I’ll leave you with the match report from Rome, thanks for joining me!
Match report
We are done here but the real action is about to get underway in Cardiff. Niall McVeigh providing the updates from Wales v Ireland:
It's all over! Italy 14-25 France
The final whistle goes and France finish the Six Nations on a high. That has got to hurt for Italy, they made a lot of the running in that game and have nothing to show for it.
Ruthless France strike again, try! Italy 14-25 France
79 mins: Penaud, the saviour moments earlier when disrupting Zanon, now seals the win for France. Les Bleus gather a box kick and offload to their rampaging wing who turns on the burners to speed away for a killer score. That sums it up for Italy. Ntamack can’t add the extras but it doesn’t matter, Penaud has killed the game.
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76 mins: Italy make a mess of the lineout and suddenly they’re back on halfway again. They’ll have to work if they want to get another shot at the French line. A knock-on comes at just the wrong time for Italy, is this drifting away for the hosts?
73 mins: Another French penalty, another Italy lineout. Parisse plucks a wonky throw out of the sky and gets his side set. The ball is worked from left to right and back again before finally it opens up for Zanon but as he crosses the line he fails to secure the ball and the TMO rules a knock on! More missed chances for Italy.
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Yellow card! Chat goes into the bin
72 mins: France down to 14 as the hooker heads to the sideline! Another lineout on the five metre line, Italy’s put in. Surely now for Italy?
70 mins: Italy have a lineout five metres from the French line. Can they take advantage this time? Allan goes for a cross kick with an advantage in hand. It fails but Italy get another shot.
66 mins: Has Tebaldi done it again? The TMO says ‘no’. The scrum half’s delightful step gives him half a yard but he loses control of the ball as he hits the deck a yard short of the try line. The French pack do their job in the scrum and Italy must come again.
Ntamack with the drop goal! Italy 14-20 France
63 mins: No messing around from the French fly half as he gets himself in the pocket and knocks over the kick. It is a smart move as Italy now need a try.
62 mins: Great retreating effort from Allan as some sloppy Italian handling creates a chance for Medard to chase his own grubber kick. However, it does set up France with good field position as Italy get turned over.
60 mins: Both sides ringing the changes in the pack as we come up to the hour mark. Huge 20 minutes for Italy, they’re well set to end their long losing run in the Six Nations.
57 mins: Leonardo Ghiraldini’s 104th cap ends on the back of a stretcher, a sad way for the Italian stalwart to end his afternoon.
Try Italy! Italy 14-17 France
55 mins: Tebaldi bulldozes over and Italy get the try they deserve. It comes after a wonderful barrage of Italian attacking rugby, Parisse got it started by knocking a couple of French defenders over to make a break, Esposito shows good strength on the wing and as the Azzuri work it from left to right a sliver of a gap finally opens up for Tebaldi shove through. However, Allan misses the conversion so Italy still trail by three points.
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50 mins: Allan wastes a chance to immediately cut that deficit from the boot but completely fluffs the penalty from a make-able distance. The Italians are not doing themselves any favours and France have been ruthless, the scoreline is far from reflective of how play has unfolded.
Try for France! Italy 9-17 France
47 mins: France come to life whenever they get a bit of space in the Italian half. Ntamack skips a couple of weak challenges and a long pass out to the left flank ultimately gives Huget the chance to finish. The wing makes no mistake, shrugging off his defender and powering over for the score. Extras added with little fuss.
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Italy cut the lead! Italy 9-10 France
43 mins: Camara enters a ruck from the side and Allan makes no mistake with the kick. That’s a change in policy from Conor O’Shea, Italy consistently kicked for the corner in the first half but at thge first opportunity after the break Italy opt for the points.
Peep!
We’re back underway at the Stadio Olimpico. Can Italy continue their good work in the first half and make it count?
Perhaps these games might have a bit more riding on them in a couple of years. The plans for a new Nations Championship include relegation from the Six Nations and Rugby Championship...
Some encouragement for Italy?
2 - Both of Italy's victories against France in the #GuinnessSixNations came despite trailing at halftime. Balanced.
— OptaJonny (@OptaJonny) March 16, 2019
Half time: Italy 6-10 France
Dupont collects the ball from the back of the scrum and kicks it out of play to end the half. Italy have left at least two tries out there as they head for the dressing rooms after what has been an entertaining 40 minutes.
39 mins: Another big break from Italy has the crowd on their feet. Can they come away with points this time. They’re camped out on the French line but whatever avenue they pursue turns into a cul-de-sac of bodies in blue. A knock-on again gives the French put in at the scum and an opportunity to kill attack.
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35 mins: Penaud’s late hit on Esposito scores Italy excellent field position with the penalty from where the Italian winger’s kick landed. An aggressive kick for touch is not rewarded though as the lineout flies out of the back.
31 mins: Italy deal with the French threat well and we’re back in midfield.
28 mins: Now its France’s turn to have a go. Their scrum does the job and an obstruction gives them a lineout five metres from the Italy line.
25 mins: Italy are inches short, or are they? A knock on looks to have ended the Italian attacking phase but now the TMO is checking to see if the ball got down just beforehand. Ultimately it is not clear and instead we have a French put in at the scrum.
