{"id":39612,"date":"2021-02-07T05:08:42","date_gmt":"2021-02-06T16:08:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/?p=39612"},"modified":"2021-02-07T11:26:39","modified_gmt":"2021-02-06T22:26:39","slug":"classy-dupont-guides-france-to-bonus-point-win-in-rome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2021\/02\/classy-dupont-guides-france-to-bonus-point-win-in-rome\/","title":{"rendered":"CLASSY DUPONT GUIDES FRANCE TO BONUS-POINT WIN IN ROME"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

FULL MATCH STATS\u00a0 : CLICK HERE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Antoine Dupont ensured France hit the ground running in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations as last year\u2019s runners-up secured a 50-10 bonus-point victory over Italy in Rome.<\/span><\/p>\n

The talented scrum-half and\u00a02020 Player of the Championship\u00a0carried on where he left off as he set up all three first-half tries for the visitors as they stormed into a 24-3 half-time lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dylan Cretin, Ga\u00ebl Fickou and Arthur Vincent were the men who profited from Dupont\u2019s vision before Brice Dulin joined the party after the interval to clinch the bonus-point score.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupont then capped off his performance with a try of his own before providing another assist to Teddy Thomas, with Jalibert adding 15 points from the tee with a perfect kicking display.<\/span><\/p>\n

Italy claimed a consolation try through Luca Sperandio but Thomas scored his second of the game in the closing minutes as\u00a0Fabien Galthi\u00e9’s side<\/span>\u00a0issued an emphatic statement of intent to their rivals.<\/span><\/p>\n

CLINICAL FRANCE START QUICKLY<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Smith had named a starting XV with just 134 caps between them but that figure was reduced by a further ten caps when prop Cherif Traore was replaced by debutant Daniele Rimpelli.<\/span><\/p>\n

That injury setback did not stop the Azzurri from making a bright start to the contest, though, with another debutant in Juan Ignacio Brex cutting through the France defence early on.<\/span><\/p>\n

But it did not take long for France to show their class, with Thomas going on his own weaving run to leave a trail of Italy players in his wake before the ball was recycled.<\/span><\/p>\n

With the hosts on the back foot, Les Bleus moved the ball left swiftly through Gabin Villiere before Cretin was able to muscle his way over the whitewash under the posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jalibert slotted the extras on his fifth start for France, three years after his debut against Ireland, before adding another penalty on 11 minutes after a breakdown infringement.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gael<\/p>\n

Italy continued to throw the ball around despite the scoreboard looking ominous and after a series of phases, the home side forced a penalty which Paolo Garbisi slotted to cut the deficit.<\/span><\/p>\n

Their response was met with another wave of blue shirts and just two minutes after Garbisi had opened his side\u2019s 2021 account, France hit back with their second try of the game.<\/span><\/p>\n

A rolling maul gained valuable ground before\u00a0 Dupont spotted a gap in behind and nudged the ball through for Fickou to collect and run in, with Jalibert adding the conversion.<\/span><\/p>\n

With Dupont\u2019s creative juices flowing, the France scrum-half sprinkled his magic once again on 29 minutes after a loose Italy pass provided the visitors with a chance to counter.<\/span><\/p>\n

Les Bleus hacked the ball downfield and Villiere found Dupont, who took the ball into the challenge before perfectly timing the offload to Vincent for the centre to dot down under the posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jalibert made no mistakes with the conversion but Italy almost delivered an instant riposte when Monty Ioane sprinted over – only for the try to be ruled out by a forward pass in the build-up.<\/span><\/p>\n

Italy\u2019s frustrations were compounded further by an injury to 20-year-old Garbisi, who was replaced by Carlo Canna as France went into the break with their tails up and a 24-3 lead.<\/span><\/p>\n

DUPONT MASTERCLASS CONTINUES<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Thankfully for Italy, Garbisi was able to return to the field for the second half and he soon showed why he is so highly rated after slicing through France before conceding possession.<\/span><\/p>\n

And as was the case in the first half, Italy\u2019s early promise was countered by France\u2019s ruthlessness – and the visitors clinched the try bonus-point within ten minutes of the restart.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Azzurri launched the ball into Les Bleus\u2019 territory and the grateful arms of Dulin, who ran the ball back before getting on the end of Villiere\u2019s kick to score in the corner.<\/span><\/p>\n

