France have the drive to stay on track
THE last time France won back-to-back Six Nations titles was in 2007. Then, as now, they were preparing to host a World Cup later in the year but the occasion proved too much for them and they became the first hosts to lose three matches.
They started 16 years ago with a romp in Rome, but they lost there twice in the 2010s and, after Italy’s victory in Cardiff at the end of last year’s Six Nations and success against Australia in the autumn, the match between the champions and the wooden spoon holders does not look the foregone conclusion of recent years.
France have in the last three years under Fabien Galthie and Raphael Ibanez, the captain in 2007, shed the layers of inconsistency that blighted them in the 2010s. They have a drive and a focus which has sandpapered their Gallic temperament that made them a team of highs and lows, fuelled by emotion.
“We have got into a good habit of winning tight games,” said their defence coach Shaun Edwards, whose hard edge quickly rubbed off on his charges. “We can play entertaining rugby, but the players realise there is a time and a place for that. To win Test matches, you need a kicking game and the lads understand that. Rugby is very tactical. Emotion, passion and physicality are all important, but if you do not have any tactics you will get found out. And that’s where we have improved we are more aware.”
France won all 12 matches last year, consistency in performance a symptom of a settled selection policy. Injuries have deprived them of Jonathan Danty and Gabin Villiere from the three-quarter line in last year’s Grand Slam while Cameron Woki is absent from the second row.
Yoram Moefana replaces the influential Danty, a player who is as comfortable in defence as he is in attack and will be missed, while on the wing Ethan Dumortier will make his Test debut. The former Sevens player is the top try scorer in the Top 14 this season having touched down eight times for Lyon.
Italy may be at home, but it has not proved an advantage in the last decade in the Six Nations. Their last victory in Rome in the tournament was in 2013 when they defeated Ireland having overcome France, but their two successes since have come in Edinburgh and Cardiff.
They defeated Australia in Florence last November and pushed South Africa for 50 minutes in Genoa before the Springboks remembered they were World Cup holders and resorted to route one. It invited the question why they did not play their Six Nations matches in the regions rather than in the capital’s Olympic Stadium where the crowd is removed from the pitch to the detriment of the atmosphere.
“You need a home ground in the Six Nations and ours is Rome,” said Kieran Crowley, Italy’s head coach. “The city comes alive during the Six Nations. Italians are very emotional and they give us good support.”
Crowley said during the Six Nations launch last month that at a time when head injuries were a major talking point in the game, coaches had a responsibility to create a fan experience. “Rugby is going through a challenging time and there is so much emphasis on defence now that you have to find a way of breaking it down.,” he said. “We do not have the big ball-carriers France have, so we need to take a different approach. The beauty of rugby is that each team has its own identity.”
Italy’s victory in Cardiff, when Ange Capuozzo created Edoardo Padovani’s winning try in the final minute, was their first in the tournament for seven years. Only five of the starters will take the field today with the Toulouse full-back Capuozzo the one survivor among the backs.
But 13 of the starters against South Africa in their last game remain, including the Cannone brothers, who had an impressive autumn in a team led by the influential Michele Lamaro.
Tommaso Menoncello, who scored a try on his debut against France last year, replaces the unavailable Monty Ioane on the wing but it is the elusive Capuozzo who is getting Italy talked about.
“He has a big challenge this Six Nations,” said Crowley. “We cannot hide from that. He burst on to the scene last year and has continued that form with Toulouse. He is developing his game even further and the tournament is an opportunity for us to show how good he is.”