What we learnt from France's win over Italy

At times it was the France of old, at times it was calamitous. Either way, after a troubled build-up to the Women’s Rugby World Cup, a victory of any kind would probably have sufficed for Gaëlle Mignot and David Ortiz’s side in the opening Pool D match against Italy at Sandy Park.

It wasn’t all that convincing, but France found a way to beat Italy 24-0 at Sandy Park, after a cagey start in which their early set-piece and territorial dominance went largely unrewarded.

Joanna Grisez’s try just shy of the half-hour mark settled the nerves, while Morgane Bourgeois gave her side a handy 10-0 lead with a penalty on the stroke of half-time moments after being denied a try of her own.

Portia Woodman-Wickliffe receives Women’s Top 50 award

New Zealand Women’s superstar Portia Woodman-Wickliffe spoke to RugbyPass after receiving the prestigious, inaugural RugbyPass Women’s Top 50 award this week.

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Portia Woodman-Wickliffe receives Women’s Top 50 award

New Zealand Women’s superstar Portia Woodman-Wickliffe spoke to RugbyPass after receiving the prestigious, inaugural RugbyPass Women’s Top 50 award this week.

View Top 50

Further French tries from Assia Khalfaoui and Charlotte Escudero made sure of the 24-0 result, while the reliable boot of Bourgeois kept the scoreline ticking over to prevent any chance of a comeback for the Azzurri.

Although they were dominant across the board and looked far more cohesive in the second half, Manae Feleu’s side will no doubt be left somewhat frustrated at missing out on the bonus point late on as several try-scoring opportunities went missing.

France hit their stride in attack but handling a concern

From the off, neither side looked entirely comfortable with the occasion. If anything, France looked the more nervous, like they had something to prove and in doing so, curled up in their shell.

They were almost too rigid, too structured. Handling errors permeated the squad, with even some of the most experienced players like Marine Menager throwing howlers straight into touch. They needed a try and fast. When it came, France changed…the game changed.

Joanna Grisez’s opening score was classic Grisez, classic France. They should have had a second score following a pinpoint accurate cross-field kick from Carla Arbez, before being ruled out. The tide seemed to have turned and, by the second half they were rampant. After a quiet first half, Bourgeois became a threat, as did playmaker Carla Arbez while Escudero remained a potent threat around the fringes.

Italy had no answer.

Vernier shows her class

You don’t see the likes of Carla Arbez and Marine Menager getting bundled back at a rate of knots very often, but Italy’s solid rush defence did exactly that to the French attack on multiple occasions.

Step forward Gabrielle Vernier. In a first half which was cagey at best, scrappy at worst, the inside centre grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck and got her side back onto the front foot with aplomb. Strong carries (16 in total) and over 116 metres gained aside, it was Vernier’s work with ball out of hand that turned the game back in France’s favour.

As Arbez was thrust back by Italy’s Sara Mannini, Vernier elected to kick in behind the last defender, Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi. It wasn’t quite a 50:22, but it snuffed out Italy’s momentum.

France pounced on the latest in a long series of loose Italian line-outs and, soon after, got their first try through Grisez.

Vernier was also an absolute menace in defence too, showing that she can jackal as well as run hard lines.

Italian set-piece proves their undoing

If Italy had managed to get the basics right, you only have to wonder how different the outcome could have been. Up against the French pack, they were always going to be at a disadvantage at the scrum, but the line-out malfunctioned at an almost alarming rate and this is bound to cause concern among the coaching staff.

Whether it was a timing issue or purely bad execution, Italy shot themselves in the foot big time, undoing a lot of the very good work shown in other facets of the game.

The turning point came in the 53rd minute, when Italy had a five-metre line-out close to the French line. This was their best chance to score and, at 17-0 down, could have given them a sniff. A bad throw gave France possession back, and the lines were cleared. Italy would not get another chance at the French line.

Where do Italy go from here?

There’s no escaping the fact that Italy need to get on top of their set-piece issues if they are to progress from the group stages. They should beat South Africa next Sunday, and a key part in that will be how they respond from this chastening defeat.

There is plenty of cause for optimism: the back three of Aura Muzzo, Alyssa D’Inca and Vittoria Ostuni Minuzzi are incredibly dangerous with ball in hand, and this youthful Italian side is certainly not afraid to attack from deep.

The reaction will give a clear indication of where this Italian side are at the moment, but they should be able to recover and reach a second successful quarter-final.