France justified its status as Six Nations favorite with a 30-12 win over Italy, while England’s rebuilt side showed it has spirit as well as talent to open its title defense with a 13-6 win at Scotland on Saturday, according to Sports Illustrated. In their first match since losing the Rugby World Cup final in October, the French touched down four times at Stade de France and conceded only four kicks to gain some payback for last season’s 22-21 upset in Rome. Scotland dominated an England side containing three players making their debut but made basic errors to throw away the chance of victory. Instead, England held out and scored the only try from a charge down at the start of the second half. Italy played well and shaded France for long periods but lacked the playmaking ability of the home side.
