Six Nations: France vs Italy

France vs Italy

Date: 22/2/2026

KO Time: 15:10

Location: Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy

The first half started with a huge blow to the Italians as Dupont kicked it ahead and Bielle-Biarrey finished it off with some serious speed. France scored again in the next ten minutes, with Meafou powering over the line. France came flying out the blocks and had Italy rattled early on.

Italy did start to grow into the game, but a sloppy lineout cost them badly. Emilien Gailleton sprinted clear and offloaded to Ramos, who finished it off in style. Italy didn’t have much to cheer about in the first half, but a great kick chase and Capuozzo’s sharp reaction time earned them a well-deserved try. Very strong scrums from Italy throughout the half kept France within reach going into the break. The first half finished France 19–8 Italy.

The second half started with no early scores, but it was still full of some great moments. Dupont kept pulling off moments of pure magic, while Italy defended their line again and again. France also had to defend at times. It eventually took a cross-field kick from Ramos to set up drean for his debut try in the 71st minute, which he fully deserved. Not long after, France struck again, with Gailleton scoring in the 77th minute after showing some brilliant footwork.

Italy actually had a really good game with loads of positives, and the scoreline doesn’t fully reflect how good they were. Meafou got Man of the Match, which was deserved as he played the full game and scored a try. Italy showed great heart but couldn’t get the result, while France moved one step closer to chasing their Grand Slam goal.