It was exactly what Gonzalo Quesada had feared. "The danger," he said on the eve of the match, was that Les Bleus would "feel confident too quickly. If after ten or fifteen minutes they create the chances they usually create and manage to make the break and score... if they find their rhythm, like in the first two games, it will be complicated to stop them."
His prediction was spot on. The clock hadn't even reached four minutes when a flicked pass from Théo Attissogbe reached Antoine Dupont, who sent a long chip-and-chase behind the Italian defence. From there, Louis Bielle-Biarrey only needed to sprint to dot down deep in the in-goal area. And they were off: 7-0 right from the start, with a record to boot for Bielle-Biarrey, becoming the first player to score eight tries in eight Championship matches, and his 24th in 25 caps.
Speed was the other danger for the French, with Bielle-Biarrey capable of hitting 38 km/h on the left wing and Gaël Dréan - celebrating his first start on his international debut - reaching 37 km/h on the right. Added to that was French power, epitomised by second row Emmanuel Meafou, named Guinness Player of the Match, who scored his first international try in 14 caps just before the 15-minute mark (12-0). Quesada’s prophecy was coming true.
However, his men, dressed in red (or "Rosso Garibaldi"), put into practice the values of their illustrious forefather Giuseppe Garibaldi - heroism and an indomitable spirit. These were qualities the Italian internationals embodied on the pitch, twice setting the French defense on fire: first after an interception by back rower Manuel Zuliani and, second following a missed tackle by Emilien Gailleton. But both times, the ball died 10 metres from the line.
At the half-hour mark, a long ball to the back of a lineout, poorly deflected by Bielle-Biarrey's foot, was eventually recovered by Emilien Gailleton, who sprinted 60 metres toward the in-goal. Caught just metres from the line, he passed to erstwhile fly-half Thomas Ramos (in for the injury-withdrawn Matthieu Jalibert), who touched down after beating two defenders (19-0). Two minutes later, the Italians took advantage of a ball poorly cleared by Ramos in his own in-goal to score through returning hero Ange Capuozzo, back from a finger fracture suffered late last year (19-5).
Three times, Les Bleus put themselves in difficulty by over-playing, a reminder that the Italians would settle for even the smallest crumbs to score at the slightest opportunity. The battle was fierce, so much so that loosehead prop Jean-Baptiste Gros had to make way for Rodrigue Neti in the 38th minute. The Italians headed to the locker room with a penalty following a scrum, slotted from nearly 40 meters by Paolo Garbisi (19-8).
At the break, head coach Fabien Galthié’s instructions were crystal clear: be cleaner and more precise with possession. However, the restart initially favoured the Italians, recalling their commitment the previous week in Dublin where they lost by only seven points. This time, with ten minutes remaining, they were only eleven points behind Les Bleus. By holding the score under the closed roof of the Stade Pierre-Mauroy in Villeneuve-d'Ascq, they imposed their rhythm on a French side that seemed out of solutions.
The deadlock finally broke when Louis Lynagh received a yellow card for cynical play. Playing 15 against 14, Gaël Dréan celebrated his big international debut by scoring the bonus-point try following a long cross-field kick from Ramos (26-8). There was still enough time for a fifth try, touched down by Gailleton (33-8).
It was enough to push the half-hour slump into the background and allow France to continue their quest for a Grand Slam.