France will be looking to bag their second win of the campaign when they take on neighbours Italy on Saturday the 16th of March.
Italy will be looking to salvage some pride from what has been yet another dismal Six Nations showing when they take on a French side that has also endured a disappointing tournament. The hosts’ long-running Six Nations losing streak has been extended by four games this year.
Will they be able to arrest this horror run or will the French add another game to that losing streak?
Italy v France
Saturday 3rd March
Stadio Olimpico
14:30
To Win (80 Mins)
Italy 4/1
Draw 33/1
France 1/4
*Forecast Odds
Handicap
Italy (+12.5) 9/10
France (-12.5) 9/10
*Forecast Odds
Italy
While there have been signs of improvement from the Italians in certain areas this year – their attack has been far more potent and they have strengthened their squad depth – there has also been a lot of regression, particularly in the defensive side of their game.
Their defensive frailties were exposed by the English this weekend with Manu Tuiliangi and Joe Cokanasiga tearing the Italy midfield apart during Saturday’s 57-14 defeat at Twickenham.
It’s not the first time the Italian midfield and outside backs have failed to contain their opposite numbers, with the Scot’s and the Welsh also enjoying a lot of line-breaks through the middle of the park during their victories over the Italians.
The Italians will need to sure up their midfield this weekend as the French have some heavy hitting centres who could do a lot of damage if they break through the first tackle attempt.
France
Like the Italians, there have been some good aspects to come out of this campaign for the French. Youngsters like Demba Bamba and Romain Ntamack have shown they can cut it at this level, while centre Gael Fickou continues to be a massive threat with ball-in-hand.
The problem for the French is that they still have a heavily unbalanced squad that seems to be rudderless. Their leadership core isn’t a very vocal one, and tend to drop their heads as soon as the going gets tough. And while Le Bleu did show a lot of fight – particularly during the final 15 minutes – during their 26-14 defeat to the Irish, this has not been the case for the majority of their campaign.
Verdict: Italy (+12.5) 9/10 *Forecast Handicap
Yes, the Italians have been horrendous defensively this term but they tend to up their game when they take on the French. As such, I’ll be having a small crack on the plus line this coming Saturday.
Written by Darry Worthington for Hollywoodbets
