Following an entertaining 13-13 draw between France and Italy, here are five takeaways from Sunday's Six Nations clash at the Stade Pierre Mauroy in Lille.
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There was a real sense of purpose for Les Bleus from the start and they started this game with plenty of passion and enthusiasm.
Judging by the way players and spectators chanted their national anthem, La Marseillaise, Italy were in deep hiding, but that was certainly to be expected when Charles Ollivon scored the opening try with a fall in the seventh minute. .
From then on, they spent most of the opening game camped out in Italy's half of the field, making it all about France, but things didn't go as planned as they were unable to break through the visiting team's defense.
However, due to a combination of factors, things did not go as planned for Les Bleus, who struggled to turn their advantage into points.
Firstly, the Azzurri were solid in the contact area and looked like they were growing in arm and leg defensively as the game progressed (more on that later). This led to panic among the French, who lost Mathieu Jalibert to injury and Jonathan Danti to indiscipline, further derailing his plans.
The man-man advantage gave Italy more confidence and they turned the tables after the interval, controlling the flow of the match. France led 10-3 at halftime and Italy won by the same margin in the second half, but they should have won the game, but Paolo Garbisi's penalty shot hit the right field and Les Bleus ended up I was happy to settle for a draw. .
😱 An agonizing ending to an eventful match #Guinness M6N collision! #Flavita pic.twitter.com/R6MlXpafCt
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 25, 2024
Italy's heroic defensive effort
In the preparation for this match, we emphasized the importance of defense for both teams, especially the Azzurri. Because that aspect of their game has been a huge factor in their dismal championship performance over the years.
However, Italy certainly had the advantage in that phase, especially in the first half, where they were under Coche in their own half for most of the time, with France having the majority of possession and having the upper hand in the game. Territorial stakes.
Although the home side had the upper hand, the Azzurri really showed their strength early on, limiting the hosts to just one try from captain Ollivon, which was scored early on.
Despite France's flurry of attacks, the Azzurri's defense remained strong and their opponents maintained a small lead going into half-time.
Danti's red card proved to be a genuine equalizer as Italy realized they would be playing the first half with a numerical advantage and took the fight to the hosts.
They showed improvement in attack and were rewarded with a great try from Ange Capozzo, but the Italians remained in defensive form until the end of the game as France continued to attack despite playing with 14 men.
Italy ended up with 179 tackles, France with 117, with captain Michele Lamaro and back-row partner Ross Vincent leading the way with 18 hits each.
🗣️ “Great, Captain. Ramalo's efforts should never be in doubt. And so they were again.”
🇮🇹 Ratings of Italy's players after the dramatic draw with France. #Guinness M6N #Flavita https://t.co/mHSo40NaJQ
— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) February 25, 2024
Jonathan Danti's red card was a game changer
While the Azzurri deserve full credit for their outstanding all-round performance, one cannot ignore the small story of this match: Danti's red card and its impact on the final result.
It was good for Italy to stay in the game and at the interval and limit Les Bleus to just one try, but France are still favorites to win and that's exactly what they do before Danti gets his marching orders It was very likely.
The inside center was initially given a yellow card, but it was upgraded to a red card after the offense was reviewed by a foul play review banker. The 31-year-old was given a red card for his careless attack on Juan Ignacio Brex, Danti's failure to drop the tackle, the collision of heads that could have been avoided, and his lack of mitigating measures. You may not feel anxious at all. As a result, he was given a red card.
Danti's offense is unfortunately not isolated, as his discipline has let him down badly over the past six months. He was sent off against Italy and received a red card while on duty with La Rochelle against Stade Français in the Top 14 in December.
In addition, he also received yellow cards in the Champions Cup against Leinster and Leicester Tigers in December and January respectively, and has received four yellow cards during the 2022/23 campaign.
WATCH: Red Cards in Six Nations History – Jonathan Danti becomes 20th player to receive a red card
France's roll of the dice backfired
In a very bold move around the 48th minute, Fabian Galthie replaced scrum-half Maxime Luk, forwards Cameron Woki and Posolo Tuilagi, and the entire front row in the Les Bleus side.
This came after Danti's yellow card was upgraded to a red card, and clearly the manager felt he needed to make a change at the time to help his team maintain a 13-3 lead.
However, the changes did not work as planned. At scrum half, Luuk had an average first half as he tried to bury Antoine Dupont's huge boot, while Racing 92 star Nolan La Garrec took a full kickout with one of his first touches. , I didn't get off to a good start.
Romain Taofifenua made a vital steal, but it was actually a forward substitution. Otherwise, the substituted front row struggled at scrum time against Italy.
This courageous decision could have been either a master class or a disaster class, but this time it certainly did not change the game in Les Bleus' favor.
Posolo Tuilagi lives up to the hype
Posolo Tuilagi is arguably the most promising teenager in rugby right now, and he has already lived up to the hype with a sensational first start for Les Bleus. If not, we want to know who is. Tuilagi's name carries plenty of weight and he carries it effortlessly. If he continues on his current trajectory, he is poised to become one of the greatest players of all time.
The general consensus is that when young players get their chance at Test level, they need to work on some rough edges to become regulars, but that's not the case for Tuilagi at the moment. He can certainly improve from this point and is not a finished product, but as far as meeting international lock requirements goes, he ticks most if not all of the boxes.
France also makes good use of his imposing physique, which usually means slotting him into smaller backline players or the defensive line in general, but that wasn't necessarily the case today.
He attracted some Italian players and simply got the ball out to the back to the playmakers and shifted the point of attack. It worked beautifully, and in one case Jalibert made a spectacular break. The big guy also excels at breakdowns, which are difficult for his size, and are just as effective at breaking down his mauls.
Don't get me wrong, he's not lacking when it comes to big carries, as we've seen time and time again, and once he breaks through the tackles, he's capable of taking offloads – like that to Case and Ollivon. Direct the first half.
He may be a superstar on the rise, or he may already be a superstar, but he's the kind of player that no one needs to tell you to look out for because he's so hard to pass up.
Read more: Italy fall just short of historic victory as 14-man France hold out for draw after Jonathan Danti's red card