23 mins: So close Italy! They work a good lineout from five metres out and Allan looks to have put a try on a plate with a smart kick only to see the post deny the on-rushing Italian back. From the scrum Italy cross the French line but the ball is not down. They’ll get another go.
Ntamack holds his nerve! Italy 6-10 France
21 mins: The fly half stretches the French lead with a good kick from distance. Whenever France put any sustained pressure on the Italian defence it gets hairy.
19 mins: The French captain’s day is done, Guilhem Guirado trots off holding his ribs and Camille Chat will replace him at hooker. Les Bleus are now well in control of this force their first penalty as Italy err in the ruck.
Try! Italy 6-7 France
16 mins: Antoine Dupont scores from absolutely nowhere and Italy’s solid start is completely undone. A lovely bit of work from Penaud to beat a couple of Italian statues on the right and with the scrum half running in support the wing slips him the ball to beat the last man. All too simple. Ntamack knocks over the extras.
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It goes over! Italy 6-0 France
12 mins: Allan slots it through with just enough on the ball to drop the right side of the upright. The hosts deserving of their lead so far.
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11 mins: That’s a big shove from Italy and with it they earn a chance to double the lead! Matthew Carley blows his whistle and Allan will kick for the posts.
10 mins: Huget slips a couple of tackles on the left for France to get his side out of trouble and it looks like a break could be on but an ambitious offload from Penaud finds Italian hands kills the attack. Italy bring it up to midfield and a French knock on gives the hosts a scrum inside the opponent’s half.
Penalty converted! Italy 3-0 France
6 mins: Tommaso Allan knocks it through and Italy make good on their promising start.
5 mins: That’s scrappy from France. The Azzuri don’t allow the visitors any time in the ruck and some poor handling sees Yacouba Camara concede a penalty in front of the posts.
3 mins: It has been an entertaining start, with both teams enjoying skirmishes in opposition territory but sustained periods of pressure yet.
Peep!
Romain Ntamack hoists it high into the Roman sky and a swathe of blue chases it down. The last weekend of the 2019 Six Nations is underway.
The crowd is a bit sparse but in full voice for Il Canto degli Italiani. Now we await France to kick us off.
The players are making their way on to the pitch at the Stadio Olimpico. We will have a minute’s silence for the victims of the New Zealand shooting tragedy before the anthems of both teams.
There has been a game day change for the French. Wesley Fofana will not get the Six Nations farewell he wanted, pulling out with injury to be replaced at centre by Stade Rochelais’ Geoffrey Doumayrou.
🇮🇹🇫🇷 Blessé, @wesleyfofana doit déclarer forfait. C'est @doumgeof qui le remplace dans le XV de départ. Voici la nouvelle composition des Bleus pour ce match contre l'Italie. Coup d'envoi à 13h30 sur @France2tv #ITAFRA #XVdeFrance #NeFaisonsXV pic.twitter.com/hoB8T5OMVv
— Fédération Française de Rugby (@FFRugby) March 16, 2019
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What’s been said?
France coach Jacques Brunel: “We know this match will be difficult.
“Some Italians are playing their last [international] match, they will try to surpass themselves.
“We want to show a different face this week, but the results speak for themselves. We are not at the level of some of the other teams in this championship.
“We haven’t fixed everything, of course there are still things we need to work on. We will carry on, working hard, and with the World Cup to come, we are hopeful we can get it right.”
Italy head coach Conor O’Shea: “We will play against a very strong team as always happens in the Six Nations.
“Our focus will be on ourselves, trying to play our best rugby. We want to finish the championship with a great performance at Stadio Olimpico.”
Preamble
Ah the dead rubber game. The ultimately meaningless contest with little but pride at stake. For Italy, seeking their first Six Nations victory since 2015, the visit of a French team with just one win in this years championships and only four in total during the reign of Jacques Brunel presents an opportunity to end a barren run stretching back to 2015.
For France perhaps there can be a late flourish. Brunel fields a side featuring only three players who played in France’s 34-17 win over the Azzurri in Paris last year. That victory saw France ultimately finish above England last year and again fourth place is within the grasp of Guilhem Guirado and his teammates should Scotland fall at Twickenham.
Wesley Fofana’s return to the side after after injury is one of six changes made by Brunel. The 31-year-old centre is making his afinal Six Nations appearance before he retires international rugby after the World Cup. Toulouse full-back Maxime Medard is preferred to Thomas Ramos and Clermont prop Etienne Falgoux makes a first start.
Italy head coach Conor O’Shea hands 21-year-old Treviso centre Marco Zanon his debut in a side featuring five changes from the loss against England. Zebre forward David Sisi is in for the injured Dean Budd at lock, while Gloucester flanker Jake Polledri also returns in the back row.
Italy: Hayward; Padovani, Zanon, Morisi, Esposito; Allan, Tebaldi; Lovotti, Ghiraldini, Pasquali, Sisi, Ruzza, Steyn, Polledri, Parisse (capt)
Replacements: Bigi, Traore, Ferrari, Zanni, Negri, Palazzani, McKinley, Sperandio
France: Medard; Penaud, Bastareaud, Fofana, Huget; Ntamack, Dupont; Falgoux, Guirado (capt), Bamba, Lambey, Willemse, Alldritt, Camara, Picamoles
Replacements: Chat, Priso, Aldegheri, Gabrillagues, Iturria, Serin, Lopez, Ramos
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