­
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER

SA Rugby magazine

South African rugby news, interviews, videos and more. Covering the Springboks, Bulls, Stormers, Sharks, Cheetahs and Lions, as well as schools and club rugby.

Primary Menu Search
  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER
You are here: Home ∼ Machenaud boots France to win over Italy

Machenaud boots France to win over Italy

Maxime Machenaud is tackled close to the line Machenaud boots France to win over Italy
Published on February 24, 2018 | Leave a response

Maxime Machenaud kicked 17 points as France beat Italy 34-17 at the Velodrome in Marseille on Friday night. MARIETTE ADAMS reports.

Coming into the game, France and Italy were winless in the tournament and occupied the two spots at the bottom of the log. Staying true to that form, this fixture failed to transfer into a high-quality clash and yet it didn’t lack intensity.

France, without the services of eight squad members – all banned for one Test due to inappropriate conduct while on tour in Scotland – were particularly careless and wasteful. They squandered at least three clear-cut scoring opportunities. And their poor finishing at one end was matched by poor exit-play at the other.

Fortunately, the boot of scrumhalf Machenaud kept the scoreboard ticking over to avoid panic in the hosts’ ranks before a late surge put them out of the Azzurri’s reach.

Italy were equally chaotic, but their defence, particularly in the first half, should be commended. Under siege, the Italians repelled two attacks right on their tryline. And the contest might have been a closer affair had Italy been able to get a greater share of possession. Unfortunately, France did well to starve them of possession.

France drew first blood when a steal on the ground by Mathieu Bastareaud led to a try for No 4 lock Paul Gabrillagues.

The conversion was unsuccessful and moments later Italy would take the lead. After France conceded a penalty for playing the opposition’s scrumhalf, Italy executed a perfect lineout drive and pushed over the tryline, but the TMO confirmed the ball was not grounded. To Italy’s relief and delight, referee Wayne Barnes awarded them a penalty try, which translated to an automatic seven-pointer.

France then started to dominate the contest. With backs and forwards combining beautifully, they hit the gainline hard, making easy metres. Though Italy defended the tryline valiantly during that period, Machenaud slotted two penalties as France regained the lead just before half-time.

France’s sloppiness didn’t let up after the break, but Italy’s resistance did crumble.

Leading 11-7, Les Bleus botched another easy chance to extend their advantage when they created a three-man overlap inside the 22, only for the final pass to go horribly wrong.

Machenaud and Tommy Allan traded penalties for a 14-10 scoreline, but France were finally able to convert their opportunities into points in the last quarter.

Two superb offloads by Bastareaud and Rémy Grosso allowed fullback Hugo Bonneval to score behind the posts. They added 13 points soon after, including a converted try by Bastareaud to secure the victory.

But while there was still time for France to go in search of the bonus-point try, it was Italy who had the final say when fullback Matteo Minozzi crossed for a try against the run of play.

France – Tries: Paul Gabrillagues, Hugo Bonneval, Mathieu Bastareaud. Conversions: Maxine Machenaud, François Trinh-Duc. Penalties: Machenaud (5).
Italy – Tries: Penalty try, Matteo Minozzi. Conversion: Carlo Canna. Penalty: Tommy Allan.

France – 15 Hugo Bonneval, 14 Benjamin Fall, 13 Mathieu Bastareaud, 12 Geoffrey Doumayrou, 11 Rémy Grosso, 10 Lionel Beauxis, 9 Maxime Machenaud, 8 Marco Tauleigne, 7 Yacouba Camara, 6 Wenceslas Lauret, 5 Sébastien Vahaamahina, 4 Paul Gabrillagues, 3 Rabah Slimani, 2 Guilhem Guirado, 1 Jefferson Poirot.
Subs: 16 Adrien Pelissié, 17 Dany Priso, 18 Cedate Gomes Sa, 19 Romain Taofifenua, 20 Kélian Galletier, 21 Baptiste Couilloud, 22 François Trinh-Duc, 23 Gaël Fickou.

