France whitewash Italy to earn coach Philippe Saint-Andre’s praise
France coach Philippe Saint-Andre praised his side’s resilience after they bounced back from two successive defeats in the Six Nations to overcome Italy in a scrappy match in Rome on Sunday.
France coach Philippe Saint-Andre praised his side’s resilience after they bounced back from two successive defeats in the Six Nations to overcome Italy in a scrappy match in Rome on Sunday.
Les Bleus scored two tries and five penalties to seal an emphatic 29-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico after a dour first half in which a wet ball and rain-soaked pitch led both sides into a string of handling errors.
France went into the break leading 9-0 after two penalties from fly half Camille Lopez and one from full back Scott Spedding but broke away in the second half with tries from second-rower Yoann Maestri and replacement centre Mathieu Bastareaud.
We had a team today, that’s for sure. In terms of commitment and aggression and defensively as well
The relentless French defence, with only one missed tackle all match, stifled any hope for Italy.
“We had a team today, that’s for sure. In terms of commitment and aggression and defensively as well,” Saint-Andre said, singling out flanker Thierry Dusautoir, celebrating his 50th match as captain.
“Our scrum was of very high quality and despite difficult conditions and a slippery ball we passed a lot and tried a lot,” he said.
Dusautoir acknowledged that after defeats by Ireland and Wales, France were under pressure to produce a victory and rescue their Six Nations campaign from being a debacle.