Match report
Here’s Luke McLaughlin’s match report from Lyon. You can join him tomorrow for Wales v Georgia live, and then yours truly for England v Samoa and the big one – Ireland v Scotland. Until then, au revoir.
“Freed from Desire” is blaring out of the stadium speakers. Interesting that they went for an Italian hit, with so much French pop music to pick from. Will we get to hear Die Antwoord in Paris if South Africa are brushed aside?
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Speaking of Ireland v Scotland – here is Rob Kitson’s preview.
Where to start with that? Well, Italy were bad – they played in a panic almost from the first whistle, racking up penalties and finding no answer to France’s approach. That said, the hosts were relentless, scoring within two minutes and punishing every mistake.
Even without Antoine Dupont, they produced several thrilling passages of attacking rugby – and seem to have that magic blend of ruthless forward play and attacking verve that wins World Cups. If it is to be South Africa next, though, that will be a huge step up – a battle between perhaps the two most complete teams on the planet.
Here’s France’s immense No 8, Grégory Alldritt: “We’re going to enjoy the weekend, because it was a tough game tonight. I’m happy with the team performance … we’ll start preparing for the quarter-final once the game [Ireland v Scotland] is over.”
Full time! France 60-7 Italy
Italy concede their 15th penalty of the game, and Jaminet opts to kick the three points, taking France to 60 points. It’s their biggest-ever win over Italy, and a serious statement of intent.
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78 mins: A 50-22 kick for France, which Bielle-Biarrey takes quickly to Jaminet. Negri is penalised for a high hit, and France will have a lineout as they seek a ninth try.
77 mins: Ioane with another break forward, before Allan’s kick-through is helped over the line. Moefana is back to gather it, and the tireless Penaud runs behind the posts before clearing away.
TRY! France 57-7 Italy (Moefana 75')
It’s a second try for Moefana, and an eighth for France – set up by forward power and then created by Matthieu Jalibert with almost dismissive ease. Jalibert misses the conversion, but the gap is now back up to a record-breaking 50 points.
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73 mins: There’s a bit of an ugly tussle where Sebastian Negri lurches into a tackle and – I think – catches teammate Tommaso Allan with a stray arm. That’s what you call adding injury to insult.
TRY! France 52-7 Italy (Zuliani 70')
They can! Morisi thunders down the left flank and while the move threatens to break down, their forwards keep pushing and keep their discipline. Manuel Zuliani scoops the ball up five metres out and holds off three France players to spin and touch down. Tommaso Allan converts, and Italy may avoid a historic humiliation.
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68 mins: Pani collects a kick and gains a few yards, before Ioane briefly gets beyond the French defence. Can Italy finally get on the scoreboard?
64 mins: Luca Morisi is on for Bruno. This could end up as France’s biggest-ever margin of victory over Italy, eclipsing a 60-13 victory back in 1967.
TRY! France 52-0 Italy (Moefana 61')
Sixty seconds after coming on, Moefana takes France to 50 points, collecting Penaud’s fine pass out wide after more bruising work from the forwards. Jaminet takes up kicking duties, and converts.
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61 mins: Ramos’ evening is over; he’s replaced by Melvyn Jaminet. Yoram Moefana is also on for Gaël Fickou. For Italy, Manfredi and Zani are on in the front row for Ferrari and Faiva.
60 mins: From the lineout, Garbisi is again isolated and concedes a penalty. The France defence coach, Shaun Edwards, clenches his fists in delight, even at 45-0 up.
58 mins: Allan’s high ball is tipped back smartly by Pierre Bruno to Garbisi, but France immediately swarm and Italy are penalised for not releasing. Actually, no – the decision goes against France for the original challenge on Bruno in the air.
56 mins: More changes for Italy, with Marco Riccioni on for Ceccarelli and Manuel Zuliani replacing Cannone. Some urgently needed reinforcements in the pack, where Italy are being torn apart. New blood in the French front row as try-scorer Mauvaka and Baille are replaced by Bourgarit and Wardi.
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55 mins: François Cros replaces Charles Ollivon, who was rock-solid once again for France. Maxime Lucu’s night is over too, as he is replaced by Baptiste Couilloud, who will get a chance to shine in his home town.
TRY! France 45-0 Italy (Mauvaka 53')
France don’t bother with any fancy footwork here – they win the lineout and roll for the line, with Peato Mauvaka getting the ball down. Ramos converts, the lead grows to 45 points.
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51 mins: Mamma mia! The chance is gone as Italy’s attack malfunctions once again, and soon enough Bielle-Biarrey is skipping down the left, and kicking through. Italy regain the ball, but only after Fusco commits a cynical foul. France penalty …
49 mins: Crowley, in what is set to be his final game in charge, has the thousand-yard stare on – although his side do have a penalty, kicked to the corner, after France fail to release the ball.
