact overseas.
In Garbisi, Italy appear to have the fly-half they have been seeking for so long; now they must build a structure around him in which he can flourish. He will have to take on great responsibility as the leader of an exceptionally young group of tens (Garbisi provides all 13 of their international caps, but Italy have creative and potent carriers throughout the backline to test the Shaun Edwards drilled French defence. The result is not in doubt but for an Italian side of potential seeking progress, a positive performance from Garbisi will be a key goal.
Player to Watch - Melvyn Jaminet
This time last year, Melvyn Jaminet was a 21-year-old cut from the Toulon academy because he was too small who had never played a game in the Top 14, plying his trade for second-tier Perpignan and some way from Six Nations reckoning. Now the full-back looks like French rugby’s next big thing
With France shorn of much of their first-choice side, Jaminet was plucked from Pro D2 to join that Australia tour and had a breakthrough three tests. A metronomic kicker from the tee with deceptive, easy speed, Jaminet has taken to international rugby with ease, retaining his place for the autumn and continuing to impress after his club’s promotion to the Top 14. Having slotted 34 of his 37 kicks will retain lead goal-kicking duties ahead of Romain Ntamack, who he is expected to join at Toulouse next season. While Jaminet’s budding stardom went a little bit under-the-radar in the autumn, this tournament could be his step into the spotlight.
As for Tommaso Allan
Another familiar Italian face missing is Tommaso Allan, who has reportedly turned down a call-up to remain at Harlequins. The fly-half has had a season of strong performances disrupted by a couple of concussions and other injury issues, and is having a slightly tough afternoon today - Harlequins trail Sale (29-7) at the Stoop.
In better news for Eddie Jones, Manu Tuilagi has just made his first appearance for a couple of months in a Sale shirt and properly thumped the similarly sizeable Andre Esterhuizen with a proper tackle. England are updating their squad on Tuesday - will Tuilagi be back amongst things?
Sergio Parisse absent...for now
If you are wondering quite what is occurring with Sergio Parisse’s international career, the man who was for so long the Italian talisman has declared himself available for the Six Nations for a potential farewell with the Azzurri. As you may recall, the number eight was initially due to bow out after the 2019 World Cup but had his last appearance cancelled by Typhoon Hagibis, and hopes for a belated Six Nations goodbye have been pushed back by the pandemic.
Kieran Crowley has said he will consider Parisse if he can prove his form and fitness at Toulon, with a niggling injury ruling the veteran out of yesterday’s surprise defeat to Castres. Watch this space.
Team News – Italy
Kieran Crowley hands out two debuts from the start in his first Six Nations game in charge of Italy. Back-row Toa Halafihi has served the required residency after arriving from New Zealand and adds yet more skill at the back of the scrum to Italy’s area of depth, while 19-year-old Tommaso Menoncello’s potential is recognised as he gets the nod ahead of more experienced faces on the wing.
In all, 12 of the starting XV are drawn from Crowley’s old side Benetton. Paolo Garbisi was also until this year stationed in Treviso, but a move to Montpellier has allowed him further chances to flourish and Italy must now build around their great fly-half hope. Gloucester’s Stephen Varney partners him in the halves; Tiziano Pasquali, once of Leicester, starts for the first time since 2019 on the tighthead.
There are two more uncapped faces on the bench, which shows a 6-2 forwards-to-backs split: flanker Manuel Zuliani is a solid all-around operator and Leonardo Marin an extremely talented, if still raw, teenage ten.
Italy XV: Padovani; Menoncello, Brex, Zanon, Ioane; Garbisi, Varney; Fischetti, Lucchesi, Pasquali; Cannone, Ruzza; Negri, Lamaro, Halafihi.
Replacements: Faiva, Nemer, Zilocchi, Fuser, Pettinelli, Zuliani; Braley, Marin.
Team News - France
Having had 14 players in isolation until last Sunday, France would have feared a severely disrupted start to the tournament, but a first-choice 23 has been given a clean bill of health in the last round of Covid testing. It is a strong side building upon the successes of last year, with 13 starters from the autumn zenith against New Zealand retained for the Six Nations opener.
The two changes come in the pack, where a fit-again Julien Marchand starts at hooker and Dylan Cretin is preferred to Anthony Jelonch, with captain Charles Ollivon a long-term absentee with a knee injury. Cameron Woki’s second row reinvention was an autumn revelation – he and partner Paul Willemse are very different players, but combine nicely.
Behind the scrum, Antoine Dupont was among those isolating a week ago but is named to lead France despite playing only sparingly since the end of the autumn. Jonathan Danty lends his considerable carrying prowess outside Romain Ntamack, who is also fit to play after a positive Covid test.
The fly-half’s impressive deputy Mathieu Jalibert is perhaps still a week away after a thigh issue, meaning the versatile Thomas Ramos, who has at times displaced Ntamack to inside centre at Toulouse, will provide 10 and 15 cover from the bench.
France XV:Jaminet; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Villiere; Ntamack, Dupont (capt); Baille, Marchand, Atonio; Woki, Willemse; Jelonch, Cretin, Alldritt.
Replacements: Mauvaka, Gros, Bamba, Taofifenua, Cros; Lucu, Moefana, Ramos.
France vs Italy
There’s plenty more across The Independent on both of yesterday’s games, so do have a gander at all of that, but we are going to switch our focus more fully to affairs in France, where kick-off is not too far away. Let’s take a look at the two teams.
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