France continue their pursuit of the Grand Slam when they face Italy in the Six Nations on Sunday, February 22, 2026, at Lille’s Stade Pierre-Mauroy. After victories over Ireland and Wales, Les Bleus are aiming to maintain their perfect start against an Azzurri side that has shown impressive form, including a win over Scotland and a narrow 20-13 defeat to Ireland.
The match will be broadcast live and free to air on ITV1 in the UK, with coverage starting at 2.20pm GMT ahead of a 3.10pm kick-off. Fans can also stream the game online via the ITVX website and app, requiring a valid TV licence.
France have made two changes to their starting XV from the 54-12 win over Wales, with Toulouse locks Thibaud Flament and Emmanuel Meafou coming into the second row. Matthieu Jalibert starts at fly-half, with Louis Bielle-Biarrey on the wing. On the bench, hooker Peato Mauvaka, prop George-Henri Colombe and centre Pierre-Louis Barassi are called up.
Italy welcome back France-born full-back Ange Capuozzo, who missed the first two matches with a fractured finger. The Italy XV features Capuozzo at full-back, with Tommaso Allan at fly-half and captain Michele Lamaro at openside flanker.
Last year’s Six Nations saw France beat Italy 73-24 in the fiftieth meeting between the sides. Although Italy have made significant progress in recent years, they go into this match as considerable underdogs against a French side that has shown few weaknesses in their campaign so far.
