Italy hit post with last kick as 14-man France cling on for draw in thriller

Italy were magnificent. France were mediocre. The result was a breathless, frantic contest in which the Azzurri capitalised on a red card for Jonathan Danty, the France inside-centre, and so nearly pulled off a historic success against Les Bleus. The width of a post was the difference when, with the clock in the red, the fly-half Paolo Garbisi struck a penalty kick that drifted against an upright, denying Italy a remarkable victory in agonising fashion.

Instead of a well-deserved success, Italy walk away with a highly creditable draw, having avoided defeat against France for the first time in 15 matches, thus ending a seven-match losing streak in the Six Nations. But it will ultimately be an empty feeling having come so close to their first win against France since 2013.

Fabien Galthié’s side showed an imprecision that would have infuriated their head coach – and perhaps their usual captain, Antoine Dupont, busy playing sevens in Vancouver this weekend. An early try for the France captain, Charles Ollivon, looked to have set up a comfortable day for the hosts, but it would prove rather more complicated than they hoped after Danty’s dismissal.

Gonzalo Quesada, Italy’s head coach, responded to crushing defeat by Ireland by making six changes, the most notable of which was Exeter’s Ross Vintcent lining up at No 8 for his first international start. Galthié made two changes: the 19-year-old Perpignan lock, Posolo Tuilagi, also making his first start for France, with La Rochelle’s Paul Boudehent stepping into the back row for the injured Grégory Alldritt.

With the roof closed, smoke from the pre-match pyrotechnics hung thickly in the air as the hosts set about Italy. François Cros was soon causing a nuisance at the breakdown, winning a penalty, before Ollivon dived over close to the posts. Ramos converted the opening try after a TMO check when a potential knock-on in the buildup was ruled out.

Tuilagi – son of Henry, nephew of Manu – comes from an illustrious rugby family and his skills were showcased from the off. The 19-year-old lock had already made his considerable bulk felt in defence when he showed what he can do with the ball. A smart offload to Matthieu Jalibert released the fly-half and created a big overlap on the right.

Gaël Fickou fancied his chances of going alone but didn’t make it, although Ramos’s penalty stretched the lead to 10-0. Italy were by no means uncompetitive, though, with Vintcent a bright spark, but it was France who were building the greater continuity. Matthis Lebel could not gather a bouncing ball with the try-line beckoning after a chargedown, Jalibert wasted a chance with an all-too-cute cross-kick, and then nearly made amends with an elusive run to within a couple of metres of the try-line.

Tuilagi made another bullocking run into the Italian 22 as half-time approached. He was held up in diving over the line, but Italy’s increasingly overworked defenders were struggling to deal with his overwhelming threat.

Italy performed admirably to regain some ground before half-time. Martin Page-Relo, the scrum-half, was a lively presence and was helping the Italians attack with purpose. Federico Mori made a strong break down the left, and although there was visible frustration in Italian ranks when there was a knock-on in midfield, the TMO had spotted a high hit by Danty. He was sent to the sin-bin and Page-Relo struck a superb penalty from deep to give Quesada’s side hope for after the break – which only grew when Danty’s card was upgraded to red.

Tommaso Menoncello kicked ahead soon after the break, but could not catch up with his own kick, and despite being a man down, it seemed to be France more capable of building attacking phases. But with 20 minutes left Garbisi’s penalty narrowed the gap to seven points – Ange Capuozzo’s try narrowed the gap to two – and Garbisi’s excellent conversion made it all square.

Time up. Garbisi stepped up after France’s Yoram Moefana was pinged for holding on. There was a shambolic moment when the ball slipped off the kicking tee and the French defenders seeming to think they could charge down when Garbisi readdressed the ball. His effort struck the post and saved France from a calamitous defeat. But what drama.