France Vs Italy: Hosts romp in Lille after Matthieu Jalibert ruled out on match eve
The france vs italy Six Nations clash in Lille produced late disruption and a dominant result: Matthieu Jalibert was ruled out on the match eve, and hosts France responded with an emphatic win that keeps their Grand Slam hopes alive.
Matthieu Jalibert ruled out on match eve
The French Rugby Federation announced on the eve of the match in Lille that fly-half Matthieu Jalibert would miss the encounter, despite having been named to start at No 10 on Friday. The late absence forced a coaching decision from head coach Fabien Galthie and prompted a reshuffle of the back line.
Fabien Galthie reshuffle brings Gael Drean and Thomas Ramos into key roles
With Jalibert unavailable, Toulon wing Gael Drean was promoted into the starting XV, Theo Attissogbe was moved to full-back and Thomas Ramos was handed the fly-half role. Ramos has a history at No 10, having started there in last year’s win over Italy in Rome and featuring regularly for club and country at that position.
France Vs Italy: Stade Pierre-Mauroy scorers and milestones
The match at Stade Pierre-Mauroy saw Gael Drean score on his Test debut, the try securing France’s bonus-point fourth, and Emilien Gailleton go over for a fifth home try. Emmanuel Meafou was named player of the match, and Thomas Ramos also crossed in the first half. Louis Bielle-Biarrey extended an individual run by scoring for an eighth successive Six Nations game. Ange Capuozzo produced a reply for Italy after a France error before half-time.
Toulon form and club background influencing selection
Drean’s inclusion followed strong club form in the Top 14: the 25-year-old had scored 12 tries in 15 appearances for Toulon this season. Jalibert’s absence was notable because he had starred in France’s round one and two victories over Ireland and Wales, translating impressive form for Bordeaux Begles while filling the gap left by Romain Ntamack’s absence.
Italy reaction, match dynamics and table effect
Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada reflected on the scoreboard and the game’s turning points: “I think in the first half we were 19-8 and we were 19-8 until the 70th minute. It was three lost balls and that is how they scored their points. It was just a matter of the second half having more quality ball, especially in lineouts where we know we can build opportunities. They didn't have a great game either. They finished big because of our mistakes at the end, we found ourselves with 13 on the field not 15. It's tough and we handled the situation really badly. One guy was down because of discipline and one was down which was completely our responsibility. ”
Italy captain Michele Lamaro added: “The scoreboard is always the truth of the game and we have to go with that. France were unbelievably good at taking their opportunities, especially in the first half. We couldn't build pressure in the second half and that took us to 70 minutes when we got the yellow card. First half we made a couple of errors and second half we couldn't keep the ball. In line-outs we had a couple of opportunities. You are playing one of the best teams in the world, you have to be precise, you have to be concrete and you have to be playing at a high level, there were moments where we had been there but there was a lot of moments where we went't able to perform and execute it enough. ”
France’s defence coach Shaun Edwards described the encounter as “a real tough game of rugby and as they say a real Test match. ” The result leaves Italy — the Azzurri — fifth in the table, positioned behind England on points difference.
Context and lingering memories from Lille
France’s victory in Lille both answered the immediate selection questions raised by Jalibert’s withdrawal and advanced their campaign. What makes this notable is that France had previously drawn 13-all with Italy in Lille two years ago, a match in which a late Paolo Garbisi missed penalty denied the visitors victory. The timing of Jalibert’s late withdrawal mattered because it prompted the specific reshuffle that produced Drean’s Test debut and Ramos’s return to No 10, and those changes directly contributed to the scoring sequence that secured France’s bonus-point win.
