Gabin Villiere scored a hat-trick as France recovered from a slow start to kick off their 2022 Six Nations campaign with a 37-10 bonus-point win over Italy at the Stade de France.
The pre-tournament favourites trailed to Tommaso Menoncello's try and were again behind with half an hour played after Anthony Jelonch had temporarily put them ahead.
But Villiere crossed over either side of half-time and Damian Penaud added a fourth, before Villiere completed his treble to confirm a 33rd successive loss in the competition for Italy.
Les Blues have now won 15 successive home Tests against Italy and join next opponents Ireland on five points after the first round of fixtures.
Italy responded superbly to falling behind to Melvyn Jaminet's fourth-minute penalty as Menoncello gathered Paolo Garbisi's cross-field kick and raced through for a debut try.
Garbisi added the extras but all of Italy's hard work was undone when Stephen Varney's offload was intercepted by Jelonch, who had a simple task in splashing over.
France did not initially push on, with Garbisi and Jaminet sharing a penalty apiece, though a Villiere try following a well-worked lineout ensured Les Blues led at the break.
Jonathan Danty had a try ruled out by TMO but there was no denying Villiere five minutes later, the Toulon wing darting for the line after France turned the ball over in the maul.
Penaud broke down the right, exchanged passes with Antoine Dupont and sealed a bonus point for France, with star man Villiere adding further gloss with a free run on the back of some sustained pressure.
Menoncello makes his mark
Kieran Crowley was taking charge of his first Six Nations match as Italy boss and his decision to hand Menoncello a debut on the wing paid almost instant dividends.
At 19 years and 170 days, Menoncello is the youngest try-scorer in Six Nations history, surpassing the record previously held by France's Gael Fickou (19y, 317d).
Hat-trick hero Villiere
Penaud tried to steal the limelight by crossing over for the third Test running in France colours, but this day undoubtedly belonged to Villiere.
Not only did he score three times, the 26-year-old also led the way for metres made (121) and was second only to Gregory Alldritt (21) with his 13 carries.
What's next?
France host Ireland in a huge showdown at the Stade de France next Saturday, while Italy are at home to England the following day.
WRU governance to be 'improved irrevocably' after membership votes for change
Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) members have voted overwhelmingly in favour of structural change to the governing body.
An extraordinary general meeting was called by the WRU on Sunday, with 282 clubs eligible to vote on proposals to reform how rugby union is run in Wales.
The EGM came after Wales players had threatened to strike ahead of their Six Nations match with England due to contractual disputes, while the organisation has also faced allegations of sexism and misogyny.
Those allegations resulted in the resignation of former chief executive Steve Phillips, with Nigel Walker stepping in on an interim basis.
Of the 252 votes cast at Sunday's EGM, 245 were in favour of the resolution to change the governing structure of the WRU.
'Special' Fullkrug can pull Germany along – Flick
Germany coach Hansi Flick credited Niclas Fullkrug with having the ability to "pull the team along" after the striker's double against Peru.
Fullkrug's two first-half goals ensured Euro 2024 hosts Germany claimed a routine 2-0 victory in their opening match of 2023.
Germany dominated Saturday's friendly in Mainz, and only a twist of the rules prevented Kai Havertz making it 3-0 in the second half, with the Chelsea forward's first-time finish on the rebound after he hit the post with a penalty disallowed as no other player had touched the ball.
Flick reserved special praise for Fullkrug, who has netted five goals in as many international games, and became the first Werder Bremen player to start for Germany since Serge Gnabry in 2016.
"Niclas is a player who is special, he is very confident, he wants to win and can pull the team along. He also gives the team a lot of positive energy," Flick told Sky Sport.
Sandro Wagner is the only other player this century to have scored five goals across his first five appearances for Germany.
However, there are elements for Fullkrug to work on, with Flick noting: "There were a few situations that I wasn’t happy with today.
"If we play forward, we have to have a certain seriousness about it.
"Niclas has also had one or two situations where he can be better, but he's still there for goals and he scored them."
Germany's game was their first since their disappointing showing at the World Cup, where they suffered a group-stage exit.
However, Germany are on a 13-game unbeaten run in friendlies (W8 D5) equalling their record, which was set between 1994 and 1996.
"I think you could see that the team played with a lot of dynamism, especially when it came to attacking," Flick said.
"A lot of things were good, but not yet at 100 per cent, although you couldn't expect because we didn't train very much.
"The team has never played together in this formation, but there were still a few situations that we played out well, where the last pass was missing.
"We scored two nice goals and kept a clean sheet, which was a focus for us this week."
Joselu basks in unforgettable Spain debut: 'I still don't believe it!'
Joselu was in dreamland after scoring twice on his Spain debut to help La Roja beat Norway 3-0 in Malaga on Saturday.
New head coach Luis de la Fuente named a somewhat unfamiliar squad ahead of their two opening Euro 2024 qualifiers as he began his tenure after replacing Luis Enrique.
Joselu's call-up was long overdue in the eyes of many, given he had reached double figures for LaLiga goals in each of the previous three seasons.
He was introduced at La Rosaleda in the second half with Spain stuttering unconvincingly towards a 1-0 win, but he scored twice to put the game to bed.
As such, he became the oldest debutant to score for Spain since September 2006, two days before his 33rd birthday, and he was left in disbelief.
"The truth is that I still don't believe it," he told TVE. "This is everything a player can have and in the end, the daily work has had its reward.
"I think I would especially like to thank my wife and my children, and my mother, who have come here today.
"The truth is that I am not believing it."
Joselu was also Spain's oldest debutant since 2006, with De la Fuente opting to pick a few somewhat unfashionable options who were largely neglected by his predecessor.
The striker subsequently paid tribute to De la Fuente for giving him the opportunity.
"I thank him for everything, being here, trusting me, being on the first list," he said.
"I think I have responded more than enough.
"Age doesn't matter to me because I feel like a kid, I feel like an 18-year-old kid. I want to enjoy this; I want to hug my family because today is an incredible day."
Joselu may feel he has done enough to earn a maiden start next time out, when Spain are set to face Scotland at Hampden Park on Tuesday.
"Knowing the players and giving them confidence is our job, but all the credit belongs to him," De la Fuente said of Joselu.
"We have recognised the great work he does every day at his club and I am happy for him and for everyone else."
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