Rewind 12 months and Italy came within minutes of pulling of what would have been the upset of the tournament. A late Mathieu Jalibert try got France out of jail on that occasion, though from what we've seen so far, Les Bleus are nowhere near the level they were at last year. Can the Azzurri go one better at Lille's Stade Pierre-Mauroy today?
Fabien Galthie's men would be propping up the 2024 Six Nations table had they not been gifted victory by a controversial refereeing call at Murrayfield two weeks ago. That solo Louis Bielle-Biarrey try aside, the pre-tournament favourites offered next to nothing against Scotland, and though it's difficult to see them being quite that toothless against Italy, their fear-factor has all but disappeared.
