News article – Style E 3386
France and England continued their march to a final championship decider day encounter, with wins over Italy and Scotland respectively. France winning 25-0 and England 35-13
French No 8 Imanol Harinordoquy scored two tries to help
victory over Italy in their RBS Six Nations match at the Stade de France.
France led 10-0 at the break, Harinordoquy’s first try coming in the 24th minute and Jean-Baptiste Elissalde’s conversion followed, the scum-half having earlier kicked two penalties.
Although the Italians only ever threatened the French line on a few occasions, their defence was superb and it held firm in the second half until Harinordoquy crossed again in the 64th minute with Elissalde again adding the conversion. But prior to that, the French should have scored when Christophe Dominici
skated through the Italian defence but he then engaged in a piece of show-boating and in the process of grounding the ball, dropped it forward.
In the 74th minute replacement, Pepito Elhorga benefitted from some sloppy French play to race in for the final score of the game.
Later the same evening, in Murrayfield, England saw off the challenge of the Scots a little more easily than the final 35-13 scoreline suggests. The home side were never less than courageous and committed but they really never looked likely to cause the upset of the century.
Not that enjoyed much luck because the opening three English tries cam as a result of careless Scottish play rather than any ingenuity on the part of the English.
The scots took the lead with a Chris Paterson penalty but tries for Ben Cohen and Ian Balshaw and the almost unerring boot of Paul Grayson had the English 20-6 up by the interval.
Two more tries followed in the second half but the loudst cheer of the afternoon was reserved for when Simon Danielli croosed in the 57th minute for his side’s only try.