France vs Italy match report: Les Blues battle to nervy win as Italians fall short in final minutes

France 23 Italy 21

(Reuters)

New head coach Guy Novès was spared an early embarrassment as France came from eight points behind to pip Italy in the opening match of the Six Nations.

France had won all eight previous Six Nations matches between the teams in Paris, but for long periods a ninth was in doubt, despite a revelatory try-scoring debut by Virimi Vakatawa, born in New Zealand but raised in Fiji.

Italy’s only previous win over France on French soil came in a FIRA Championship match at Grenoble in 1997, but with five minutes remaining here the Azzurri led.

Jules Plisson’s long-range penalty ultimately broke their hearts and denied Jacques Brunel’s side a famous victory and launchpad for this campaign, with Italy captain Sergio Parisse missing a last-gasp drop-goal attempt.

In the first event at the stadium since the terrorist attacks of 13 November in the French capital, Italy struck early through Carlo Canna’s 30-metre drop goal.

But the fly-half also missed a pair of seemingly routine kicks, with scrum-half Sébastien Bézy similarly afflicted on his France debut as he squandered three first-half shots.

France’s wild-card winger Vakatawa made his first big impact in the 15th minute. Promoted from the sevens ranks, he sidestepped Leonardo Sarto to dot down in the left corner.

Parisse hit back for Italy when he led a driving maul over the French line and grounded the ball, but Canna fluffed the conversion.

Impressive in spurts, France regained the lead with Gael Fickou orchestrating a tap-penalty move that saw Wenceslas Lauret send Damien Chouly surging over.

But France might have gone to the dressing room behind. Italy centre Michele Campagnaro was tackled a yard from the line by Fickou in the 40th minute after a scything run.

There was no letting up from Italy after the break, Canna finally bisecting the posts after an infringement by Eddy Ben Arous to put the buoyant visitors in front, and they thrillingly led 18-10 after a converted try two minutes later, Canna steaming on to Edoardo Gori’s offload.

A French lifeline arrived when Hugo Bonneval crossed at the left corner after a charge by Vakatawa carried the hosts deep into Italian territory. Plisson converted and booted a 69th-minute penalty to inch France ahead at 20-18, but Kelly Haimona responded five minutes later after Uini Atonio was penalised.

It was Parisse’s turn to be penalised, and from 50 metres Plisson nailed the winning kick, but it was an inauspicious start to the Novès era.

France: M Medard (JM Doussain, 77); H Bonneval, G Fickou (M Mermoz, 57), J Danty, V Vakatawa; J Plisson, S Bezy (M Machenaud, 69); E Ben Arous (U Atonio, 50), G Guirado (capt), R Slimani (J Poirot, 50), P Jedrasiak (A Flanquart, 73), Y Maestri, W Lauret, D Chouly, L Picamoles (Y Camara, 18).

Italy: D Odiete (L McLean, 56); L Sarto, M Campagnaro, G Garcia (K Haimona, 69), M Bellini; C Canna (G Palazzani, 78), E Gori; A Lovotti (M Zanusso, 65), O Gega (D Giazzon, 57), L Cittadini (M Castrogiovanni, 66), G Biagi (V Bernabo, 43), M Fuser, F Minto, A Zanni (D Van Schalkwyk, 12-20, 66), S Parisse (capt).

Referee: JP Doyle (RFU).