Italy – 15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Tommaso Benvenuti, 13 Tommaso Boni, 12 Tommaso Castello, 11 Mattia Bellini, 10 Tommaso Allan, 9 Marcello Violi, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Maxime Mbanda, 6 Sebastian Negri, 5 Dean Budd, 4 Alessandro Zanni, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Andrea Lovotti.
Subs: 16 Luca Bigi, 17 Nicola Quaglio, 18 Tiziano Pasquali 19 George Biagi, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Edoardo Gori, 22 Carlo Canna, 23 Jayden Hayward.

Photo: Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Posted in Six Nations, Tournaments Tagged France, Italy, Six Nations

Post by stagingsar

stagingsar

Check out Blackout Rugby Manager HERE!

← Previous Next →

Sevens’ party falls flat

World Rugby shouldn’t have messed with a winning sevens formula, writes SIMON...

Draining format clogs Blitzboks’ blockage

A protracted schedule took the wind out of South Africa's sails at...

England cut Eddie, Razor to stop the bleeding

England have made the rash decision to part ways with coach Eddie...

Rassie ref hom in die rooi

Rassie Erasmus is hardly the embarrassment that some are making him out...

Cut and paste Kurt-Lee for Kolbe

Kurt-Lee Arendse ticks all the right boxes to replace the injured Cheslin...

Rassie auditions for England job

Rassie Erasmus has made the most calculated of public job applications to...

Boks need to make mentality adjustment

The Springboks need to lose their underdog mentality, writes SIMNIKIWE XABANISA in...

Kolbe’s worth every penny

Cheslin Kolbe’s big-money move to Toulon should be welcomed as a massive...

‘Bok gameplan, when executed correctly, is hard to match’

The opportunity to play against the All Blacks is a career highlight...

Five key areas the Boks need to dominate for first victory

SA Rugby magazine highlights five crucial areas the Boks will need to...

Top six: Best and worst foreign imports

SARugbymag.co.za identifies six of the best and worst foreign players to play...

Column: When context is needed

As highlighted by the Argentina controversy, ‘cancel culture’ needs a spoonful of...

Dark cloud hangs over WP Rugby

The problems at Western Province Rugby are layered, and everyone involved needs...

From the mag: Foreign Favourites

As Vodacom Super Rugby turned 25 this year, JON CARDINELLI picks an...

Bulls rookies to watch

After a massive exodus of players the Vodacom Bulls will be eager...

Analysis: The new suffocate-and-strangle game

For the Boks to emerge as World Cup winners, they need to...

VIEW MORE
  • Bonus-point Bulls douse Dragons
  • Munster maul luckless Lions
  • Stormers sign off 2022 in style
  • Sharks carve Bulls on New Year’s Eve

Jacques Burger’s Perfect XV

    BKT United Rugby Championship, Scotstoun, Glasgow, Scotland 8/1/2023 Glasgow Warriors vs DHL Stormers Stormers' Damian Willemse Mandatory Credit ©INPHO/Craig Watson
  • Highlights: Heartbreak for Stormers in Glasgow thriller

###


COVID-19 Corona Virus
South African Resource Portal

African Insider
African Insider News

ABOUT

  • Contact us
  • Competitions
  • Videos
  • Player Features
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy Policy

TOURNAMENTS

    • Rugby Championship
    • Super Rugby
    • Currie Cup
    • Varsity Cup
    • Gold Cup
    • Schools
    • Six Nations
    • Champions Cup
    • World Cup
    • Challenge Cup

OPINION

  • Mallett on SuperSport
  • Cardinelli column
  • Lewis column
  • Xabanisa column
  • Borchardt column
  • Superbru

Primary Menu

  • Home
  • Match Centre
  • Vodacom URC
  • Videos
  • Cars
    • Cheap cars for sale
    • Used Cars For Sale
    • New Cars For Sale
    • Demo Cars For Sale
  • Deals
    • One Day Deals
    • Nationwide Deals
      • Deals in Cape Town
      • Deals in Johannesburg
      • Deals in Durban
      • Deals in Pretoria
      • Deals in Port Elizabeth
    • Accommodation Deals
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Food and Drink Deals
    • Experiences
    • Health and Wellness Deals
    • Beauty and Spa Deals
  • BLACKOUT RUGBY MANAGER