Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Italy v France: Everything you need to know

England’s Ben Youngs is confronted by Italy defenders

A game between the two bottom sides in the Six Nations would normally not provide too much intrigue, but there should be plenty of spectators interested in Italy’s tactics when they host France on Saturday.

Italy remain without a point having lost each of their three games to start the campaign.

But the Azzurri head into their penultimate match having provoked both admiration and anger with the tactics they used in a 36-15 defeat to holders England. 

For long periods it looked as if Italy were in position to stunningly end England’s 16-match winning run as they baffled Eddie Jones’ men by not committing men to the ruck, meaning there was no offside line and the Azzurri forwards were free to step across and cut down the space available to their opponents.

The ploy left Jones furious, and a France side whose only win so far came against Scotland will not be taking Italy lightly as a result.

Defeats against England and Ireland have left France’s hopes of regaining the title looking extremely slim, but Les Bleus will be keen to finish strongly regardless and prove the signs of progress they displayed in the end-of-year internationals in 2016 were not false dawns.

HEAD TO HEAD

Italy: 3

France: 35

Draw: 0

 

WHAT HAPPENED IN 2016?

France started their previous Six Nations campaign with an unconvincing victory over Italy at the Stade de France. Jules Plisson’s late penalty salvaged a 23-21 win for Les Bleus after Sergio Parisse and Carlo Canna had edged the Azzurri ahead.

 

KEY PLAYERS

Maxime Mbanda (Italy)

It was Italy’s controversial defensive tactics that caught the eye at Twickenham, and if they are to keep France at bay then flanker Mbanda will be key. He has made the third-most tackles (46) in the competition, while the two players above him on the list – Jonny Gray and Kevin Gourdon – have played 57 minutes more than him.

Louis Picamoles (France)

France’s game is built on their massive pack and the star among the forwards has been back row Picamoles, who leads the way in defenders beaten (13) and offloads (9) in the Six Nations this year. His 235 metres gained are the most by any forward in the tournament.

 

THE LINE-UPS

Italy: Edoardo Padovani, Angelo Esposito, Michele Campagnaro, Luke McLean, Giovanbattista Venditti, Carlo Canna, Edoardo Gori; Andrea Lovotti, Leonardo Ghiraldini, Lorenzo Cittadini, Marco Fuser, Dries van Schalkwyk, Braam Steyn, Simone Favaro, Sergio Parisse (captain).

France: Brice Dulin, Noa Nakaitaci, Remi Lamerat, Gael Fickou, Virimi Vakatawa, Camille Lopez, Baptiste Serin; Cyril Baille, Guilhem Guirado (captain), Rabah Slimani, Julien Le Devedec, Yoann Maestri, Fabien Sanconnie, Kevin Gourdon, Louis Picamoles.

 

COACH COMMENTS

Conor O’Shea (Italy): “The great Italian side of the ’90s was a horrible side to play against. It was physical, it was in your face. We have to be horrible to play against and then we can evolve. By the 2019 World Cup I want us to be the team that no one wants in their pool.”

Guy Noves (France): “We don’t have the means to boast, to be a bit like England; to play Italy and look down on them. Our results don’t let us do that. Therefore I hope that the players are well aware that Italy have got this match marked down. That’s normal, especially after their performance in England.”

 

OPTA STATS

– Italy have lost their last 10 games in the Six Nations, only once have they gone on a longer such run (14 – 2000-2002); in fact only four times in the history of the Five/Six Nations has any team gone on a longer losing run (France 17, Scotland 15, France and Italy 14).

– Italy have lost their last nine home games in the Six Nations, this after winning four of six in Rome immediately before that; another defeat would equal the Five/Six Nations record for consecutive home defeats (France – 10, 1911-1921).

– Les Bleus’ last away win in the Six Nations came in Rome in 2015. Since then they have lost five on the bounce away from home, their worst run since losing the same amount between 1956 and 1958.

– France have scored just two tries in total so far. They have never scored fewer than six in a Six Nations campaign.

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

R
RedWarriors 1 hour ago
Antoine Dupont undergoes surgery on injured knee ahead of long absence

Rugby incident, happens scores of times in a game. Dupont wasn’t even hit with much force, Beirne just clears him and force is added from behind from Furlong.

We can’t have special treatment for France just because their star is the one who gets unlucky.

There is already a lack of clarity around actual Written decisions and how they differ from bans.

For example, Mauvaka the official written decision states Mauvaka to have made a ‘reckless’, ‘deliberate’, shot ‘to the head’ of a ‘player in a vulnerable position’ on the ground. That’s a high level entry ban of 10 weeks. However, the press release did not show ‘reckless’ or ‘vulnerable player’ ticked alloweing Mauvaka to enter at the 6 match mid range.

Similarly Ntamack’s written report showed that it was a ‘reckless’, ‘head shot’ with ‘injury’. The injury was a fully displaced nose bone and Ntamack apologizes for the injury in the written report. This should give Ntamack an entry level of 6 weeks but in the Press Release ‘Injured’ is unticked meaning Ntamack gets away with a 4 week entry ban. This is not counting the fact that the world knows he deliberately injured Thomas.

No. France have been abusing the system for years, recently spreading disinformation about the Ringrose ban in order to undermine confidence in the process.

Giving France even more special treatment is not the answer.

