The message could not be clearer. This France side is moving forward, sure of its strength. To take on Italy (Sunday, 16:10), Fabien Galthié has opted for controlled continuity, the sign of a confident team already built around firm certainties. After two convincing wins, including a demolition job in Wales (54-12), the French staff have kept the entire back line intact.

That choice is not neutral. It first of all validates the growing potency of an explosive back three, embodied by Ramos, Attissogbe and Bielle-Biarrey, backed by a Dupont-Jalibert half-back pairing more inspired than ever. That combination guarantees territorial control, speed of execution and the ability to punish the slightest opposition slip. In the modern game, stability out the back is often the sign of a fully absorbed attacking system, is it not? France tick that box.

The pack sends a strong signal: power above all

The real change concerns the heart of the fight. The return of the Flament-Meafou pairing at lock marks a deliberate turn towards more bulk. And even then, the Ollivon-Guillard pairing was not bad in that register either. Heavier, though, and more dominant in the collisions, this combination is clearly aimed at establishing physical superiority, particularly at the scrum, an area where the Italians remain dangerous.

That choice is revealing. Against an Italy side that hangs tough up front, Galthié wants to bolt down the middle and impose an unambiguous balance of power. Meafou, through his sheer mass and his ability to make ground on every impact, embodies that desire for gradual asphyxiation, a fairly “kind” term to avoid the vocabulary of mass destruction. Flament, for his part, brings mobility and defensive intelligence. Together they offer an ideal balance between raw power and work rate. On top of which they know each other inside out, both playing in the same Toulouse colours.

In the back row, the Jegou-Jelonch-Cros blend confirms the search for efficiency. Defence, jackaling, work rate: that trio guarantees continuity in commitment and pressure. A pack of hungry wolves, in a manner of speaking.

A mature team, focused on the final goal

This selection says a great deal about a squad that has entered its mature phase. France are no longer searching for themselves, they are asserting a team, a game plan, a continuity. The overall stability reflects confidence in the project and in the men. The targeted changes, meanwhile, show fine-grained management of profiles and of the specific demands of each opponent.

The bench also illustrates that strategy. With the returns of Mauvaka, Colombe and Barassi, France have impact players capable of upping the tempo, of protecting an advantage, or quite simply of hammering the point home. The team-mates of Antoine Dupont, captain once again, no longer make any secret of it: squad depth is becoming a major strategic weapon.

Still unbeaten and the only nation left in the hunt for the Grand Slam, France approach this fixture with ambition and control. The message sent to Italy is clear: Galthié’s men are no longer under construction. They are on the march.