France 30 Italy 12:ON THE same day France relaunched themselves under their new coach, Philippe Saint-André, excerpts from the book Cadrages et Debordements by his predecessor Marc Liévremont were published in L'Equipemagazine. It is the story of France's strange voyage in late October to the World Cup final.
There was nothing explosive in the serialisation. It was more a matter of fading, failing relationships; long minutes spent in corridors at night; conversations, fraught with things not being said, between himself and his protege at 10, Francois Trinh-Duc; the shadows of players slipping out into the street when the coach thought he was to join them for a few beers.
Saint-André, it would appear, is an excellent mediator and relations are being mended. His team, based solidly on the group that lost by a point to New Zealand in the final, played on Saturday with freshness and obvious enjoyment. The lineout was not perfect, but Italy were magnificently served there, and everywhere, by Sergio Parisse.
The French scrum too was nudged here and there by the hefty Italian front five, but in broken play the home backs occasionally found the rhythm that sets them apart. At their best, they sweep forward from deep, in waves and at all angles, an unstoppable force. There were glimpses of grand adventures ahead through the counter-attacking of Maxime Medard, the power of Julien Malzieu and Aurelien Rougerie and the silkiness of the find of the season, Wesley Fofana.
The 24-year-old centre looked beset by nerves in the first half, passing to Rougerie as if he had never met him. They play together at Clermont. But in the second half he settled into his routines, looked hungry for the ball and posed a threat with every touch. He finished the day scoring France’s fourth try, by which time Italy were down to 14 players, Quintin Geldenhuys having been sent to the sin bin for collapsing a maul.
It was, then, a comfortable win, but Italy played their part in an enjoyable opener.
They were combative, as under Nick Mallett, expressive, according to the designs of their new coach, Jacques Brunel, and still careless with the final pass, as under all their coaches of the past 12 years.
France did provide the finishing touches. Trinh-Duc set up the third try, for Vincent Clerc, with a delicious chip and volley. For the second, France shoved, for the only time, Italy off the ball at a scrum, and Louis Picamoles ran hard and straight for Malzieu to underline Saint-André’s skills as a selector.
His changes all made their mark. Rougerie, for the first try, spotted a midfield mismatch and surged between the hooker Leonardo Ghiraldini and the prop Andrea Lo Cicero.
FRANCE: Medard; Clerc, Rougerie (Mermoz, 76), Fofana, Malzieu; Trinh-Duc (Beauxis, 76), Yachvili (Parra, 62); Debaty (Poux, 62), Servat (Szarzewski, 54), Mas (Debaty, 76), Pape, Nallet (Maestri, 50), Dusautoir (capt), Bonnaire, Picamoles (Harinordoquy 64).
ITALY: Masi; Venditti, Benvenuti, Sgarbi (Canale 56), McLean; Burton (Botes 56), Gori (Semenzato 73); Lo Cicero (Cittadini 62), Ghiraldini, (D’Apice 76) Castrogiovanni, Van Zyl (Bortolami 56), Geldenhuys, Zanni, Barbieri (Favaro 67), Parisse (capt).
Referee: N Owens (Wales)