3 Go to comments
B
Bryan Magana 5 hours ago
Why the ‘State of Origin’ will have a big say in Schmidt’s Wallabies selection

Scammed and Saved: GrayHat Hacks Turned My Crypt0 Nightmare Around

It all started with a dream and a single email. I’d been saving Bitc0in for years, hoping to buy my first home. On a rainy Tuesday, I received what looked like an urgent message from my wallet provider, asking me to verify my account details. The email was polished, the logo perfect, and the urgency felt real. Without thinking twice, I clicked the link and entered my credentials. It wasn’t until hours later, when I checked my wallet and saw a balance of zero, that the horror sank in. My 2.5 BTC, worth over $150,000, was gone. The scammer had drained it through a series of rapid transactions, scattering it across the blockchain like digital dust in the wind.

I was devastated. My dream of homeownership vanished in a click, and I felt like a fool. Days blurred into a haze of panic and regret until I stumbled upon GrayHat Hacks online. Their testimonials spoke of miracles, st0len crypt0 recovered, lives restored. Desperate, I reached ou to them. They explained that while Bitc0in’s blockchain is public, tracing st0len funds is like finding a needle in a haystack. But they had the tools: proprietary software that could analyze transaction patterns, identify wallet clusters, and potentially link the scammer’s address to an exchange where the funds might be frozen.

GrayHat Hacks dove into the blockchain, following the trail of my st0len Bitc0in as it hopped from wallet to wallet. They used advanced clustering algorithms to group addresses likely controlled by the same entity, narrowing down the scammer’s footprint. Then came the breakthrough: one of the wallets was tied to a known exchange. It was a tense few hours, but I eventually received the email I’d been praying for, my Bitc0in was recovered.

GrayHat Hacks expertise turned what felt like an impossible loss into a second chance. They even took the time to teach me how to spot phishing scams, ensuring I’d never fall victim again. If you’re reading this, heart pounding after a crypt0 nightmare, know that GrayHat Hacks is the real deal. They’re not just technicians; they’re lifesavers, blending cutting-edge blockchain analysis with a human touch. My dream of a home is back on track, and I owe it all to them.

You can reach out to them via email at grayhathacks@contractor.net or WhatsApp +1 (843) 368-3015

Website https://grayhathacksblog.wixsite.com/grayhathacks

78 Go to comments
B
Bryan Magana 5 hours ago
Six changes for Ireland, including the return of Jack Crowley

Scammed and Saved: GrayHat Hacks Turned My Crypt0 Nightmare Around


It all started with a dream and a single email. I’d been saving Bitc0in for years, hoping to buy my first home. On a rainy Tuesday, I received what looked like an urgent message from my wallet provider, asking me to verify my account details. The email was polished, the logo perfect, and the urgency felt real. Without thinking twice, I clicked the link and entered my credentials. It wasn’t until hours later, when I checked my wallet and saw a balance of zero, that the horror sank in. My 2.5 BTC, worth over $150,000, was gone. The scammer had drained it through a series of rapid transactions, scattering it across the blockchain like digital dust in the wind.

I was devastated. My dream of homeownership vanished in a click, and I felt like a fool. Days blurred into a haze of panic and regret until I stumbled upon GrayHat Hacks online. Their testimonials spoke of miracles, st0len crypt0 recovered, lives restored. Desperate, I reached ou to them. They explained that while Bitc0in’s blockchain is public, tracing st0len funds is like finding a needle in a haystack. But they had the tools: proprietary software that could analyze transaction patterns, identify wallet clusters, and potentially link the scammer’s address to an exchange where the funds might be frozen.

GrayHat Hacks dove into the blockchain, following the trail of my st0len Bitc0in as it hopped from wallet to wallet. They used advanced clustering algorithms to group addresses likely controlled by the same entity, narrowing down the scammer’s footprint. Then came the breakthrough: one of the wallets was tied to a known exchange. It was a tense few hours, but I eventually received the email I’d been praying for, my Bitc0in was recovered.

GrayHat Hacks expertise turned what felt like an impossible loss into a second chance. They even took the time to teach me how to spot phishing scams, ensuring I’d never fall victim again. If you’re reading this, heart pounding after a crypt0 nightmare, know that GrayHat Hacks is the real deal. They’re not just technicians; they’re lifesavers, blending cutting-edge blockchain analysis with a human touch. My dream of a home is back on track, and I owe it all to them.

1 Go to comments
W
WesleyBeck 5 hours ago
Six changes for Ireland, including the return of Jack Crowley

I fell victim to a sophisticated cryptocurrency scam, losing $128,000.00 USDT to a fake trading platform. The scammers had promised a 10% daily profit, but instead, they left me financially ruined and struggling to pay my bills. Desperate for a solution, I confided in a close friend who introduced me to MORPHOHACK CYBER SERVICE, a team of experts specializing in cryptocurrency recovery. Their cutting-edge software and advanced techniques proved to be the game-changers I needed.

If you're in a similar situation, don't hesitate to reach out to MORPHOHACK CYBER SERVICE at (Morphohack@cyberservices.com)

Their team is dedicated to helping victims of cryptocurrency scams recover their stolen funds.

MORPHOHACK CYBER SERVICE employed a multi-faceted approach to recover my stolen digital assets. Their team utilized:

• ⁠Advanced tracking software to identify the scammers' digital footprints

• Sophisticated algorithms to trace the flow of my stolen funds

• ⁠Expert analysis to uncover the scammers' tactics and vulnerabilities

Within an impressive 72-hour timeframe, MORPHOHACK CYBER SERVICE successfully investigated, tracked down the scammers, and recovered my stolen funds. Their prompt and professional service gave me hope in a desperate situation.

If you've fallen victim to a similar cryptocurrency scam, I strongly recommend reaching out to MORPHOHACK CYBER SERVICE. Their expertise and advanced techniques can help you recover your stolen funds and avoid further financial losses.

1 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Scotland's senior players 'have gone to a different level' in quest for top-three finish Scotland's senior players 'have gone to a different level' in quest for top-three finish
Search