Jalibert made it five from five with the conversion and soon Dupont had the try his performance deserved, with Thomas feeding the scrum-half on his inside to score under the posts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Another Jalibert conversion was swiftly followed by Dupont returning the favour to Thomas, cutting through a gap in the Italy defence before throwing wide to the winger to run in unopposed.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Gael<\/p>\n

With the result beyond doubt, Dupont was rested by Galthi\u00e9 as reward for his efforts as the hour mark approached, providing Baptiste Serin with an opportunity to shine in his place.<\/span><\/p>\n

But Italy refused to back down and the hosts scored a well-deserved consolation through Sperandio on 63 minutes after the winger executed a perfect chip and chase.<\/span><\/p>\n

Garbisi added the extras but it was France who had the final say as Thomas scored his second of the game to bring up the half-century of points and complete an impressive all-round display.<\/span><\/p>\n

PLAYER OF THE MATCH<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Who else but Antonie Dupont?<\/span><\/p>\n

Last year\u2019s Player of the Championship was the creative lynchpin once again as France began their quest for the 2021 Guinness Six Nations title in style at Stadio Olimpico<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupont set up all three of France\u2019s first-half tries and provided another assist to Teddy Thomas after the restart, having also scored a try of his own in a near-flawless display.<\/span><\/p>\n

He finished the game with four carries, 62 metres, two tackle breaks and two offloads as Fabien Galthi\u00e9 rested his star man with 20 minutes still to play. He was a class above.<\/span><\/p>\n

KEY MOMENT<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

The ten minutes after Paolo Garbisi struck Italy\u2019s first points of the 2021 Championship proved decisive as France scored two quickfire tries to take the game away from the hosts.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dupont was at the heart of both scores, providing a brilliant kick through to Gael Fickou for France\u2019s second try before delivering the killer pass for Arthur Vincent\u2019s effort.<\/span><\/p>\n

Les Bleus suddenly found themselves with a 21-point advantage at the break and they never looked back as Dupont added the finishing touches with another try and assist after the restart.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

