France vs Italy: Who Will Clinch Their First Victory?

The final match of the first round of the 2022 Guinness Six Nations will see Italy travelling to the home of French rugby at the Stade de France, Paris, on the 6th February. With all of the action kicking off at 15:00, France may be expecting the match to be a walk-over, but is it too early to rule out an upset on the opening week? Let's see how the teams are looking, going into this exciting clash.

The Odds for France v Italy 2022 Six Nations

In the table below you can find the odds for the winner of this 2022 Six Nations match:

France v Italy: Team Previews and Injuries

Injuries prior to any match can play a pivotal role in determining the outcome of rugby - the same as is true of many other sports. With the Six Nations being in February, we are sure that both teams will be praying that their teams are fighting fit when the first match rolls around. Are both teams fresh at the moment though? We shall see below.

France Team News

• Charles Ollivon: The French captain has been a concern for six months, having suffered a knee injury in a Toulon game in June. French worries for the skipper could be over though, as he has recently returned to training and could be back to inspire Les Blues to more Six-Nations glory.

Italy Team News

• No injuries: It's good news for the Azzurri, as there are currently no injuries in the Italian set-up. Let's hope that means we see a fantastic performance from the Europeans, as they look to overcome previous woes in the Six Nations.

Previous Five Head-to-Head Results

Previous results are always interesting to look at, in terms of predicting future performance. They are not the be all and end all, but they certainly give a hint about the sort of game plans that both sides may employ this time around. In this table, you can see all of the previous action from France vs Italy 6 Nations:

There you have it: in the last five games, France have dominated Italy, white-washing them in last year's competition with a 40-points surplus. Will that affect the mentality of the Italians, going into this match? Could crushing resentment slip into complacency or will the fiery Europeans want revenge for all of the years of hurt? Let's find out, as we take a look at recent form.

Recent Form

As well as taking a look at previous Italy vs France Six Nations results, it is also extremely useful to have a look at the recent results of both teams as this indicates the type of form that each team is currently in, heading into the contest.

Below we have given you the last five results for both France and Italy.

France Results

Italy Results

Thoughts on Recent Form

France's record of three wins and two losses is about average for them. We would have expected to see at least one win against Australia, given the Wallabees seem to have lost some of their vigour over the last 20 years, but a shocking trouncing of the All Blacks certainly evened things up for them.

On the other hand, Italy are looking dismal, losing four games out of five and only just scraping a win against 18th-in-the-world Uruguay. With this in mind, you may have a clearer picture of the winner in your mind, so let's wrap up with our final thoughts, to see if we are on the same page.

Our Overall France vs Italy Match Prediction Winner

With a maximum of 5 points on offer, how do we think this continental clash will play out? Give the points to France already, and let's move on.

It sounds harsh to say, as we love the Italians, but this game is going coq gaulois all the way. The French will be re-united with their captain and rugby favourite, Charles Ollivon, they are in fantastic form and will be on a high after pulling off an upset in their last test, and the Italians have not delivered any scrap of innovation since four miserable defeats in their last five games. Give Italy a round ball and two nets, and you'll witness over an hour of sporting brilliance; add four more players to the team and tell them to charge at a fired-up French XV? Well, don't expect a good day as a fan.

On the other hand, we're not sure if it's worth a bet at the moment. Yes, when the betting markets start opening properly, we'll have lots of ideas on how you can wager your money on France to win. For now though? The best we can find is Betway offering a 35-point handicap, and we don't think the odds are worth playing. If you think France may nab another 40-point difference, like last year, you're of course free to follow your prerogative. With an average score difference of under 21 points though, we're sceptical. Either way, allez Les Bleus!