Louis Bielle-Biarrey is rewriting the record books one scorching sprint at a time. The French flyer etched his name into Six Nations folklore on Sunday night, becoming the first player to score tries in eight consecutive Championship matches as defending champions France battled past a tenacious Italy 33-8 on Sunday to maintain their Grand Slam charge.
The try-machine struck inside three minutes to claim his 24th try in just 25 Test matches, an extraordinary strike rate that underlines why he’s become one of world rugby’s most lethal finishers. Yet despite the lightning-fast start and eventual 25-point margin, this was far from vintage Les Bleus.
“It was tough going, we managed to win the arm-wrestle, and the team managed to find the energy to break through the Italians and take the bonus point at the end of the match,” admitted head coach Fabien Galthie, acknowledging Italy’s fierce resistance.
The bonus-point victory sent France back to the top of the Six Nations table after Scotland had temporarily displaced them with Saturday’s comeback win over Wales. Galthie’s men remain the only unbeaten side in the tournament, but Gonzalo Quesada’s ever-improving Azzurri once again proved they’re nobody’s pushover.
France’s opening try was gift-wrapped. Italy wing Louis Lynagh spilled a high ball straight into Antoine Dupont’s grateful arms, and the captain’s perfectly weighted kick ahead allowed the turbo-heeled Bielle-Biarrey to outpace Ange Capuozzo and dot down.
With Matthieu Jalibert ruled out late on Saturday with a calf complaint, Thomas Ramos shifted to fly-half for just the seventh time in his 50-cap career. His start was nervy, throwing an interception and kicking out on the full, but a stunning 50/22 gave France field position to unleash their secret weapon.
Man-of-the-match Emmanuel Meafou, the hulking New Zealand-born, Australia-raised lock, had only Italian wingers Lynagh and Monty Ioane between him and the tryline after Dupont’s clever pass. They stood no chance against the powerful second-rower, who crashed over with ease.
Italy refused to buckle. Three times they threatened the French tryline, only to cough up possession at critical moments. They paid dearly when an overthrown line-out was hacked on by Bielle-Biarrey, allowing Emilien Gailleton to charge 50 metres before Ramos finished brilliantly in the corner.
The Azzurri needed a lifeline and Ramos inexplicably provided it, throwing a hospital pass behind his own tryline to Theo Attissogbe. Tommaso Menoncello’s brilliant grubber had created the pressure, and Capuozzo pounced on the loose ball to reduce arrears to 19-8 at the break after Paolo Garbisi added a penalty.
The second half descended into scrappy territory until Lynagh’s 70th-minute yellow card for a deliberate knock-on opened the floodgates. France finished with characteristic aplomb, debutant Gael Drean gathering Ramos’s crossfield kick in acres of space before Gailleton ghosted through for the final score.
“It wasn’t our most complete match, that’s for sure, but I can tell you that Italy made us work for it,” said Ramos, whose assessment felt spot-on.
The final scoreline was harsh on Italy, who remain fifth but continue building momentum under Quesada. For France, it’s job done, if not in style, then certainly in substance.
