France scored eight tries and could easily have taken that tally well into double figures
but it mattered little as they are where they want to be in the tournament and once the result of Ireland’s game against Scotland is known, will find out their opponents in the last eight. It’s been a flawless passage through the pool stage.
Crowley, who took over in 2021, led Italy to victories over Wales – it brought an end to 36 games without a win in the Six Nations and a first ever win over Australia. He has overseen a maturation in the Italian style of play to include a more skill-based approach, underpinned by more expansive patterns.
It took 100 seconds, 11 phases, three missed tackles, superb continuity and great handling for France’s first try scored by Damien Penaud. Ramos kicked the conversion, tagged on a long-range penalty and then added the extra points to a try from Louis Bielle-Biarrey.Penaud had overcooked a kick minutes earlier for his fellow winger but on the second occasion his dinked chip was better judged but the 20-year-old Bielle-Biarrey still had to bypass a couple of tacklers.
France grabbed the bonus-point try three minutes before half-time, the lineout maul eating up metres and then having narrowed up Italy in defence, Mathieu Jalibert’s cross-kick for Penaud was pinpoint, the wing moving into second place on his own in the French all-time try scoring stakes, behind the watching Serge Blanco.
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