France will be hoping to right the wrongs of their defeat to England as Fabien Galthie’s side return to Six Nations action against Italy.
Thoughts of a possible grand slam came crashing down at Twickenham a fortnight ago as the visitors were made to pay for their errors, coughing up a number of try-scoring chances and allowing England to pinch it at the death. Galthie has wielded the selection scythe as a result of a disappointing defeat, making changes to his squad in search of an improved performance to revive their campaign.
While Ireland lurk on the other side of the second fallow week, they cannot afford to take their eye off the ball against an Italy side that came within a whisker of victory in this fixture last year. Paolo Garbisi’s late missed kick left Italy to settle for a dramatic draw in Lille but with confidence buoyed by a win over Wales in their last outing, the Azzurri will fancy their chances of frightening the French once more.
Follow all of the latest from the Stadio Olimpico in our live blog below:
England’s luck finally turns to end Calcutta Cup misery as Finn Russell suffers late agony
At Twickenham, meanwhile, Scotland made all of the running but England emerged on top – Luke Baker watched on as the hosts found a way.
Harry Latham-Coyle23 February 2025 12:45
Garry Ringrose red card: Why was the Ireland centre sent off against Wales in the Six Nations?
That red card for Garry Ringrose was not a sanction that all agreed with – but assessing the high tackle framework, it’s straightforward to see why the centre was dismissed by referee Christophe Ridley:
Harry Latham-Coyle23 February 2025 12:30
Simon Easterby hails Ireland’s mentality in Wales to keep Grand Slam dream alive
Simon Easterby praised Ireland’s mentality for “digging ourselves out of a hole” to overcome Wales in the Six Nations and keep their Grand Slam dream alive.
Ireland started as massive favourites in Cardiff to inflict a 15th-successive defeat on Wales following the departure of their head coach Warren Gatland.
But, having lost centre Garry Ringrose to a 20-minute red card midway through the second quarter, Ireland found themselves 18-10 adrift before rallying in the closing stages to triumph 27-18 and win an eighth Triple Crown in the Six Nations era.
Harry Latham-Coyle23 February 2025 12:15
Yesterday’s action…
Let’s reflect first on the highs and lows of yesterday, with plenty to dig into. In Cardiff, things were rather tougher for Ireland than some might have expected, with a sparky Wales coming close to a mighty shock but the champions eventually finding a way…
Harry Latham-Coyle23 February 2025 12:00
Italy vs France LIVE
Hello and welcome along to LIVE coverage of part three of this middle Six Nations weekend, Italy and France looking to follow along after two proper thrillers yesterday in Cardiff and Twickenham. These two delivered the goods last year, a Paolo Garbisi miss all that prevented Italy from a famous win over their foes – can they produce something similar in Rome?
Harry Latham-Coyle23 February 2025 07:17
