France vs Italy LIVE: Six Nations rugby result and reaction from Stade de France

It’s been a great opening quarter from Italy. They just about smother the restart after it initially lands on open turf and are able to kcik away. Damian Penaud charges back onwards the chasing blue shirts but is tackled, and Antoine Dupont soon puts up another of those high box kicks.

This time Garbisi settles himself beneath it and calls the mark. He kicks out to about halfway.

This is mighty, mighty tight. There’s a gnat’s hair in it as Menoncello’s studs come down within millimetres of the right touchline. Has he stayed infield? It’s almost impossible to call. The on-field decision is try...

Not in touch! Menoncello has grounded cleanly - this will count! Italy lead! A dream start to his international career for the 19-year-old wing and the visitors take a not underserved advantage, extended by Paolo Garbisi’s outstanding curving conversion.

Knocked on by Melvyn Jaminet in the air and Italy are in behind! The loose ball is gathered and Italy have a perfect attacking platform five metres out...

Kicked across by Paolo Garbisi, has Tommaso Menoncello gathered that and grounded infield? We’ll need to have a look upstairs...

“White, white, white, collapse,” is the call from the assistant, and Uini Atonio is duly penalised at scrum-time. It looked like Atonio got a little bit low on set-up and failed to hold his feet as he tried to drive through on the damp Stade de France surface. 31 tackles with just one miss from Italy so far - solid stuff.

So strong in fact that France lose patience with the toiling and send something skywards. It lands inside the 22 but Paolo Garbisi does not call a mark, trying instead to sidestep Damian Penaud but clung on to by the long-limbed wing. Italy’s desperate attempts to clear the ruck sees them lose it forward on the floor. France scrum 30 metres out about ten metres in from the right touchline.

Julien Marchand hits Gregory Alldritt at the front and France form a maul. Italy defend it nicely, and France make little progress. To midfield, and Jonathan Danty is biffed backwards after an initially shimmy. Strong start from this Italian defensive unit.

And that was always coming. Another healthy shove from France, and Mike Adamson whistles the penalty their way. Tiziano Pasquali buckled by Cyril Baille.

Halafihi is then employed from the base of a fake maul, shipping the ball on to the forthright Marco Zanon, who again wins his collision. A firm shunt from Sebastian Negri keeps the momentum going but a slightly untidy ruck squirts the ball free, and Stephen Varney fails to pick-up the mess. Knock-on, France scrum.

Strong defence from Italy. Gregory Alldritt is isolated as he takes a short line from Antoine Dupont, and Toa Halafihi’s first prominent intervention on debut is to win a turnover penalty.

France send the Italian eight into reverse but scrum-half Stephen Varney plucks the ball out and allows his side to clear.

Gabin Villiere produces a Matrix-esque dodge beneath a leaping Tommaso Menoncello as he claims the kick, and France immediately go back to the air. That’s very good from Edoardo Padovani - one of a limited number of Italians with real experience, and he shows all his nous by just waiting to time his leap appropriately and claim a potentially troublesome high bomb.