France – Medard, Clerc, Rougerie, Fofana, Malzieu, Trinh-Duc, Yachvili; Debaty, Servat, Mas, Pape, Nallet, Dusatoir, Bonnaire, Picamoles.

Italy – Masi, Venditti, Benvenuti, Sgarbi, McLean, Burton, Gori; Lo Cicero, Ghiraldini, Castrogiovanni, Van Zyl, Geldenhuys, Zanni, Barbieri, Parisse.

And we’re underway… France immediately threatening the Italian line with a series of passes across the centre of the park and cheeky lobbed kick to the left corner.

Italy are trying to ease themselves into this game, settling into a comfortable pattern of rolling mauls and attritional pick-and-goes, but they’re beginning to buckle under the weight of French interference at the breakdown.

A handling error during a French counter-attack hands Italy a scrum in the on the edge of the opposition 22, but after initially going to ground, they’re overwhelmed at the reset. Man-mountain Pascal Pape breaks clear and, palming Italians away left and right, gains ten metres for the home side.

An innocuous-looking chip to the corner from Burton finds the arms of Julien Malzieu. The supremely talented wing – an outcast during Lievremont’s tenure – sidesteps his way through the Italian line and, dipping his head, blazes a trail down the left wing. He’s brought to ground, but Italy are penalised for holding on during the tackle.

Yachvili takes a long, measured breath before bisecting the posts.

France 3-0 Italy

France – balanced at last! – look explosive in possession.

Italy are intent on slowing the game. With every spell in possession, they head for the centre of pitch and begin the slow, energy-sapping business of recycling the ball through the hands.

Tired of roughing up the French pack, Gori spins the ball to Burton, who converts the most nonchalant of drop goals…

France 3-3 Italy

TRY FOR FRANCE! Mere seconds after Italy flexed their muscles, France have their first try of the 2012 Six Nations. Brought to a halt on the edge of their opponent’s 22, the French pack flips the ball out to Yachvili. Within two passes the ball is in the arms of a charging Rougerie who storms over unchallenged.

Yachvili’s conversion, from a slightly awkward angle, ensures a full, seven-point return.

France 10-3 Italy

Italy capitalise on some French indiscipline at the breakdown and, through the somewhat shaky boot of Burton, reduce the deficit to four.

France 10-6 Italy

Though they’re incapable of threatening with quite the same frequency as their opponents, Italy have excelled at frustrating France, reducing them to a narrow, predictable series of exchanges in midfield…

Just as I say that, France conjure their second try out of thin air! Breaking from the base of a scrum, Picamoles threads a path between two defenders and, seeing Venditti step off the wing as defensive cover, slings a pass to Malzieu. The 28-year-old defies the laws of physics several times en route to the line. Stunning try.

Yachvili’s conversion drops short.

France 15-6 Italy

Half-time! France 15-6 Italy

Italy will feel slightly aggrieved, having managed the game astutely for the vast majority of the first half, but they’ve had no answer (other than the suspect kicking of Burton) to the mercurial brilliance of the French.

George Hook in hyperbolic analysis shocker! The would-be polymath has just accused the French – “the Rolls Royce of the Championship” – of playing “like a second-hand Lada” so far.

Word.

And we’re back underway… a shocker of a restart hands the initiative to Italy.

Victory at a scrum leaves Italy with their first penalty of the second half, but Burton can’t muster enough power. His effort spins to ground directly in front of the posts.

Luke McLean finds a yard of space and puts it to good use, feinting a dip to his left before arcing a run through the French line. He’s dragged down five metres shy of the try line and smothered by a handful of defenders.

Burton’s second goal attempt of the half, from the edge of the French 22, yields a more positive outcome.

France 15-9 Italy

Italy may not be the most creative attacking side, but as a defensive unit, they live on that line separating the legal from the illegal. Exciting stuff.

Attempting to capitalise on a rare display of Italian indiscipline, Yachvili sends a penalty attempt spinning wide of the left post.

Italy are unsettled again moments later when Fofana breaks free on the left wing. Pirouetting around the first tackle, the inside-centre gains all of 20 metres before offloading inside.

An infringement at the breakdown gifts France their first points of the second half.

France 18-9 Italy

WHAT A TRY FOR FRANCE! For the first time in the game, Trinh-Duc shows the full range of his talent, and Italy are made to pay.

Catching Italy on the back foot with a weighted chip over the top, the fly-half clears outpaces the opposition defence to flip a follow-up kick towards Aurelien Rougerie. The ball bounces awkwardly, but the centre, Fabio-esque locks flowing, nudges it forward with his thigh. A final, favourable bounce later and Vincent Clerc is over for the third try of the game.

Yachvili’s conversion is routine.

France 25-9 Italy

Awarded a penalty just inside the French half, Italy opt for an attempt on goal. Botes, a more powerful kicker than Burton, sends a high, drawing effort inside the right post.

France 25-12 Italy

Morgan Parra and Dmitri Szarzewski replace Yachvili and Servat, respectively.

Harinordoquy replaces Picamoles. A great relief for Italy, I’m sure.*

*denotes sarcasm.

Substitutions and the sense that the result is no longer in doubt have seen the game devolve into a series of scrappy exchanges. Struggling with the drop in intensity, both sides are committing a significant number of handling errors and struggling to maintain defensive discipline.

A poor Italian scrum, following in the immediate wake of a botched French lineout, hands the home side a penalty. In the absence of Yachvili, France spurn an attempt on goal. Médard dispatches a kick to the right corner…

… Gathering the resulting lineout with ease, the French pack begins to build momentum and trundle trywards. The maul is brought to ground – illegally – a metre short of the line and it’s Van Zyl who’s made to pay the penalty. As he trots from the field feigning bewilderment, the men in white capitalise swing a series of passes across the face of the shortened Italian line.

It’s the debutant Fofana who secures the inevitable, and deserved, five-point haul.

France 30-12 Italy

Italy exert some pressure in the final minutes, but their profligacy in attack guarantees they’ll end the fixture without a try.

It’s Parra who brings proceedings to an end, dispatching a kick to the right touchline.

Full-time: France 30-12 Italy

France struggled to impose their superiority at times during the match, but given the blunt, slightly haphazard nature of the Italian offence, they played in the knowledge that the vast majority of mistakes would go unpunished.

It’s hard to believe they won’t become a more potent over the coming weeks.

In summary:



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