Revenge can be straightforward as well as sweet and, even with a red card to consider, this French victory will go some way towards burying unpleasant memories of their defeat in Rome a year ago.
That loss was the catalyst for an appalling 2013 which saw Philippe Saint-André's side win only two of their 13 matches. This win, coming hard on the heels of a more edgy victory over the English, means the French head to Cardiff in a couple of weeks with the scent of a championship in their nostrils. "We are very happy with our second successive victory," said Saint-André.
It came at the expense, though, of a red card for their young prop Rabah Slimani, who was sent off with the Italian prop Michele Rizzo 10 minutes from the end.
"It was stupid," said Saint-André. "The Italian loosehead head-butted him. Slimani responded and there were three punches from the Italian. I bollocked him [Slimani] after the game."
The Italians preferred not to discuss the matter, playing a straight bat, if they know what that is, afterwards. "We will see what the citing commissioner has to say. We hope the red card will be punishment enough," said team manager Luigi Troini.
The dismissal of Slimani saw France reduced temporarily to 13 men as the replacement lock Sébastien Vahaamahina was sin-binned a minute earlier after throwing the ball away when the referee trilled for yet another infringement.
"He ripped the ball out of the tackle, broke three Italian tackles and probably thought he was on the way to the try-line," said Saint-André with a familiar shrug of the shoulders.
The last 20 minutes of the game were curious for other reasons, principally because the French evidently thought they had won the game and took their foot off the pedal, allowing the Italians to hammer away at their line and take a late consolation try from Tomasso Iannone.
The French, though, were value for their win. In spite of being second best in the set scrum, they dominated the first half but led only 9-3 at the break with three penalties from Jean-Marc Doussain.
After the break they made sure they did not repeat the mistake they made against England of taking it easy.
"We came out strong at the start of the second half which is something we didn't do against England," said Saint-André. "Mathieu Bastareaud and Wesley Fofana took charge in the midfield and we scored three quality tries."
Louis Picamoles got the French moving two minutes in, driving off the back of a maul to touch down. Two minutes later Fofana pounced on a ball that squirted out of the side of a ruck. He sprinted down the touchline for the second try.
Hugo Bonneval was the scorer of the third, emulating his father Eric's feat of scoring a try on his international debut.
Eleven minutes into the second half it was 30-3 and clearly game over. The French uncorked the wine, the Italians began to play and there was a final flurry of fists. The victory, though, goes to the French who, like England, are beginning to see some exciting young players form the foundations of a serious team.
"It is a young generation which is starting to assert itself," said Saint-André, who is well aware of the importance of not being carried away by the two home wins.
France Dulin; Huget, Bastareaud (Fickou, 70), Fofana, Bonneval (Stade Francais); Plisson (Stade Français ; Trinh-Duc, 67), Doussain (ToulouseMachenaud (Racing Metro, 61); Domingo (Clermont ; Forestier, (Castres 49), Szarzewski (Racing Metro. Kayser, 58), Mas (Montpellier ; Slimani, 49), Maestri (Toulouse), Pape (capt; Vahaamhina, 67), Nyanga, Le Roux, Picamoles (Toulouse. Chouly, (Clermont 58).
Sent off Slimani. Sin-bin Vahaamhina.
Tries Picamoles, Fofana, Bonneval. Cons Doussain (3). Pens Doussain (3)
Italy McLean; Iannone, Campagnaro, Garcia, Sarto; Allan, (Orquera, 64), Gori (Treviso Botes (Treviso, 64); De Marchi (Rizzo, 59), Ghiraldini (Giazzon, 59), Castrogiovanni (Cittadini, 59), Geldenhuys (Bortolami, 71), Furno, Minto (Zanni, 51), Bergamasco, Parisse (capt).
Sent off Rizzo.
Try Iannone. Con Orquera. Pen Garcia.
Referee J Peyper (SA). Attendance: 78,700
