France Rugby stays perfect as Jalibert ruled out before 33-8 win over Italy
Matthieu Jalibert was declared forfait on Saturday evening ahead of the France v Italy match in Lille, and france rugby carried on: the XV de France beat Italy 33-8 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, remaining unbeaten in the Tournoi des 6 Nations.
Jalibert ruled out after calf discomfort in Wales game
The Bordeaux number 10, 27 years old and capped 37 times, pulled out on Saturday after feeling a calf problem. He said on France 2 that he had felt a small discomfort in his calf on the last play of the match against Wales (54-12) the previous Sunday, initially thinking it was cramp or a minor muscle strain; the team tried to manage the week as best as possible. But "les sensations" during the Saturday mise en place were not good, an in-depth exam revealed a small lesion in the calf, and the staff chose not to take a risk so he could treat the injury and aim to return against Scotland on March 7.
Backline reshuffle: Ramos to 10, Attissogbe to 15, Dréan earns first cap
Jalibert's absence forced a reorganization of the three-quarters line. Thomas Ramos slid to ouverture, Théo Attissogbe moved from the right wing to the arrière, and Toulonnais Gaël Dréan was named at number 14; the match will be Dréan's first selection. Jalibert underlined that the squad had worked on rotations throughout preparation, noting that Ramos has experience at 10 and Attissogbe plays 15 with the Section, and that high-intensity training had prepared them. He added that Théo has different qualities to Thomas at fullback and is less a playmaker, but called the players talented and able to adapt to the system.
France Rugby keeps perfect start with a 33-8 victory
Led on the pitch by captain Antoine Dupont, the XV de France collected a 33-8 win on Sunday and remained the only unbeaten team in the tournament after its first three fixtures. The team had won its two previous matches 36-14 against Ireland and 54-12 against Wales, results the staff said keep France in contention for the title and a possible Grand Slam.
Kick-off, venue and match coverage
The match kicked off at 16 h 10 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq (Nord). The live coverage of the game was animated by Vincent Marcelin, Yanis Soul and Mejdaline Mhiri, with Valentin Moinard in the front line for the Lille suburbs.
Starting XVs and replacements used
The France starting line-up listed in pre-match coverage read: Théo Attissogbe – Gaël Dréan, Emilien Gailleton, Fabien Brau-Boirie, Louis Bielle-Biarrey – (o) Thomas Ramos, (m) Antoine Dupont (cap. ) – Oscar Jegou, Anthony Jelonch, François Cros – Emmanuel Meafou, Thilabd Flament – Jean-Baptiste Gros, Julien, Marchand, Dorian Aldegheri. Replacements named were Peato Mauvaka, Rodrigue Neti, Georges-Henri Colombe, Mickaël Guillard, Charles Ollivon, Lenny Nouchi, Baptiste Serin, Pierre-Louis Barassi.
The Italy starting XV listed was: Ange Capuozzo – Louis Lynagh, Tommaso Menoncello, Leonardo Marin, Monty Ioane – (o) Paolo Garbisi, (m) Alessandro Fusco – Manuel Zuliani, Lorenzo Cannone, Michele Lamaro (cap. ) – Andrea Zambonin, Niccolo Cannone – Simone Ferrari, Giacomo Nicotera, Danilo Fischetti. Italy's replacements were Pablo Dimcheff, Mirco Spagnolo, Giosuè Zilocchi, Federico Ruzza, Riccardo Favretto, David Odiase, Alessandro Garbisi, Paolo Odogwu.
È stata una vittoria magnifica, davvero.
France now target a return to full strength for the next confirmed fixture: Jalibert hopes to be available for the match against Scotland on March 7.