TRY! France 38-0 Italy (Jalibert 47')
France bide their time deep in the Italy half, working through 12 phases and slowly unpicking the defence before Jalibert, France’s chief creator tonight, shimmies through to score himself. Ramos converts.
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43 mins: Galthié begins to make changes, with Dorian Aldegheri and Romain Taofifenua replacing Flament and Atonio. Two Italy replacements come on too – Manuel Zuliani and Alessandro Fusco are on for Stephen Varney and the captain, Michele Lamaro, who gets an early hook from Crowley.
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Peep!
We are back under way, and Italy quickly concede another penalty. Capuozzo failed his head injury assessment and won’t be coming back on.
France being extremely France tonight, so classy & dangerous every time with the ball @niallmcveigh. Italy were dismal v ABs and they're better tonight but this could still be 75 points. Lucu absolutely milking that penalty and the crowd going baying we can do without. Sigh.
— Guy Hornsby (@GuyHornsby) October 6, 2023
Agreed on the most part, although I’m not sure Lucu milked it that much. The 10 replays were more of an issue in stirring things up.
Half time! France 31-0 Italy
Another penalty conceded by Italy, this time on the halfway line. Will Ramos try to pile on the pain? You bet he will … but this time, his long-range kick drifts wide right. Nobody’s perfect, I guess.
France broke downfield but Jalibert looks to be isolated and under pressure. He looks to his right and lofts a perfect diagonal kick to Penaud, who collects the high ball and dives over the line! Ramos converts, and the bonus-point is wrapped up before half-time.
Acres of space for Penaud's second try of the evening 🔥#RWC2023 | #FRAvITA pic.twitter.com/R8WL8OJDpx
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 6, 2023
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TRY! France 31-0 Italy (Penaud 37')
It’s a tale as old as time – Italy pour energy into trying and narrowly failing to score; their opponents go up the other end and turn the screw. It’s Damian Penaud’s second of the game, and sixth of the tournament!
36 mins: Italy penalty, kicked for the corner but sent long, much to Kieran Crowley’s frustration up in the coaching booth.
34 mins: No try! The check is on a high tackle from Ferrari himself, clearing out Maxime Lucu in a previous phase of play. The try is chalked off – it’s a borderline call – but Ferrari is spared a yellow card after a number of replays, each slo-mo drawing louder boos from the crowd.
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32 mins: Italy win the lineout, Federico Ruzza climbing highest, and so begins a titanic battle to get over the line. Simone Ferrari finally muscles his way over – but the TMO has spotted something …
31 mins: The TMO intervenes to flag up a penalty against Jalibert, so Italy, getting nowhere running the ball, can kick for the corner.
30 mins: A handling error sends Italy backwards, and France are quite happy to hold their opponents near the halfway line. Capuozzo is going off for a head injury assessment, so Lorenzo Pani comes on at full-back.
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28 mins: There’s a break in play while Capuozzo gets his left eye looked at. We’ll restart with a scrum, from which Italy retain possession …
@niallmcveigh nice stretch of the legs for France this evening keeping the machine oiled. Italy will be lucky to get double digits on the scoreboard. With every game France are more & more clinical. When France hit the gas there will be an easy 50-60 points between them.
— John McEnerney (@MackerOnTheMed) October 6, 2023
25 mins: Italy finally get a lineout right and Capuozzo finds Tommaso Allan, who can see the try line ahead – but three dark blue shirts get back and swallow him up, forcing a knock-on.
23 mins: France have been absolutely awesome so far – brutal up front, their backs quick and ruthless, and able to improvise brilliantly when the set plays fall short. Italy look like they’d rather be anywhere else.
TRY! France 24-0 Italy (Ramos 21')
Italy do a much better job of standing firm in defence here – but they can’t hold on forever. Jalibert darts to the right and finds Penaud, whose pass is flicked on by Fickou to Thomas Ramos. He rounds Capuozzo to touch down, and converts his own score.
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19 mins: Italy get outmatched at the scrum, and now Lucu will put in. France break away but Karl Dickson calls play back. A former scrum-half, he has awarded more scrums than any other referee in this World Cup.
17 mins: Another cheap penalty hands France a lineout on the 22, as they take their total possession above 80%. They work through 11 phases, Lucu conducting things before Jalibert gets quick ball wide to Bielle-Biarrey – who is just dragged into touch.
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15 mins: That’s Louis Bielle-Biarrey’s fifth try in six Tests – and he’s only 20. Another stat for you: France have carried over the gainline 19 times already; Italy have managed one.