FULL MATCH STATS\u00a0 : CLICK HERE Antoine Dupont ensured France hit the ground running in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations as last year\u2019s runners-up secured a 50-10 bonus-point victory over Italy in Rome. The talented scrum-half and\u00a02020 Player of the Championship\u00a0carried on where he left off as he set up all three first-half tries for…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":39613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"CLASSY DUPONT GUIDES FRANCE TO BONUS-POINT WIN IN ROME\r\nMatch Report: https:\/\/wp.me\/p9yf19-aiU\r\n\r\nAntoine Dupont ensured France hit the ground running in the 2021 Guinness Six Nations as last year\u2019s runners-up secured a 50-10 bonus-point victory over Italy in Rome.","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[4825,4827,4932,4823],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-39612","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-france","category-italy","category-latest-news","category-six-nations"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/145197459_10158442625527772_2795866151367331137_o.jpg?fit=1200%2C1200&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9yf19-aiU","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39082,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2020\/02\/six-nations-result-france-35-v-22-italy-9-2-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":39612,"position":0},"title":"Six Nations : Result \u2013 France 35 v 22 Italy {9\/2\/20}","author":"rr_admin","date":"February 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0\u00a0 Fabien Galthi\u00e9\u2019s young gun France flew to the top of the Championship table in a superbly-entertaining exhibition of attacking rugby against defiant Italy. With moody conditions in Paris some feared a close-quarters battle, tell that to Galthi\u00e9 and Franco Smith, with both sides fully committed to attack throughout the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "France"","block_context":{"text":"France","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/france\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/inpho_01678695-1024x543-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C543&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/inpho_01678695-1024x543-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C543&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/inpho_01678695-1024x543-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C543&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/inpho_01678695-1024x543-1.jpg?fit=1024%2C543&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39007,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2020\/02\/six-nations-preview-france-vs-italy-9-2-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":39612,"position":1},"title":"Six Nations : Preview \u2013 France vs Italy {9\/2\/20}","author":"rr_admin","date":"February 7, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0\u00a0 DOWNLOAD ALL THE STATS -\u00a0 Click Here FRANCE France sent a big message to the rest of the teams in the Six Nations as they put in a brutal display to upset England and the French will believe they can win the title if they can maintain that level\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "France"","block_context":{"text":"France","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/france\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020hdr6nat12ab.jpg?fit=995%2C621&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020hdr6nat12ab.jpg?fit=995%2C621&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020hdr6nat12ab.jpg?fit=995%2C621&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/2020hdr6nat12ab.jpg?fit=995%2C621&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40466,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2022\/02\/dupont-and-jaminet-help-france-edge-ireland-in-paris-thriller\/","url_meta":{"origin":39612,"position":2},"title":"DUPONT AND JAMINET HELP FRANCE EDGE IRELAND IN PARIS THRILLER","author":"rr_admin","date":"February 13, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Antoine Dupont\u2019s stunning early try and the unerring boot of Melvyn Jaminet helped France edge Ireland 30-24 in a Guinness Six Nations thriller that puts Les Bleus in control of the Championship. A heavyweight clash billed as potentially decisive in the race for the title lived up to every bit\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "France"","block_context":{"text":"France","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/france\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/AntoineDupontFraIreTrySB2000-1450x816-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/AntoineDupontFraIreTrySB2000-1450x816-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/AntoineDupontFraIreTrySB2000-1450x816-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/AntoineDupontFraIreTrySB2000-1450x816-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/AntoineDupontFraIreTrySB2000-1450x816-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":41428,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2025\/02\/dominant-france-nil-desperate-wales-in-paris\/","url_meta":{"origin":39612,"position":3},"title":"Dominant France nil desperate Wales in Paris","author":"rr_admin","date":"February 1, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"France underlined their Guinness Men's Six Nations title credentials with a dominant opening-night 43-0 win against Wales in Paris. In the opening minutes, Wales were forced to scramble back in defence and did terrifically well to hold up the clear French danger man, Antoine Dupont, over the try line. An\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "France"","block_context":{"text":"France","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/france\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h_00148878.webp?fit=1200%2C766&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h_00148878.webp?fit=1200%2C766&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h_00148878.webp?fit=1200%2C766&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h_00148878.webp?fit=1200%2C766&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/h_00148878.webp?fit=1200%2C766&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":38987,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2020\/02\/six-nations-result-france-24-vs-17-england-2-2-20\/","url_meta":{"origin":39612,"position":4},"title":"Six Nations : Result \u2013 France 24 vs 17 England {2\/2\/20}","author":"rr_admin","date":"February 3, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"France\u2019s young stars ensured the Fabien Galthi\u00e9\u00a0era started with a party in Paris as they stunned England in their opening game of the 2020 Guinness Six Nations. The Euro pop that graced the Stade de France before the first whistle set the tone for the game as an exuberant Les\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "England"","block_context":{"text":"England","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/england\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/84474529_159214202187788_1314987465546661888_o.png?fit=960%2C542&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/84474529_159214202187788_1314987465546661888_o.png?fit=960%2C542&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/84474529_159214202187788_1314987465546661888_o.png?fit=960%2C542&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/84474529_159214202187788_1314987465546661888_o.png?fit=960%2C542&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":36654,"url":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/six-nations\/2019\/03\/preview-ireland-v-france-10-03-19\/","url_meta":{"origin":39612,"position":5},"title":"Preview: Ireland v France {10\/03\/19}","author":"rr_admin","date":"March 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Ireland welcome France to the Aviva Stadium in Round Four of the 2019 Guinness Six Nations and for both sides, this Championship is still very much alive. Joe Schmidt\u2019s side are the defending Grand Slam champions, who have bounced back from their opening-day defeat in Dublin to England, and are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "France"","block_context":{"text":"France","link":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/category\/france\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/GarryRingroseRomainNtamackIreFra2000SB19-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/GarryRingroseRomainNtamackIreFra2000SB19-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/GarryRingroseRomainNtamackIreFra2000SB19-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/GarryRingroseRomainNtamackIreFra2000SB19-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/GarryRingroseRomainNtamackIreFra2000SB19-1.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39612"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39612\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39625,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39612\/revisions\/39625"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/rugbyredefined.com\/wp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}