Yahoo Movies Italy 24-29 France LIVE! Six Nations 2023 result, match stream, reaction and rugby updates today
France were made to work for it as Les Bleus began their defence of the Six Nations crown with a victory against Italy in Rome.
Debutant Ethan Dumortier, Thibault Flament, Thomas Ramos and Mattieu Jalibert all got on the scoresheet as the champions claimed a bonus point win, extending their unbeaten run to 11 games.
France, however, were dealt a scare when Charles Ollivon was sent to the sin bin, awarding the hosts a penalty as they moved into a one-point lead.
The impressive Ange Capuozzo doted down for the Italians while Tommaso Allan four penalties as Italy were denied their first Grand Slam home win since May 2013.
Still, having beaten both Wales and Australia in a memorable 2022, the performance inside the Stadio Olimpico will certainly give the Azzurri plenty of reason to be positive.
France will head to Dublin to meet Ireland in a huge clash on Saturday, while Italy meet England at Twickenham later that afternoon.
Italy vs France latest news
Full match report
Six Nations results, standings and fixtures
Thank you
17:20 , Jonathan Gorrie
Thank you for joining for joining Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of France’s opening Six Nations win over France.
Find our report and latest standings below!
Six Nations table: Latest standings, results, fixtures and odds for 2023 tournament
17:19 , Jonathan Gorrie
France joined Ireland and Scotland in claiming opening day wins as the 2023 Six Nations got underway.
Click here to see the latest standings, results, fixtures and odds after week 1.
Clinical France hold off Italian surge to claim opening Six Nations win
17:17 , Jonathan Gorrie
Holders France overcame a strong Italian push to kick off the defence of their Six Nations crown with a hard-fought victory.
Ethan Dumortier scored a try on his debut as the Les Bleus claimed a 29-24 bonus-point victory over Italy at the Stadio Olimpico.
Thibault Flament, Thomas Ramos and Matthieu Jalibert also got on the scoresheet for the Grand Slam champions, while Ange Capuozzo dotted down for Italy and Tommaso Allan added four penalties.
Read our full match report here!
FT: Italy 24-29 France
16:51 , Jonathan Gorrie
A valiant performance from the Italians but France do just enough to keep their unbeaten run alive.
What a game!
PENALTY MISSED!
16:43 , Jonathan Gorrie
71 mins: Allan, so reliable all day, misses a penalty to really set-up a nail-biting finish.
Still plenty of time for the Italians, however.
TRY! Italy 24-29 France
16:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
67 mins: Clinical from France.
Jalibert puts the finishing touches to some intricate passing only a few seconds after coming on.
Ramos converts the penalty.
PENALTY! Italy 24-22 France
16:28 , Jonathan Gorrie
61 mins: Allan converts a penalty! The Olimpico goes wild at the smell of an upset.
Sloppy play from France
16:24 , Jonathan Gorrie
55 mins: Imprecision on the breakdown costs Les Bleus once more.
Going to be a grandstand fashion in Rome!
TRY! Italy 21-22 France
16:17 , Jonathan Gorrie
A HUGE call sees Charles Ollivon sent to the sinbin after illegally pulling down the Italian maul.
Penalty try given! There’s only a point in this.
PENALTY! Italy 14-22 France
16:14 , Jonathan Gorrie
46 mins: Ramos convert a penalty after Italy caught offside.
All France to begin the second half
16:06 , Jonathan Gorrie
42 mins: Like the first half, France are dominating the opening stages.
Back underway!
16:02 , Jonathan Gorrie
What a second-half we have in store.
All to play for in the second half
15:56 , Jonathan Gorrie
After SUCH a poor start for the hosts, who would have seen this coming?
Brilliant response from Italy.
HT: Italy 14-19 France
15:49 , Jonathan Gorrie
What a first half!
PENALTY! Italy 14-19 France
15:47 , Jonathan Gorrie
40 mins: Allan coverts a late penalty to round off a breathless first start!
Ollivon penalised for jumping too early.
Strong Italy breakdown
15:46 , Jonathan Gorrie
39 mins: Brilliant Italian surge but France’s superb defence is keeping them at bay.
TRY! Italy 11-19 France
15:38 , Jonathan Gorrie
32 mins: Brilliant finish from Cannone, who evades the French defence to squeeze over the line on the left flank. Stunning skill.
Conversion missed, however.
Italy refuse to go down
15:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
30 mins: Some really nice carrying up front is keeping France honest. The underdogs are responding!
TRY! Italy 6-19 France
15:33 , Jonathan Gorrie
27 mins: Dumortier scores a try on his debut, again won thanks to another cross kick over to the left touchline.
Ramon coverts.
PENALTY! Italy 6-12 France
15:27 , Jonathan Gorrie
23 mins: Allan finds the mark with another penalty, won thanks to Ange Capuouzzo’s brilliantly quick hands.