TRY! France 17-0 Italy (Bielle-Biarrey 13')
Penaud has the space to try it again and this time he lands it. The young winger still has plenty to do, but he twirls and sidesteps before a last-ditch Italian tackle carries him over the line. Ramos converts.
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10 mins: Penaud glides forward as if on roller skates, but his attempted kick-through to Louis Bielle-Biarrey has too much on it. He was almost moving too fast.
8 mins: The noise around the ground has been absolutely relentless, with La Marseillaise now rippling around the stands. Italy can’t get their heads together; another lineout is lost before Simone Ferrari stalls and is caught offside.
6 mins: France 10-0 Italy (Ramos pen) The kick sails comfortably through the posts. The message is clear from France: any Italian errors will be punished. And there have been a few already.
4 mins: Italy get their first lineout all wrong, handing France the ball back. A tentative exchange of kicks follows, before Tomasso Allan underhits one straight to Ramos. An Italy forward is caught offside, and Ramos will try and kick this from on the halfway line.
TRY! France 7-0 Italy (Penaud 2')
That will settle any pre-match nerves. France start like a freight train and with Italy penned back, Jalibert juggles the ball to Thomas Ramos, who offloads to Damian Penaud in the corner. Ramos converts, curling his kick inside the far post.
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Before kick-off, Italy’s Ange Capuozzo checked in on his Toulouse clubmate, Antoine Dupont.
Capuozzo checking on Dupont is everything 🤝#RWC2023 | #FRAvITA pic.twitter.com/xMW9MHoz97
— Rugby World Cup (@rugbyworldcup) October 6, 2023
Both teams are out, France in dark blue, Italy in white. Time for the national anthems, two classics of the genre.
“Champagne, wine, beer, pastis - you name it - it was all flowing in the car parks at OL Stadium before kick-off,” writes Luke McLaughlin, our man in Lyon.
Wine and cheese in the car park for French fans in Lyon. All very civilised #rwc2023 pic.twitter.com/Fq5z2I5Ul4
— Luke McLaughlin (@LukeMcLaughlin) October 6, 2023
While we wait for kick-off, why not have a bash at our new and improved quiz of the week? Fifteen questions, no Googling.
Antoine Dupont isn’t in the France 23 but he’s here in Lyon, suited up for a pre-pitch walkaround with Fabien Galthié, the pair of them looking like a critically acclaimed 90s electronic duo.
A huge weekend of rugby awaits – so get up to speed with our preview.
The teams
France: Thomas Ramos, Damian Penaud, Gael Fickou, Jonathan Danty, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Matthieu Jalibert, Maxime Lucu; Cyril Baille, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio, Cameron Woki, Thibaud Flament, Anthony Jelonch, Charles Ollivon (c), Grégory Alldritt.
Replacements: Pierre Bourgarit, Reda Wardi, Dorian Aldegheri, Romain Taofifenua, François Cros, Baptiste Couilloud, Yoram Moefana, Melvyn Jaminet
Italy Ange Capuozzo, Pierre Bruno, Juan Ignacio Brex, Paolo Garbisi, Montanna Ioane, Tommaso Allan, Stephen Varney; Simone Ferrari, Hame Faiva, Pietro Ceccarelli, Niccolò Cannone, Federico Ruzza, Sebastian Negri, Michele Lamaro (c), Lorenzo Cannone.
Replacements: Marco Manfredi, Federico Zani, Marco Riccioni, David Sisi, Manuel Zuliani, Alessandro Fusco, Luca Morisi, Lorenzo Pani.
Preamble
It’s been 15 days since France played a match at their own World Cup. Since that 96-0 mauling of Namibia, a lot has happened while Les Bleus were kicking their heels. Ireland and Wales have built on the hosts’ win over the All Blacks to assert northern-hemisphere dominance; Australia have crashed and burned; and New Zealand have scored 240 points in three matches.
For France fans, the focus has been off the field – and more specifically on Antoine Dupont. More specifically still, on Antoine Dupont’s face. The injury inflicted by Johan Deysel’s bad challenge looked set to end the star scrum-half’s World Cup – but he is back with the squad and could return for the quarter-final.
But let’s not get ahead of ourselves; France have had Pool A in the palm of their hand since the opening game but they aren’t through yet – and Italy could still crash the party in Lyon tonight with a win (and a bit of bonus-point help). And yes, we are talking about that Italy, who lost 96-17 to New Zealand and laboured to wins over Uruguay and Namibia.
In reality, only an unprecedented collective meltdown would see France fall short here. If they can shake off any pre-game nerves, there is an opportunity for the likes of Maxime Lucu, standing in for Dupont, to find their groove as a quarter-final looms – probably against South Africa. The hosts are back and heading for the home straight.
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