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

Tiziano Pasquali is among a number of Italians who hold their hand to their chest as they join in with the national anthem, captain Michele Lamaro clasping his fist and closing his eyes as he barks to the heavens.

They end with an appropriately meaty roar. Ever a pleasure, Il Canto degli Italiani.

Warm applause from the crowd as the French players remain in a huddle to recognise rugby against racism.

Judging by the way the Tricolores held by home fans are blowing in the Stade de France stands, it is properly blustery in Paris. Italy get the knock on the door and begin to make their way down the tunnel, opposite France in their fetching white zip-jackets.

Scotland’s Mike Adamson is the referee with Brett Conan of Australia in the TMO truck. Adamson caught some flak for his management of Harlequins vs Castres a couple of weeks ago - he’ll be hoping for a slightly easier afternoon.

Italy will be in blue and France in white today, if you were wondering.

I’ve waited until uncomfortably close to kick-off to share this, but given this is Antoine Dupont’s first time as captain in the Six Nations, it would be remiss of me not to pass on this image of the magical nine in a banana bathrobe that graced the cover of the French edition of GQ in January. Pulling it off?

It sounds like it has been raining all day in Paris, and Kieran Crowley was delivering those comments from beneath a rather large hood. I don’t think it will necessarily affect France’s ambition but a greasy ball could cause some issues.

Italy are the longest of Six Nations long shots this afternoon, but it is worth remembering how many of this French side were in isolation until last Sunday - might that impact their cohesion in attack and keep Italy in it? Kieran Crowley’s side have suggested that they have been consulting with South Africa head coach and defensive guru Jacques Nienaber to develop a new strategy, and managed to frustrate New Zealand for half-an-hour in the autumn, and a 47-9 final margin wasn’t the worst.

“We are new into it in terms of how we want to play the game,” Crowley says ahead of kick-off. “We have prepared well for this game but we are up against a massive French team that is probably one of the best in the world right now. It is a huge challenge for us.

“The positive thing about young players is that they don’t have any fear. We need to get front five parity. We have got to be competitive in the physical battle.”

With Fabien Galthie in isolation, Raphael Ibanez leads the French coaching team today. He’s been having a wander about a damp Stade de France and a chat with his team. Galthie, for what it is worth, has “full confidence” in the rest of his staff - you’d say this isn’t the worst fixture for the head coach to miss.

One of the stories of the autumn was the reinvention of Cameron Woki in the French second row. An age-group star and try-scorer as France lifted the U20 World Championship on home soil in 2018, Woki’s rounded game had seen him push for more consistent opportunities since making his senior debut in 2020 but found space in a crowded French back-row competition.

Having impressed from the flank as a second-string French side pushed Australia close last summer, Fabien Galthie and his staff recognised a need to accommodate a player of unique lineout talent in their side. While Woki remains underweight as a top-level lock, the presence of the gargantuan Paul Willemse alongside him offsets his smaller stature and affords France, in essence, a fourth back-rower in their starting forward unit. Woki was very, very good against New Zealand, and though Galthie suggested he may be looked at again in the back row he remains alongside Willemse for the Six Nations opener.

“He’d definitely have to be the best jumper I’ve ever seen,” Bordeaux’s Kane Douglas said of his teammate’s talents on the excellent French Rugby Podcast. “Maybe there are guys who can read a lineout better but he is so springy and you can just throw him.

“I’ve seen at training, the hooker has thrown the ball to the back of the lineout, Woki was at the front and he just hit it on its way there. You can throw him, he’s so light and springy with long arms.”

A limited player pool means that Italy are forced to explore more often than most alternative routes of qualification to deepen and improve their squad. Kieran Crowley has sounded out Italian-qualified Alex Lozowski, Paolo Odogwu and Louis Lynagh about potentially switching allegiance – the ever-underrated Lozowski is perhaps the likeliest after falling down the England pecking order, but the Saracens back is yet to be convinced.

The other route of qualification is residenc. After a prominent debut tournament for Monty Ioane 12 months ago, Italy can now deploy another Benetton recruit plucked from New Zealand’s Mitre 10 Cup. Toa Halafihi was a reliable stalwart of a succession of strong Waikato sides, a reliable, strong ball-carrier blessed with subtle handling skill. His arrival is timely with the unfortunate Jake Polledri still absent after a serious knee injury, allowing Crowley to shift captain Michele Lamaro to his favoured spot on the flank. They will lead Italy’s attempts to counter France’s rounded, interchangeable trio – if Italy are to have any hope of stalling the French charge then Halafihi and Lamaro will have to stand up.