Italy v France - Teams and Prediction
Today at 02:25 AM
ROUND THREE PREVIEW: France takes on Italy in Rome on Sunday trying to stay in touch with Ireland ahead of a crunch clash in Dublin next month which could decide the destination of the Six Nations.
Les Bleus trail unbeaten Ireland, who face Wales in Cardiff on Saturday, by four points ahead of this weekend's matches after a hugely frustrating defeat at Twickenham a fortnight ago ended their Grand Slam hopes.
Head coach Fabien Galthie has made some bold choices for the trip to the Italian capital, with Thomas Ramos moved to number 10 to partner star man Antoine Dupont in the half-back positions and seven forwards selected as replacements.
And Theo Attissogbe starts on the wing in place of Bordeaux's Damian Penaud who will have to wait for his record-equalling 38th try for France after being dropped following a poor display against England.
Galthie told reporters on Friday that "to play in this team, you have to perform well", and he is wary of underestimating Italy against whom the French drew 13-13 last year only because Paolo Garbisi struck the post with a last-gasp penalty.
Under Gonzalo Quesada Italy has won three of seven Six Nations matches and that tally would have been even better if last season's thrilling contest in Lille hadn't finished all-square.
"Since Gonzalo's arrival Italy has been a very combative team which fights for every ball in attack and defence," Galthie said.
"They get bodies around the ball. That caused us huge problems in Lille and causes problems for all their opponents."
Italy's 'opportunity'
Italy beat Wales in awful conditions a fortnight ago, showcasing a new level of pragmatism and boosting their chances of avoiding the wooden spoon for the second year in a row.
But Quesada wants improved Italy to aim higher than simply avoid humiliation and questions about their place in the tournament, as their first two matches against Scotland and Wales showed again that they can compete with bigger rugby nations.
"The challenge is not to say to ourselves 'OK, we've beaten Wales, we've done the bare minimum so everything else is a bonus'," said Quesada.
"I don't think like that, I know that we're going to play three teams who are better than us, who have something extra compared to us, but that doesn't mean that we're playing with no pressure, that logic dictates that we won't win.
"I don't want them to feel more free in a way that points towards mediocrity... but free in the knowledge that now we have an opportunity to play our best rugby."
Sunday's match will also be a chance to honour Azzurri great Sergio Parisse, the only Italian player to be inducted into the World Rugby Hall of Fame.
Parisse, who played 142 times for Italy between 2002 and 2019, will walk out onto the Stadio Olimpico pitch one more time in front of two sets of fans who will have warm memories of his career.
As well as being Italy's most-capped player Parisse, 41, also played the majority of his club career with Stade Francais and Toulon, winning the European Challenge Cup with both clubs, in 2017 and 2023.
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Players to watch
For Italy: Tommaso Allan is the leading points-scorer after two rounds and his boot will once again play a crucial role for his side. Upfront forward duo Danilo Fischetti and Niccolo Cannone celebrate their 50th appearance for Italy and they would hope it ends on a positive note.
For France: Thomas Ramos, as the third-choice flyhalf, will be under pressure, but he is an experienced No. 10 who should rise to the occasion. Louis Bielle-Biarrey has scored in five consecutive Tests for France (8 tries in total) and has scored 14 in 16 caps overall since making his debut in August 2023. Damian Penaud beat six defenders against England in Round 2, taking his overall Six Nations tally to 100.
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Prediction:
@rugby365: France by 12 points
Teams
Italy: 15 Tommaso Allan, 14 Ange Capuozzo, 13 Juan Ignacio Brex, 12 Tommaso Menoncello, 11 Simone Gesi, 10 Paolo Garbisi, 9 Martin Page-Relo, 8 Lorenzo Cannone, 7 Michele Lamaro (captain), 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Federico Ruzza, 4 Niccolo Cannone, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Gianmarco Lucchesi, 1 Danilo Fischetti.
Repacements: 16 Giacomo Nicotera, 17 Mirco Spagnolo, 18 Giosue Zilocchi, 19 Riccardo Favretto, 20 Manuel Zuliani, 21 Ross Vintcent, 22 Alessandro Garbisi, 23 Jacopo Trulla.
France: 15 Leo Barre, 14 Theo Attissogbe, 13 Pierre-Louis Barassi, 12 Yoram Moefana, 11 Louis Bielle-Biarrey, 10 Thomas Ramos, 9 Antoine Dupont (captain), 8 Gregory Alldritt, 7 Paul Boudehent, 6 François Cros, 5 Mickaël Guillard, 4 Thibaud Flament, 3 Uini Atonio, 2 Peato Mauvaka, 1 Jean-Baptiste Gros.
Replacement: 16 Julien Marchand, 17 Cyril Baille, 18 Dorian Aldegheri, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Alexandre Roumat, 21 Oscar Jegou, 22 Anthony Jelonch, 23 Maxime Lucu.
Date: Sunday, February 23
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
Kick-off: 16.00 (15.00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson (England)
Assistant referees: Craig Evans (Wales), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)
TMO: Ben Whitehouse (Wales)
