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France cruise past Italy in their final warm-up match before the World Cup
France concluded their preparations for the World Cup with a comfortable 47-19 victory over Italy in their final warm-up match in Paris.
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Italy took the lead after going behind to Yoann Huget’s third minute try when Tommaso Allan converted Mattia Bellini’s try midway through the first half in front of a crowd of 30,000 at the 80,000-capacity Stade de France.
However, the hosts took control thereafter and tries from Camille Chat, Antoine Dupont and Arthur Iturria together with a penalty try saw France pull clear.
Jake Polledri and Bellini went over in the second half as Italy offered some resistance but Wenceslas Lauret and Thomas Ramos ran in tries for France.
The result marks France’s second World Cup warm-up win from three outings after their 32-3 victory over Scotland in Paris two weeks ago, which was followed by a 17-14 defeat in the return fixture in Edinburgh last week.
Conversely, this is Italy’s first World Cup warm-up defeat following their 85-15 thrashing of Russia in Rome a fortnight ago.
The Azzurri next face England on September 6 in Newcastle in what will be the final warm-up match for both countries before heading to the World Cup in Japan, where they will face New Zealand, South Africa, Canada and Namibia in Pool B.
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France, meanwhile, have no more fixtures until their World Cup opener against Argentina in Tokyo on September 21.
They will then go on to face fellow Pool C opponents England, Tonga and the USA as they eye a knockout berth from what is being dubbed as the ‘Pool of Death’.
France 47 (Tries to Yoann Huget, Camille Chat, Antoine Dupont, Arthur Iturria, Wenceslas Lauret, Thomas Ramos, penalty try; 5 conversions to Romain Ntamack; yellow cards to Louis Picamoles, Rabah Slimani)
Italy 19 (Tries to Mattia Bellini (2), Jake Polledri; 2 conversions to Tommaso Allan; yellow card to Bellini)
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– With PA
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