France answer critics with 11-try demolition of Italy

Two weeks after they were heavily criticised for losing to England, Les Bleus took out their frustration on the Azzurri by playing some absolutely spellbinding rugby.

Unlike at Twickenham, everything seemed to go to hand and they ended up crossing the whitewash 11 times. That was despite going 7-0 behind to an early Tommaso Menoncello score.

Five of the tries came in the first half as Mickael Guillard, Peato Mauvaka, Antoine Dupont, Paul Boudehent and Leo Barre all touched down.

Dupont and Barre would both go over again in the second period while Gregory Alldritt, Louis Bielle-Biarrey, Theo Attissogbe and Pierre-Louis Barassi also got their name on the scoresheet.

Juan Ignacio Brex and Paolo Garbisi followed Menoncello in touching down for the Italians but it was very much France's day, who set up a mouth-watering clash with title favourites Ireland in the fourth round of the Six Nations.

Les Bleus were criticised for their profligacy against England but that accusation could not be thrown at them in Rome, despite seeing the hosts go ahead after an early Barre try was ruled out for a forward pass.

Thomas Ramos was the player penalised and that error was to prove costly as from the resultant scrum, Brex sent Menoncello through a hole and the young centre did the rest with a brilliant finish.

However, France would soon find their rhythm. They absolutely dominated the collisions, with the Italian rearguard failing to deal with the ferocity of their opponents, and Dupont duly dictated proceedings.

Guillard was the first player to go over for the visitors as he powered through some weak tackling. Although a Tommaso Allan penalty took the Azzurri back in front, it was only brief and two quick-fire tries rather encapsulated the game.

The first, a close-range Mauvaka effort from a driving maul was all about the forwards, but the second, which saw some lovely hands by the backline and ended in Dupont touching down, showed the other side of their game.

That beautiful balance was too much for the Italians, even if the hosts themselves constructed a stunning try for Brex just shy of the half-hour mark.

While there were brief moments of class from Gonzalo Quesada's men, what the French were producing was simply a level or two above. Everything was in sync and they added two more scores before the break via Boudehent and Barre to move 18 points clear going into the second period.

It was not necessarily game over at that point, given the chances Italy had created in the first half, but their spirit had been broken and France remained dominant throughout the second period.

They were playing some truly wonderful rugby and Alldritt added their sixth try before a stunning Attissogbe off-load allowed Bielle-Biarrey to cross for a seventh.

Italy could simply not stem the haemorrhaging and that man Dupont soon went over for a brace. This time it was Yoram Moefana with the excellent hands that enabled the great scrum-half to add to his and France's tally.

To the home side's credit, they mustered enough of a response for Garbisi to score their third try, but it proved to be a brief respite as Barre joined Dupont on a double.

France did not relent and in the final five minutes, Attissogbe and Barassi rounded off a remarkable performance from Les Bleus.

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