Stirring Italian response
15:25 , Jonathan Gorrie
21 mins: Brilliant handling from the Italian forwards really gets the crowd going.
They’re still in this, particularly when set in their attacking phase.
TRY! Italy 3-12 France
15:23 , Jonathan Gorrie
20 mins: Ramos’ try, for which he collected the back from a kick corner after a scrum penalty, is awarded after a review,
The conversion, however, is missed!
Italy are on the board!
15:18 , Jonathan Gorrie
13 mins: Allan rewards Italy for some decent carrying by making France hold for too long before striking a penalty to get his team on the board!
Good Italian response
15:14 , Jonathan Gorrie
12 mins: After such a poor start, Italy’s defence is now holding up a bit more convincingly.
Italian frustration
15:10 , Jonathan Gorrie
08 mins: The strange thing is, the home side have been impressive with the ball here but just cannot live with the French attack on the turnover.
TRY! Italy 0-7 France
15:07 , Jonathan Gorrie
04 mins: Flament waltzes to the try line after catching Italy cold.
Going to be a long afternoon for the hosts now.
Dropped!
15:02 , Jonathan Gorrie
01 min: Penaud mishandles the ball with the try line calling him! Would not expect that from him.
KICK-OFF
15:01 , Jonathan Gorrie
Away we go!
Anthems underway
14:55 , Jonathan Gorrie
Here we go! Some noise inside the Olimpico.
Latest odds
14:54 , Jonathan Gorrie
Italy: 10/1 France: 1/16
Draw: 50/1
What has happened in the Six Nations so far?
14:45 , Jonathan Gorrie
Wales and England were beaten by Ireland and Scotland respectively to kick off a huge opening weekend.
Now, it’s up to France to lay down a marker.
Italy come off the back of a win
14:25 , Jonathan Gorrie
Italy ended a run of 36 successive Six Nations defeats when beating Wales in Cardiff.
Now, they are chasing their first home win since May 2013.
History makers?
14:16 , Jonathan Gorrie
France are looking to become the first nation to win back-to-back Six Nations titles since the tournament was expanded in 2000.
Fabien Galthie: France are not resting on their laurels
13:53 , Jonathan Gorrie
The France head coach is not leaving anything to chance as he eyes back-to-back Six Nations titles.
“We have left little to chance, we are preparing for chaos and all the possible scenarios.
“Italy are a magnificent side, who are reaping the rewards. They are a sublime opponent. It is an extraordinary challenge.”
Kieran Crowley happy with Italy’s underdog role
13:50 , Jonathan Gorrie
The Italy head coach is relishing being written off...
“If you took a poll right now asking where people think teams are going to finish in the Six Nations, I would picture Italy would be sixth.
“We’ll be the underdogs again, which is fine. We’ll just concentrate on what we do.”
France Six Nations team guide
13:32 , Jonathan Gorrie
Head coach: Fabien Galthie. Former Montpellier coach who has transformed France from ragged also-rans to one of the world’s top Test teams.
Captain: Antoine Dupont. Peerless scrum-half has it all, a Rolls Royce pass, pinpoint tactical kicking, pace on the break, astute tactical play and no little physicality.
Ones to watch
Gregory Alldritt: A fixture since breaking through at No 8 in 2019, and helped La Rochelle to their maiden Champions Cup title in 2022.
Romain Ntamack: The son of ex-France wing Emile Ntamack, the Toulouse fly-half boasts a partnership with Dupont as smooth as it is deadly. Has the pace to match Dupont’s acceleration and a skill-set to unlock a threat-laden backline outside him.
Damian Penaud: The Clermont wing who will just as easily step out of traffic and race to the line as sneak a midfield break, all the while boasting arch finishing prowess.
What they’ve said
Defence coach Shaun Edwards: “Rugby’s a very, very tactical game. Emotion, passion, physicality, it’s all important – but if you don’t have any tactics, at Test level, you’ll get found out. So that’s where we’ve improved as a team, we’re tactically more aware.”
Tournament prediction: Winners (no Grand Slam).
Italy Six Nations team guide
13:22 , Jonathan Gorrie
Head coach: Kieran Crowley. A World Cup winner with New Zealand in the inaugural 1987 competition, he later coached Taranaki and New Zealand Under-19s before a stint as Canada boss. Five years with Benetton preceded his ascent to the Italy job in 2021.
Captain: Michele Lamaro. The Benetton back-rower took the armband from Luca Bigi in 2021 and has set about driving through a new generation of Italian talent.
Ones to watch
Ange Capuozzo: The Toulouse speedster won World Rugby’s breakthrough player of the year award last season. The fleet-footed wing has conjured several postage-stamp finishes for his French club this term, and looks primed to step on to new heights.
