2023-09-22 08:02:00
The pass of 3. After the Blacks (27-13), Uruguay (27-12), the French annihilated Namibia this Thursday 96-0 with 14 tries, pocketing (finally) the offensive bonus. Penaud scored a hat-trick and surpassed Philippe Saint-André with 33 tries, who had scored 32 in the French jersey.
If France quickly took tries at the start of the match against the Blacks and Uruguay, against Namibia, it was the opposite. In ten minutes of play, the Blues, seriously, scored two tries. The first from serial scorer Damian Penaud (6th). The second by Jo Danty (9th) for his first match in the World Cup, after, let us note, a nice gesture from Bielle-Biarrey for his teammate. Discipline, efficiency, variation and movement in the game, that’s what showed France this Thursday evening, enough to delight the supporters of the Vélodrome. Concern for captain Antoine Dupont, left in the 45th minute because he was hit in the head. The Toulouse man left the Vélodrome to take exams. To be continued.212. This is the number of points collected by Namibia in three matches! In the standings of Pool A, France takes the lead, ahead of Italy and New Zealand. Namibia remains in last place.
And now ? Fifteen days to prepare for the rest. We will have to wait until October 6 to see the French XV on the field again, against Italy in Lyon, a real round of 16. Before that, the Azzurri will battle against New Zealand on September 29. With its two improved victories over Namibia (52-8) and Uruguay (38-17), Italy wants to maintain the hope of qualifying for the quarters, which would be a first in its history. The men of Kieran Crowley – former All Blacks – showed their combativeness. Dominant against Namibia (7 tries), the Transalpines were surprised Wednesday by Uruguay in the first period, but they were able to turn the match around to finally win.
Let us also remember that Italy beat Australia 28-17 at the end of 2022, and a few months earlier beat Wales 22-21 during the Six Nations tournament. A victory acquired at the very end of the match thanks to a restart from a certain Capuozzo, concluded by Padovani.
Capuozzo, l’ange des Azzurri
Ange Capuozzo, a player to watch against the Blues. The 24-year-old winger from Stade Toulouse has a feel for the game. In this 2023 World Cup, he was notably the author of a good try against Namibia, after a superb collective action in the second half.
Top scorer in Pro D2 2020-2021 with FC Grenoble (10 tries), revelation of the year by World Rugby in 2022, Capuozzo, a fast and skillful player, could well give the French XV a hard time. The last duel between France and Italy dates back to the 2023 Six Nations tournament in Rome, a match which ended in a narrow victory for the French 29-24. The Blues were particularly undisciplined. “When we see the score and the scenario, it could have been worse than that,” Antoine Dupont told France Télévisions.
In the World Cup, the French XV and Italy have only met once, during the 2015 edition of the competition. The Blues, under the leadership of Philippe Saint-André, won 32 to 10.
France-Italy, Friday October 6 at 9 p.m. in Lyon, a match to follow live on Le Point.fr
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