- By Alastair Telfer
- BBC Sport
Image source, Getty Images
Ange Capuozzo plays his club rugby in France for Toulouse
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Guinness Six Nations: France v Italy |
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Tries: Ollivon Pens: Ramos 2 Con: Ramos |
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Tries: Capuozzo Pens: Page-Relo, Garbisi Con: Garbisi |
Paolo Garbisi’s injury-time penalty hit the post as Italy were denied a first Six Nations victory in France.
The fly-half looked set to seal the historic win until the ball fell off the tee, which resulted in a rushed attempt due to the shot clock.
Ange Capuozzo’s late try and Garbisi’s difficult conversion had drawn Italy level against the 14-man hosts.
Centre Jonathan Danty saw his high tackle upgraded to a red card during a half-time review.
The 31-year-old made direct head-on-head contact with Juan Ignacio Brex in an upright tackle at the end of a frustrating first half for the French.
The hosts dominated early on and scored the opening try through Charles Ollivon but lacked accuracy throughout.
The Azzurri, who have beaten France twice in Rome during the Six Nations, remained in touch thanks to penalties from Martin Page-Relo and Garbisi.
Despite having an extra player for the entire second half, Italy never threatened until the closing stages when history was in sight.
The draw means Italy’s victory in Cardiff two years ago remains their only championship win in their last 45 attempts.
France’s struggles continue
France are yet to regain their pre-World Cup form, which had so many believing they would go on and lift the Webb Ellis Cup on home soil.
Despite a controversial victory at Murrayfield, France struggled for any flow in attack, with the devastation of a home World Cup failure still lingering.
The hosts looked like they had put all that behind them when Ollivon juggled an offload before grounding the ball for an early try.
The roof was closed at Stade Pierre-Mauroy helping to generate an electric atmosphere in Lille, with 19-year-old lock Posolo Tuilagi matching the energy through powerful carries on debut.
The 2022 Grand Slam champions were forced into a backline reshuffle for the second half following the dismissal of Dante and an injury to fly-half Matthieu Jalibert.
The impact was an unstructured final 40 minutes that sparked into life when Italy showed sharp hands to unleash their star back Capuozzo to dive over in the corner.
The confidence of Garbisi to nail the extras indicated he may well have been able to slot the much easier match-winning penalty.
However, after being forced to replace the ball and with the timer nearly up, the fly-half’s kick was not as clean as it should have been.
Italy remain bottom of the table and host Scotland next on 9 March, while France – who sit fourth – travel to Cardiff to play Wales on 10 March.
France: Ramos; Penaud, Fickou, Danty, Lebel, Jalibert, Lucu; Baille, Mauvaka, Atonio, Woki, Tuilagi, Boudehent, Ollivon (capt), Cros.
Replacements: Marchand, Taofifenua, Aldegheri, Taofifenua, Roumat, Abadie, Le Garrec, Moefana.
Italy: Capuozzo; Menoncello, Brex, Mori, Ioane, Garbisi, Page-Relo; Fischetti, Nicotera, Zilocchi, Cannone, Ruzza, Favretto, Lamaro (capt), Vintcent.
Replacements: Lucchesi, Spagnolo, Ferrari, Canali, Zambonin, Zuliani, Varney, Marin.
Referee: Christophe Ridley (England)
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
