France thrash Italy to reach Rugby World Cup quarter-finals

Damian Penaud edged closer to Serge Blanco's France try record as Les Bleus secured a Rugby World Cup quarter-final with a 60-7 thumping of sorry Italy on Friday.

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Penaud, 26, scored two tries and created a third with a deft chip as he moved to within three of France great Blanco's record of 38 tries for his country.

Victory ensured France topped Pool A with a perfect record of four wins from four and they will play one of Ireland, Scotland and South Africa in the last eight.

They will know their opponents after the Irish take on the Scots at the Stade de France in Paris on Saturday.

"The contract has been fulfilled," said Maxime Lucu, who brilliantly covered the absent Antoine Dupont at scrum-half.

"We knew that if we lost, we'd be eliminated, so today we won. And we did it in style, so we're happy.

"We wanted to put things in order. We wanted to show discipline and realism, and that's what we did from the start."

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This was not quite the unstoppable try-fest New Zealand inflicted on Italy a week ago in a 96-17 hammering, but there was nonetheless a gulf in class between two sides that had been separated only by five points in the Six Nations in February.

"It was a 23-player game today and I am happy for everyone," said No.8 Gregory Alldritt.

"We are going to enjoy the weekend, it was a tough game. We will now prepare for the quarter-final."

Such was Penaud's brilliance, it was almost possible to forget that France captain and talisman Dupont was out injured with a fractured cheekbone, which had dominated