France began their Women`s Rugby World Cup campaign with a solid 24-0 win over Italy in Exeter on Saturday, overcoming a scrappy first half to assert their dominance after the break.

In a Pool D clash that stood out for its competitiveness amid a weekend of lopsided results elsewhere, the two teams went nearly half an hour without scoring. The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute when France wing Joanna Grisez finished a well-executed move on the left, evading two defenders to touch down.

Morgane Bourgeois added the conversion and later slotted a penalty, giving France a 10-0 advantage at the interval.

Italy showed resilience in defence, notably holding up France captain Marine Ménager over the line in the first half, but they struggled to create meaningful attacking opportunities.

After the break, France`s forwards took control. Prop Assia Khalfaoui crashed through the Italian defence for the second try, and Charlotte Escudero sealed the win with a third, following a strong break from Grisez off a chip-and-chase by fly-half Carla Arbez.

Bourgeois converted all three tries and finished with a personal tally of nine points.

"We know we still have more to give," said co-coach David Ortiz. "We can still develop and improve, but we need playing time. We’re clearly on track with the fundamentals of our game."

Despite some handling errors that cost them additional chances, France maintained control throughout and extended their impressive record of reaching the semi-finals in eight of the previous nine World Cups.