France crushed Italy 33-8 in Lille on Sunday to reclaim pole position in the 2026 Six Nations and keep their Grand Slam hopes blazing hot. Fabien Galthié’s side ran in five tries, grabbed the bonus point, and now head to Murrayfield on 7 March to face a dangerous Scotland team that briefly topped the table 24 hours earlier.
Antoine Dupont is 80 minutes away from leading France to a record fifth Grand Slam. One more win in Edinburgh, then victory over Ireland in Paris, and history is made.
France Survive Italian Fightback to Stay Perfect
The scoreline looks comfortable. The match was anything but.
Louis Bielle-Biarrey needed just 160 seconds to score his 24th try in 25 Tests and break his own record for consecutive Six Nations scoring appearances (now eight games). Emmanuel Meafou and Thomas Ramos piled on soon after, and France led 17-0 inside 20 minutes.
Italy refused to fold. Ange Capuozzo’s brilliant solo try in the 31st minute cut the gap to nine points and kept the Azzurri within striking distance until the 70th minute.
Only when debutant winger Gaël Drean powered over and Emilien Gailleton added a fifth try late on did France finally breathe easy.
“It was an arm-wrestle for a long time,” Galthié admitted to France Télévisions. “Italy made us suffer. We had to dig very deep to find that bonus point.”
Thomas Ramos added: “It wasn’t pretty, but these are the wins that win tournaments.”
Current 2026 Six Nations Standings (After Round 3)
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | PF | PA | Bonus | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | France | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 104 | 36 | 3 | 15 |
| 2 | Scotland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 75 | 62 | ? | 10 |
| 3 | Ireland | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 99 | 70 | ? | ? |
| 4 | England | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 5 | Italy | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ? | ? | 1 | 5 |
| 6 | Wales | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | ? | ? | ? | ? |
France sit five points clear. Scotland are the only team that can still catch them without relying on slip-ups.
Ireland Hammer England 42-21 in Record-Breaking Twickenham Thrashing
One day earlier, Ireland delivered the performance of the championship so far.
Caelan Doris’s men ran riot at Twickenham, scoring six tries in a 42-21 demolition, their biggest ever win on English soil in 150 years of fixtures.
Ireland were 22-0 up before England even scored. Any hope of a Red Rose comeback vanished inside five minutes of the second half.
Doris called it “a proper reference-point performance” after the disappointment of losing 36-14 to France in round one. The statement has been made: Ireland are back, and they visit the Aviva against Wales next before a potential title decider against France in Paris on the final weekend.
Scotland Await: The Real Test Begins Now
Gregor Townsend’s Scotland beat Wales 26-23 in Cardiff on Saturday to briefly go top of the table. Finn Russell pulled the strings, Duhan van der Merwe scored twice, and Murrayfield is sold out for the France game.
France have not won in Edinburgh since 2018. They have lost their last three visits.
Dupont knows what is coming. “Scotland at home are a different animal,” the captain said last week. “We respect them hugely. We will need our best performance of the tournament.”
One thing is certain: if France win on 7 March, the Grand Slam is theirs to lose.
The dream is alive. The road just got a lot steeper.
What do you think happens at Murrayfield? Can France finally break their Edinburgh hoodoo and march towards history? Drop your predictions below and use #SixNations2026 to join the conversation across social media.
