France have kept their slim Six Nations hopes alive with a comfortable 29-0 victory over Italy in Rome this afternoon.
The visitors went into the match needing a win to stand any chance of still being in touch with the top three ahead of the final weekend, but the game started slowly at the Stadio Olimpico.
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The wet conditions hampered both sides, and it wasn't until the 28th minute that France got on the scoreboard, with Camille Lopez knocking over a penalty after Tommaso Allan and Luciano Orquera had both missed kicks for the hosts.
Lopez added another kick to double his side's lead but picked up an injury in the closing stages of the half, leaving Scott Spedding to convert a third penalty and send his side into the break leading by nine.
Jules Plisson became the visitors' third kicker of the afternoon at the start of the second half to edge the French further into the lead, and the opening try followed shortly afterwards.
Spedding was the catalyst for the first real moment of quality in the match, breaking out of his 22 to launch a dangerous attack that was eventually finished by Yoann Maestri on the right.
The game marked Italy captain Sergio Parisse becoming the most capped player in his country's history, winning his 112th cap, but he was powerless to change the course of the match as the hosts looked for a third consecutive win over France in Rome.
Plisson opened up a 22-point gap with his second penalty of the evening, and France capped off the victory in stoppage time as Mathieu Bastareaud crashed over the line for a late try.
It was the first time that Italy had failed to score at home since 2000, while France now go into the last weekend needing to beat England at Twickenham to stand any chance of an unlikely triumph.
They would also need Italy to beat Wales and Ireland to lose against Scotland, however, so their chances are still hanging by a thread.
Sam McEvoy
