Louis Bielle-Biarrey scored a try in a tournament record eighth consecutive Six Nations match as champions France held off a spirited Italy 33-8 in Lille on Sunday.
Try-machine Bielle-Biarrey struck inside three minutes for his 24th try in 25 test matches for France.
Les Bleus looked set to run away with the victory after further scores from man-of-the-match Emmanuel Meafou and Thomas Ramos but the Azzurri hit back with an Ange Capuozzo try.
Les Bleus make it three wins from three ✅✅✅#SSRugby | #GuinnessM6N pic.twitter.com/CR59JS3CAg
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) February 22, 2026
But wing Gael Drean's debut try after Italy winger Louis Lynagh had been yellow-carded, and another from Emilien Gailleton put the gloss on France's victory and kept them on course for the Grand Slam.
"It was tough going, we managed to win the arm-wrestle, and the team managed to find the energy to break through the Italians and take the bonus point at the end of the match," head coach Fabien Galthie told France Television.
France went back to the top of the Six Nations table after Scotland had replaced them with a comeback 26-23 win over Wales on Saturday.
Galthie's team maintained the only unbeaten record in the tournament so far this season, but ever-improving Italy once again impressed, although it could have been much better for Gonzalo Quesada's team if their line-out had not faltered repeatedly.
The final score was harsh on Italy, who remain fifth in the table.
"It wasn't our most complete match, that's for sure, but I can tell you that Italy made us work for it," said Ramos.
"When you see the first two matches they played in the tournament, we're not surprised by the intensity they had tonight."
WINGS NO MATCH FOR MEAFOU
France needed only three minutes to strike as Italy winger Lynagh spilt a high ball straight into Antoine Dupont's arms and the France captain kicked ahead for the turbo-heeled Bielle-Biarrey to outpace Capuozzo and dot down.
With Matthieu Jalibert ruled out of the match with a calf issue late on Saturday, Ramos lined up at fly-half for just the seventh time on his 50th cap.
He made a poor start, throwing an interception and kicking out on the full.
But his stunning 50/22 gave France field position to stretch Italy before Dupont teed up hulking lock Meafou with only wingers Lynagh and Monty Ioane blocking his way to the line.
They were no match for the New Zealand-born and Australia-raised second rower.
Italy were well in the match but three times coughed up the ball within sight of the tryline to let France off.
And they paid dearly with an overthrown line-out hacked on by Bielle-Biarrey for Gailleton to charge 50 metres downfield before Ramos finished off the counter-attack in the corner.
Italy needed a way back into the game and Ramos gave it to them after Tommaso Menoncello's brilliant grubber, throwing a hospital pass behind his tryline to Theo Attissogbe, allowing Capuozzo to dive on a loose ball to trim Italy's arrears.
Paolo Garbisi missed the conversion from the touchline but kicked a penalty to bring Italy back to 19-8 behind at halftime.
The second half was a scrappy affair until Lynagh's late yellow-card for a deliberate knock-on opened the door for France to finish with aplomb with two tries in the last 10 minutes.
Drean picked up Ramos's crossfield kick in acres of space to score before Gailleton ghosted in for the final try.