France grind out hard-fought win over stubborn Italy

Women's Rugby World Cup - Pool D

France (10) 24

Tries: Grisez, Khalfaoui, Escudero Cons: Bourgeois (3) Pens: Bourgeois

Italy (0) 0

France made a winning start to their World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 24-0 victory over Italy at Sandy Park.

Winger Joanna Grisez scored the only try of an attritional first half before France ground Italy into submission in the second, with further tries from forwards Assia Khalfaoui and Charlotte Escudero.

Points had flowed across the tournament's opening two days, with the first four matches yielding 42 tries, 20 of which were scored in the first half. But this game in Exeter bucked that trend.

Despite camping inside Italy's half, dominating the scrum, and benefiting from numerous handling and line-out errors throughout the opening 40 minutes, France were largely frustrated by Italy's excellent scramble defence.

At one point, captain Marine Menager was held up by three defenders as she drove over the tryline.

France had to wait until the 27th minute to make the breakthrough, Grisez coming on the overlap and brushing off two defenders to dot down in the left corner.

A second try was ruled out on the stroke of half-time as the video referee was unable to determine whether France's Morgane Bourgeois had touched down Kelly Arbey's backward flick ahead of defender Alyssa D'Inca.

Full-back Bourgeois then kicked a penalty to send her side into the break with a 10-0 lead.

France extended their lead five minutes into the second period, prop Khalfaoui powering through a gap in Italy's defence after a period of sustained pressure.

France's handling was increasingly sloppy as the game wore on and they were forced to defend a line-out on their tryline following a dangerous break from D'Inca and Sofia Stefan.

But after surviving that brief threat, France put the game to bed in the 62nd minute with Escudero bulldozing over after Carla Arbez produced a cute chip-and-chase from her boot to burst through Italy's defence and Grisez had been held up inches from the line.

France have only failed to reach the World Cup semi-finals once in nine tournaments

Line-ups

France XV: Bourgeois; Grisez, Menager (c), Vernier, Arbey; Arbez, Chambon; Brosseau, Bigot, Khalfaoui, M Feleu, Raclot, Escudero, Champon, T Feleu.

Replacements: Gerin, Deshaye, Bernadou, Berthoumieu, Okemba, Queyroi, Tuy, Neisen.

Italy XV: Minuzzi; Muzzo, Sillari, Mannini, D'Inca; Stevanin, Stefan; Turani, Vecchini, Seye, Tounesi, Duca, Sgorbini, Ranuccini, Giordano (c).

Replacements: Spinelli, Stecca, Maris, Fedrighi, Arrighetti, Bitonci, Madia, Granzotto.

Referee: Sara Cox (Eng)