France Vs Italy: France overcome Italy in Lille as Jalibert ruled out and Drean stars on Test debut
The headline clash France Vs Italy took an abrupt turn on match eve when fly half Matthieu Jalibert was ruled out of the fixture in Lille, forcing a late reshuffle that nevertheless produced an emphatic home win at Stade Pierre-Mauroy and kept France's Grand Slam hopes alive.
France Vs Italy: late change and lineup reshuffle
The French rugby federation announced that Jalibert would miss the encounter in Lille after having been named to start at No 10 on Friday. Head coach Fabien Galthie responded by moving Theo Attissogbe to full-back and handing the starting No 10 role to Thomas Ramos. Toulon wing Gael Drean was brought into the starting XV to fill the vacancy created by the late withdrawal.
Drean's Test debut and attacking impact
Gael Drean justified his inclusion: he scored on Test debut to secure France's bonus-point fourth try, and his try came before Emilien Gailleton added the home side's fifth. Drean's selection was earned after several strong seasons in the Top 14; the 25-year-old had scored 12 tries in 15 appearances for Toulon this season.
Ramos, Meafou and sustained scoring runs
Thomas Ramos, drafted into fly-half after Jalibert's withdrawal, crossed for a try in the first half and reinforced his history of featuring regularly at No 10 for club and country. He previously started at fly-half in last year's win over Italy in Rome. Emmanuel Meafou was named player of the match, and Louis Bielle-Biarrey extended his scoring sequence by registering for the eighth successive Six Nations game.
Italy response and key moments
Italy struck back before half-time when Ange Capuozzo replied following a France error, giving the Azzurri a momentary foothold in the contest. Observers noted that Italy did play well but still got heavily beaten, prompting the question of whether anyone can stop France now.
Reactions from the Italy camp and defensive view
Italy coach Gonzalo Quesada reflected on handling and discipline, saying that in the first half they were 19-8 and that three lost balls led to France's scoring. He highlighted second-half quality of possession, especially lineouts, and admitted that late-game mistakes and having reduced numbers on the field were decisive: one player was down for disciplinary reasons and another unavailable, which he characterized as their responsibility.
Captain Michele Lamaro emphasized the scoreboard as the truth of the game, noting France's ability to take opportunities and saying Italy failed to build pressure in the second half. He referenced a yellow card around the 70th minute as a turning point, and pointed to errors and missed chances in line-outs that prevented Italy from executing enough scoring opportunities.
France's defence coach described the match as a real, tough Test match, underlining the physical and tactical intensity of the encounter.
Table consequences and recent history
The Azzurri remain fifth in the table, behind England on points difference. The result keeps reigning champions France on track in their pursuit of a Grand Slam. Two years earlier, the fixture in Lille had ended in a 13-all draw, with only a late Paolo Garbisi missed penalty denying Italy victory on that occasion.
Uncertainties: details not provided in the available context include the full match scoreline and specific minutes for each scoring event. Recent updates indicate the main developments above; further match specifics may evolve as more comprehensive reports are released.
