Italy vs France Preview & Tips - France backed to bounce back by easing past Italy in the Six Nations

France were guilty of butchering a number of chances against England in the second round as they succumbed to an agonising one-point loss at the hands of their hosts. 

France have won nine of their last 10 against Italy, with their last meeting ending in a 13-13 draw. 

Italy were brilliant against Wales in the first-half of their clash as they stormed into a 16-3 lead at half-time. It shows the growth of this side that instead of seeing their advantage completely eroded, Italy managed the game well despite struggling to score points as they lost the second-half 12-6 to eventually see them win the contest 22-15. 

The match itself was a lot closer than it probably should have been, but the most important thing was for the Italians to hold onto their lead, which is exactly what they did. Italy's focus across the last two weeks will have been on trying to build on both their win over Wales, and their 13-13 draw with France last season. If the Italians can extract a win against a wounded French side, then it may prove to be a real turning point for the national rugby team. 

However, Italy face an opponent they have always struggled against. The French will arrive knowing they need a big performance, and I predict that this will see the Italians struggle to keep up with their slick opponents. That is not to say Italy will not play some of their own fast-moving rugby, but going head-to-head with France in a running game rarely ends in victory. 

France were nowhere near good enough against England in round two as they missed a number of chances in the first-half, with this ultimately costing them. 

The Grand Slam dream in 2025 is over for France, but their hopes of winning the competition are still very much alive. Wins over Italy and Ireland in rounds three and four would set things up well heading into their clash with Scotland in the final match. Their fourth round clash with Ireland will be a mouth-watering one as a win for France could see a number of sides put themselves into contention to win the trophy this year. 

The focus for France in this match will be doing the simple things well. Too many passes did not go to hand against England, and this cost them. Against Italy, France will get a number of opportunities, and it will be interesting to see whether the French choose to come out all guns blazing or if they try to build away from Italy. Quick ball from the set-piece will also be very important, with the French looking to get their all-round game moving.