Sebastian Negri: The Benetton flanker was born in Zimbabwe and is a product of famed Gloucestershire rugby nursery Hartpury College. A powerful ball-carrier with no lack of nous.
Ones to watch
Ange Capuozzo: The Toulouse speedster won World Rugby’s breakthrough player of the year award last season. The fleet-footed wing has conjured several postage-stamp finishes for his French club this term, and looks primed to step on to new heights.
Sebastian Negri: The Benetton flanker was born in Zimbabwe and is a product of famed Gloucestershire rugby nursery Hartpury College. A powerful ball-carrier with no lack of nous.
What they’ve said
Head coach Kieran Crowley: “This time last year everyone was asking us whether the Six Nations should have promotion and relegation. This year no one has asked. We’re out here to gain respect and credibility for Italian rugby, but that’s for others to decide on.”
Tournament prediction: Sixth.
Italy vs France head to head (h2h) history and results
13:10 , Jonathan Gorrie
Italy have only won three of their previous 46 meetings with France - in the 1995–1997 FIRA Trophy and then winning again twice in three years in the Six Nations in 2011 and 2013.
France have won all of the last 12 matches, including a 50-10 romp on their last trip to Rome in 2021 and last year’s 37-10 victory in Paris that featured a stylish Villiere hat-trick.
Italy wins: 3
France wins: 43
Draws: 0
Confirmed France lineup and replacements
12:58 , Jonathan Gorrie
France XV: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Moefana, Dumortier; Ntamack, Dupont (c); Baille, Marchand, Atonio; Flament, Willemse; Jelonch, Ollivon, Alldritt
Replacements: Barlot, Wardi, Falatea, Taofifenua, Lavault, Macalou, Le Garrec, Jalibert
Confirmed Italy lineup and replacements
12:52 , Jonathan Gorrie
Italy XV: Capuozzo; Bruno, Brex, Morisi, Menoncello; Allan, Varney; Fischetti, Nicotera, Ferrari; N Cannone, Ruzza; Negri, Lamaro (c), L Cannone
Replacements: Bigi, Zani, Ceccarelli, Iachizzi, Pettinelli, Zuliani, Fusco, Padovani
12:46 , Jonathan Gorrie
Italy are finally making strides and now boast a litany of dangerous attacking threats led by the French-born Toulouse star Ange Capuozzo.
The wins over Wales and Australia in 2022 will have greatly boosted confidence among the Azzurri ranks and they will now have their sights firmly set on causing other momentous upsets.
However, their 63-21 drubbing by the Springboks in November and an historic loss in Georgia were clear signs that more progress still needs to be made.
An opening tie against the French is an incredibly difficult first assignment and Italy would do well just to keep things respectable as Les Bleus look to start their title defence on a strong note.
France to win, by 21 points.
France lineup as Dumortier makes debut
12:46 , Jonathan Gorrie
France will be without centre Jonathan Danty for the entire Six Nations due to a knee injury, while influential forward Cameron Woki is also missing with a hand fracture.
Gabin Villiere, Jean-Baptiste Gros, Peato Mauvaka, Pierre Bourgarit, Maxime Lucu, Arthur Vincent, Killian Geraci and Florian Verhaeghe are among the other absentees.
Lock Paul Willemse is back fit after injury, while Lyon’s Ethan Dumortier makes his debut in place of Villiere on the wing.
Thomas Ramos is preferred to Melvyn Jaminet at full-back, with Jaminet not even among the replacements on Sunday.
There were eight uncapped players in coach Fabien Galthie’s original training squad, with Dumortier joined by Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Emilien Gailleton, Paul Boudehent, Romain Buros and Julien Delbouis, plus scrum-halves Leo Coly and Nolann Le Garrec. The latter will back-up Dupont this weekend with Lucu out.
Italy lineup
12:45 , Jonathan Gorrie
Key fly-half Paolo Garbisi could return ahead of schedule after a knee injury that has kept him out since early December, but Harlequins’ Tommaso Allan starts here. Monty Ioane, Toa Halafihi, Gianmarco Lucchesi, Leonardo Marin and David Sisi are all injured.
Matteo Nocera, Luca Rizzoli, Mirco Spagnolo and Marco Manfredi are all uncapped players called up by Crowley, while Gloucester flanker Jake Polledri is hoping to earn his first caps since 2020, though isn’t in the squad this weekend.
How to watch Italy vs France
12:44 , Jonathan Gorrie
TV channel: In the UK, Italy vs France is being broadcast live and free-to-air on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 2:15pm.
Live stream: Rugby fans can also watch the action live online via the ITVX app or ITV website.
Welcome
12:36 , Jonathan Gorrie
Good afternoon and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of France’s Six Nations clash with Italy today.
Les Bleus swept all before them last year and begin their defence with a trip to Rome, where kick-off inside the Stadio Olimpico is scheduled for 3pm GMT.
