Thrilling Battle: France Claims Victory in 2023 Six Nations Game against Italy

The First Round of the 2023 Six Nations Rugby Football Game

In the first round of the 2023 Six Nations Rugby Football, the final game was a thrilling match. France emerged victorious with a score of 24-29, deserving the win as Italy fell just short. France held on well and also earned a Bonus Point. From a results standpoint, it was a great outcome for France, but their coaches will likely have concerns about their attack. 

On the other hand, Italy's defense held out well, showcasing promising signs as they were competitive in 2022 and continue to be so in 2023. Although Italy may not win many games, it's encouraging to see them challenge their opponents. Italy's team coordination is impressive, and they are well-coached, although they may benefit from some more flair. This was a great start to the Six Nations, and it was clear from the outset that it would be an exciting game. Italy nearly scored when Ramos intercepted and nearly put Pano through.

 

France started strong with a charge-down try from Flamon. France's pack is visually larger and more physically imposing, which may explain why Italy tried to make up for it with intricate team play. The performance of Dupont is contributing to France's success both visually and tactically. So far, France's game looks promising. The difference in attacking styles between the two teams is fascinating to observe. France has a straightforward system, but they tend to offload the ball frequently, keeping the play alive with their physicality and offloading abilities.

On the other hand, Italy's attacking shape is starting to emerge after 12 minutes, as we saw in 2022. Their attack is characterized by loops and pulls and requires precise execution, making it both a strength and a potential weakness. At the 14-minute mark, the Italian winger Bruno makes a couple of mistakes, missing Montague Wani who is absent from the game. He attempted a kick from his 22 but was caught just before kicking, missing the ball completely.

 

In the first half, it is fascinating to see the two contrasting ways in which these teams attack: France's organic and simple approach with their flair, and Italy's more mechanical and complex attacking shape. It makes for an exciting match-up. At 17 minutes, the pressure finally tells on Italy. The French scrum completely dominates, and Italy's put-in leads to a 10-meter line out. Italy tried to go for the hands, but they end up making a mess of collecting the ball, under pressure from Pino and Ramos. This leads to an easy dot down for France, nearly dropped but the try is there, bringing the score to 3-12.

At this point, Italy had already scored a penalty, and as their attacks started to click a bit more, they earned another penalty, making it 6-12 and keeping them in touch with France. However, Italy seemed to be overthinking things and making mistakes on their runs, putting themselves under pressure and attacking too much from their own half and 22.

Though, France cannot be underestimated as their individual players are incredibly skilled. Audrey swooped on a ball lightning-fast, just slipping out of a ruck in 25 minutes. Intermac launched a perfect cross-field kick, under pressure, for Demortier to score a try, bringing the score to 6-19. It seems like France is stretching ahead and their individual skills are just a bit better.

In the second half, the French coaches have made adjustments, reducing the number of offloads, and the first attack is executed perfectly with three hard lines. They get a penalty advantage and go for it, showing a positive change. Italy, however, continues to coordinate its attacks beautifully. They get close to scoring a try but another penalty from France stops them. This results in a yellow card for France, giving Italy a penalty try and bringing the score to 21-22.

Dupont, the best scrumhalf in the world, is putting pressure on the Italian kickers. During the yellow card period, France does a great job at keeping Italy pinned in their own half. Although Ramos misses a penalty, France manages to take the lead with another penalty, making the score 24-22. It's a fantastic game, and with 15 versus 15, the excitement continues."

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

In the final 10 minutes of the game, Italy regained control with their attacking plays against France's defense, who continued to give away penalties. Some standout players for France included Launch with his lightning-fast Jackal and Macalu with a massive jackal in midfield. Despite their efforts, Italy continued to attack until the final whistle, and France's constant penalties gave Italy the opportunity to close the gap. Alan had a few misses on penalties, including two horror kicks to touch, but Italy's speed on the wings kept them in the game until the end.

Despite hanging on in the last 10 minutes of the game and conceding numerous penalties, France managed to secure a Bonus Point victory over Italy. Despite predictions that France would win, Italy put up a strong fight with their cohesive team play. Although they couldn't secure a win, they still walk away with a Bonus Point and a boost in confidence heading into their next 6 nations 2023 match against England next week. On the other hand, France knows they need to improve if they want to beat Ireland, who had a comfortable victory over Wales in Six nations rugby 2023.