Shaun Edwards warned France will be in for a "hiding" against Ireland in the Six Nations next weekend if they fail to raise their game after clinging on to beat Italy 29-24.
The defending champions needed a Matthieu Jalibert try with 14 minutes to play at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday to start the defence of their title with a bonus-point win.
First-half tries from Thibaud Flament, Thomas Ramos and debutant Ethan Dumortier put the holders well on course for victory, but an Ange Capuozzo score and three Tommaso Allan penalties meant they only led 19-14 at the break.
A penalty try that also resulted in Charles Ollivon being sent to the sin-bin and another three points for Allan sensationally put the resurgent Azzurri in front with just under 20 minutes to play.
France were able to extend their winning run to 14 matches courtesy of Jalibert's finish, but they had to withstand late pressure and Allan missed a kick at goal as Italy fell just short of claiming a famous victory.
Les Bleus face Ireland, the world's top-ranked side, at the Aviva Stadium next Saturday and defence coach Edwards says their winning streak will come to a juddering halt if they fail to improve on their display in Rome.
He told ITV Sport: "First half, we were quite dominant. They came on leaps and bounds in the second half and obviously at the end it was a very tight affair, but we are in a good habit of winning tight games at the moment.
"It happened against Australia, against South Africa, it's happened in a few games.
"Hopefully we can continue that habit, but I think we all know if we don't put up a better performance next week we'll be on the end of a 15-30 point hiding."
Indisciplined France conceded 18 penalties, although Edwards suggested the count should not have been so high.
"Certainly against the defence it's something I will be looking at this week and I'll be honest, I've been in the game for 20 years and that's the most penalties I've ever had against the defence.
"It's something we pride ourselves on with the French team in particular and all the way through with Wales, Wasps, etc. We'll have to go through it in detail with the referees, because it's the first time my defence has been penalised so much."
Healy in line to equal Ireland cap record versus Argentina
Cian Healy is set to equal Brian O'Driscoll's Ireland cap record when they face New Zealand in Friday's autumn international in Dublin.
The 37-year-old prop has represented his country on 132 occasions and, after being named on the bench, will equal O'Driscoll's mark if introduced versus the Pumas.
Ireland suffered their first home defeat since 2021 last time out, going down by a 23-13 scoreline against New Zealand.
Despite that loss, head coach Andy Farrell has only made one change to Ireland's starting lineup, bringing Robbie Henshaw in at inside centre in place of Bundee Aki.
Argentina also named their team on Wednesday, with vice-captain Pablo Matera, Guido Petti and Matias Moroni replacing Santiago Grondona, Franco Molina and Matias Orlando.
Ireland team: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Garry Ringrose, Robbie Henshaw, James Lowe; Jack Crowley, Jamison Gibson-Park; Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Finlay Bealham; Joe McCarthy, James Ryan; Tadhg Beirne, Josh van der Flier, Caelan Doris.
Replacements: Rob Herring, Cian Healy, Thomas Clarkson, Ryan Baird, Peter O'Mahony, Craig Casey, Sam Prendergast, Jamie Osborne.
Argentina team: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Bertranou; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya, Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Santiago Grondona, Gonzalo Garcia, Santiago Carreras, Justo Piccardo.
Belgium must be 'given time' to emulate Golden Generation, says Onana
Amadou Onana is happy to accept leadership responsibilities for Belgium's upcoming Nations League fixtures, but called for patience with the Red Devils' current crop of players.
Onana has become an integral part of Belgium's midfield since making his debut in June 2022, appearing a further 19 times, including at Euro 2024 earlier this year.
The 23-year-old has also impressed since his arrival at Villa Park from Everton in July, starting 12 of his 14 outings in all competitions for Unai Emery's side.
Onana has registered the most interceptions (16) for the Villans in the Premier League this season, while only Youri Tielemans has won more tackles (18) than the Belgian midfielder (15) in the top-flight.
But his importance has now transferred to the international stage, and with two must-win Nations League encounters on the horizon, Onana is happy to lead his side from the front.
"Many players see me as a leader and I have to show that on the pitch. That won't change," Onana said.
"The coach expects the same from me. I have a good understanding with him."
Onana's influence on the national side has increased in recent months, as the Red Devils aim to emulate the 'Golden Generation' that impressed at major tournaments.
Kevin De Bruyne has taken over as the captain of the team but has since asked for time off from the national team due to managing his workload.
Domenico Tedesco, however, has recalled Romelu Lukaku to his latest squad, with the Napoli striker missing Belgium's opening four games of the Nations League.
Along with De Bruyne, Lukaku played a huge role in Belgium's rise on the international stage, becoming the nation's all-time record goalscorer in the process.
Belgium, however, fell at the round of 16 stage at Euro 2024 against France in another disappointing major tournament campaign, though Onana said supporters should give the new-looking side time to gel.
"We cannot be compared, it is a different era. We have to be given time to make our mark," said Onana. "Personally, I think there should be a bit more patience.
"Everyone is talking about that golden generation, but success in 2018 was not created in 2018, but rather long before that, in 2010.
"Do you understand? We also need time to make our mark.
"I think you cannot compare these youngsters with the stars of that time. There are a lot of young boys coming in. That's good for Belgian football. We can be quite satisfied."
Belgium know defeat to Italy on Thursday will end their hopes of qualifying for the quarter-finals of the Nations League, with the Red Devils currently on four points in Group A2, five points behind second-placed France.
Pressure to win for England is a 'privilege', says Wigglesworth
Senior England coach Richard Wigglesworth believes that the pressure to win matches is part of the privilege of playing for the national team.
England face world champions South Africa at the Allianz Stadium on Saturday with displeasure growing after four straight defeats.
Included in that run were narrow losses in their first two Autumn Nations Series games against New Zealand and Australia.
Though England have won three of their last four games against South Africa at Allianz Stadium, Wigglesworth insisted everyone within the squad wants to improve.
"This job of being part of the England team is such a privilege, because so many people care, which makes your feeling on the matter really big," Wigglesworth told BBC Sport.
"Our job is to step back from that and see what was right, what was wrong, and what can we fix.
"We need to see the game for what it is, make the decisions for what they are, and get better every week.
"It is our job to make sure the players understand as much as they can that they can’t get affected by that as well.
"We know the attention the team gets is result-dependent, and rightly so."
The last time England and South Africa faced one another was in the Rugby World Cup semi-final in 2023, in which the Springboks came back from 15-6 down to win 16-15.
England will have to be wise to how the visitors have evolved since that game according to Wigglesworth.
"They have a squad and a plan they have done for a while, and when you are successful you tend to stick to things," he said.
"I have really enjoyed watching what they do, and how they do it. It is our job to meet that and rise to it."
SportsMax is the Caribbean sports channel of choice, committed to providing sporting content of the highest quality to the Caribbean, delivered by a team of highly innovative, passionate and qualified professionals.
(876) 619-7629
digitalmedia@sportsmax.tv
