If Italy have conceded their 36th consecutive defeat in the Tournament, March 12 will remain engraved in the memory of Ange Capuozzo. The Grenoble native celebrated his first selection with Italy with a superb double in the defeat (33-22) against Scotland on Saturday at the Olympic Stadium in Rome.
Came on on the wing in the 45th minute, the 22-year-old full-back first saw Stuart Hogg outflank him to score the Scots’ fifth try. But the FCG player, who could leave the club for Toulouse next summer, then shone. In the 65th minute, at the end of the line, he hooked Hogg and managed to flatten his first international try. Rebelote at the very end of the game with a new try in the 82nd minute.
So yes, Italy did not win, but in Naples, where the paternal grandparents are from d’Ange Capuozzo, in Pont-de-Claix where he grew up, and at the FCG, many had a great sense of pride this Saturday.
A great performance that could offer the Grenoble back a first tenure next week in Cardiff, on the last day of the Tournament. He also scores points for the 2023 World Cup, played in France and which he has made one of his career goals.