Rome –

Antoine Dupont is already looking ahead to France's likely Six Nations decider against Ireland after his team ran in a record 11 tries during Sunday's crushing 73-24 win over Italy.

Star scrumhalf Dupont was among the key figures as France secured its biggest-ever win in the tournament, dotting down twice and conducting a masterclass in ball-handling.

Les Bleus trail Ireland by three points in the Six Nations standings, and their chances of being crowned champions hinge on their trip to Dublin next month.

Ireland has won all three of its matches and is gunning for a second Grand Slam in three years, with the showdown against France and a trip to Italy left in its campaign.

"We suspected from the outset that this would be the biggest match of the competition," Dupont told reporters. "Knowing the Irish, we had few doubts.

"They are capable of racking up victories, and we knew that that match would be extremely important.

"We now have two weeks to prepare and try to get the best possible result, which is obviously to bring home the victory."

France head coach Fabien Galthie was naturally enthused by his team's stunning display in the Italian capital, which featured a brace of tries from both Dupont and Leo Barre, with seven other players crossing, including Pierre-Louis Barassi, who scored in the final minute.

His team bounced back from its narrow and painful defeat against England at Twickenham two weeks ago when it was dominant but failed to capitalize on its try-scoring opportunities.

"We've felt for a while that we're capable of reaching a really high level of quality," Galthie said.

"What I liked is that we were in sync, all together, we made decisions together, and we executed together.

"We agreed on what we wanted to do together, and what I like is that we have everything we need to perform well ... we've felt for a while that we're capable of achieving great things."

Galthie also has confidence in France's chances for the rest of the tournament and is looking forward to doing battle with the Irish.

"We are fueled by everything we go through, when we succeed and when we fail," he said. "In any case, we have a big challenge waiting for us in Dublin."

It was back to the drawing board for Italy head coach Gonzalo Quesada, whose team was put firmly back in its place after recent progress in the Six Nations.

Sunday's thrashing was Italy's second worst ever, with an 80-23 humbling against England in 2001 still its blackest day in the tournament, even though it conceded 10 tries that day.

Quesada, however, insisted that Italy is better than what it demonstrated at Stadio Olimpico, where it held its own for the first 30 minutes before eventually crumbling in the face of a French onslaught.

"It's very difficult when France play like that, when they produce that kind of rugby, but I don't think that the score reflects the difference between our two teams," Quesada said.

"We defended well for twenty minutes, but when all you do is defend, it's difficult, especially when France plays like that and when Antoine Dupont is having that kind of day... The way they play is magnificent."