It could not have been a gust of wind, because the retractable roof at the Stade Pierre Mauroy had been shut all afternoon. Perhaps the French supporters behind the goal managed to blow simultaneously. But somehow, just as Paolo Garbisi was lining up the penalty kick at goal that could have secured Italy’s first Six Nations victory away to France, with 80 minutes elapsed and the scores level, the ball toppled from the kicking tee. With 15 seconds remaining on the countdown clock, Garbisi hurried to replace it and retreated to his mark. His kick was rushed, though, and although he struck it cleanly with his left boot, the ball curled agonisingly across the goal, striking the right post and bouncing into grateful French hands.
After playing the entire second half with 14 men after Jonathan Danty had been sent off, France were content to have come away with a draw. There may also have been a touch of relief that Garbisi was not allowed to retake the kick, 35 metres out and slightly to the left of the posts, because a couple of French players looked to advance towards the kicker as he was replacing the ball on the tee. Certainly Italy’s management team told Gonzalo Quesada, their head coach, who had not seen the incident clearly, that the kick should have been retaken.
“My staff [were] complaining that [France] were charging — it was a penalty and [they] cannot charge,” Quesada said. “The first reaction is to be frustrated if that’s the case. I have no complaints, but it’s a bit frustrating to know that last penalty that we won, we couldn’t take advantage in normal conditions, respecting the rule about [staying away] ten metres.”
“If you look back at it now then definitely the kick should have been given again,” Marius Goosen, Italy defence coach, told the the Telegraph. “But we all know in that pressure-cooker situation, as a referee, it’s not that easy to always make the right call. In hindsight, it should have been given again, but there are no complaints.”
For the second time in three matches in this Six Nations, France were forced to play a substantial part of the game with only 14 players. In their opening game, against Ireland, Paul Willemse was sent off in the 30th minute for two high tackles. France were leading 10-0 yesterday when Danty made head-on-head contact with Juan Ignacio Brex. The initial decision from Christophe Ridley, the referee, was a yellow card, which he referred to the bunker review system, and the upgrade was made during the interval.
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In truth, if the home side had not been wretchedly profligate with the 77 per cent possession they enjoyed in the first half, they would have been out of sight by the time Danty was sent off. It has become clearer with every match in this tournament just how much the hangover from their World Cup quarter-final defeat by South Africa is still afflicting them. Much of the problem is an absence of familiar faces, not only Antoine Dupont, who began his sevens Olympic odyssey in Vancouver this weekend.
Grégory Alldritt was injured for this game and his controlling influence was badly missed, but a number of players have slipped below the high standards they had been setting throughout much of the four-year cycle leading up to Paris 2023. They were well beaten by Ireland after Willemse’s indiscretions, they were lucky to come away from Murrayfield with a victory over Scotland, and they were the width of a post away from defeat by Italy here. “I’m not angry,” Fabien Galthié, the head coach, said. “But it’s a difficult moment we’re experiencing right now.”
The Olympics have not only deprived France of Dupont, they have also ruled out home games at the Stade de France, and Galthié’s side have now failed to win in either Marseille or Lille, with England to visit Lyon in the final round of matches. The France team they encounter will not be the same force England have struggled to keep pace with in recent seasons.
One source of encouragement for France was the performance of Posolo Tuilagi, the 19-year-old nephew of England’s Manu, who was making his first international start. He demonstrated his power in the loose but also showed, with some deft handling, that there is more to his game than 23 stones of Franco-Samoan muscle. One lovely pass in the first half sent Matthieu Jalibert sprinting out of his own half and a one of those gorgeous tries in which France have specialised in recent seasons seemed a certainty. But Gaël Fickou failed to exploit an overlap down the right, the ball was moved left and Danty gave a wayward long pass that Peato Mauvaka could not gather. It was a movement that summed up France’s efforts in the first half; the moments forced, the timing and execution awkwardly awry.
Their solitary try, in the seventh minute, owed more to graft than eye-catching craft. The attack was launched by a rumbling maul, Cameron Woki was stopped just short and Charles Ollivon just managed to cling on to his pass, plunging over to score. When Thomas Ramos kicked a penalty goal to open up a ten-point lead, a capacity crowd attracted to Lille’s first Six Nations match had every right to expect an avalanche of points.
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It never came. Jalibert limped off after a fitful performance and when Danty made his fateful tackle, Martin Page-Relo’s penalty took the score to 10-3 at half-time. Ramos replied in kind after the break, but Italy were showing plenty of intent, with Garbisi probing purposefully and Ange Capuozzo growing in influence.
France defended manfully, but their efforts began to take their toll. With nine minutes remaining, a sweeping passage of play was crowned by Leonardo Marin sending Capuozzo over in the left corner, and Garbisi’s mighty conversion levelled the scores. As the clock ticked down, France maintained their attacking intent, but Yoram Moefana was penalised for holding on to give Garbisi one last shot. As the ball wobbled from its tee, his team’s hopes went with it.
Scorers: France: Try Ollivon (7min). Con Ramos Pens Ramos 2 (15, 45). Italy: Try Capuozzo (71). Con Garbisi. Pens Page-Relo (40+4), Garbisi (61).
Sent off Danty (France) 40.
France T Ramos; D Penaud, G Fickou, J Danty, M Lebel; M Jalibert (Y Moefana 37), M Lucu (N Le Garrec 49); C Baille (S Taofifenua 48), P Mauvaka (J Marchand 49), U Atonio (D Aldegheri 49), C Woki (A Roumat 49), P Tuilagi (R Taofifenua 48), P Boudehent, C Ollivon (E Abadie 66), F Cros.
Italy A Capuozzo; T Menoncello, J Ignacio Brex, F Mori (L Marin 66), M Ioane; P Garbisi, M Page-Relo (S Varney 52); D Fischetti (M Spagnolo 54), G Nicotera (G Lucchesi 54), G Zilocchi (S Ferrari 63), N Cannone, F Ruzza (A Zambonin 66), R Favretto, M Lamaro, R Vintcent.
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Referee C Ridley (England).
