France send Italy packing

Italy 27 France 53

Smarting from defeats to England and Ireland, France put Italy to the sword with seven tries and an impressive kicking performance from young scrum-half Dimitri Yachvili who was virtually infallible, booting eight from nine for a personal haul of 18 points.

Much of the damage was done in the first half as France swept into a 31-3 lead after the first quarter before going into the break 41-10 ahead.