France have safely secured top spot in Pool A and a place in the quarter-finals of the Rugby World Cup courtesy of a dominant 60-7 victory over Italy in Lyon this evening.
The host nation knew that they simply needed to avoid defeat to confirm their place in the knockout rounds of their home World Cup, yet they showed no sign of settling for that minimum requirement.
Instead, they recorded their biggest-ever win over Italy with a 53-point triumph, marking back-to-back heavy defeats for the Azzurri following their pasting at the hands of New Zealand last week.
France, who join the All Blacks in qualifying from Pool A, ran in eight tries in front of a vociferous crowd in Lyon to complete a perfect pool stage record and further underline their status as favourites to go all the way and lift the trophy.
Les Bleus were without their talismanic scrum-half Antoine Dupont as he continues to recover from a fractured cheekbone, but they they have no shortage of star names ready to step up to the plate and proved just how dangerous they can be without their main man.
Thomas Ramos helped himself to 20 points, but it was Damian Penaud who shone brightest of all those stars on the night, and he got France up and running with the first score within two minutes as the hosts signalled their intent early on.
Penaud also had a hand in tries for Louis Bielle-Biarrey and Ramos - the former joining Imanol Harinordoquy as the only French players to score in each of their first three World Cup appearances - before touching down again himself to secure the bonus point before half time.
Penaud's second score took him above Vincent Clerc and into outright second on France's all-time try-scorers list with 35, with only the legendary Serge Blanco (38) now ahead of him.
Matthieu Jalibert and Peato Mauvaka both went over in the second half before Yoram Moefana scored twice in the final quarter - either side of Italy's sole try through Manuel Zuliani - to complete the rout.
The victory means that France will face the runners-up in Pool B in their quarter-final, which will be decided on Saturday in a huge clash between Ireland and Scotland, with South Africa also in the mix to finish second in that group.
Barney Corkhill
