Hand fearsome France the initiative and they’ll bury us

1. The Tactical Battle

Italy are entirely predictable in the way they play, France are just about capable of anything. While accepting that Italy scored a great try with five minutes left, they’re very one dimensional and therefore easier to defend against.

France are lethal from turnovers when their first instinct is to attack and the support channels are flooded with runners. It helps that their confidence appears to be back after the Australian debacle in November and they have an abundance of quality.