Toulouse: Ange Capozzo is best known for his attacks from the touchline, but the Italian full-back showed a different side to his game as he stepped up to defend Italy’s Six Nations record.
Italy, who lost their opening game twice, will travel to Lille on Sunday (February 25) to face France, adding to the 18 players they have registered since joining the former Five Nations in 2000. Faced with the possibility of adding more spoons.
Further failures will undoubtedly add fuel to the debate among critics who question their right to automatically qualify for Europe’s top international competition ahead of the likes of Georgia and Portugal. “The Six Nations is always a closed league, so there are no ups and downs,” Capozzo, 24, told AFP.
“This is a very old competition and I would ask the critics to look at the archives and see the downturns that certain countries have gone through, especially France, Scotland…” This statistic is unkind to the Italians. Of the 120 matches played in the competition so far this season, Italy have won just 13 and drawn one, which the statistics office says is by far the worst record of any country in the competition, with only 39 games played in the first round. It is said that Scotland won. 120. “Yes, Italy has been part of the Six Nations for just over 20 years,” Capozzo said.
“It may seem like a long time, but it’s also a very short time in terms of the experience of this conference.” “It’s not enough to create real policy and real change in culture in our country…Kids. Schools opened earlier to attract more people to the stadium. “It’s been a slow process and I think it’s been a long and hard road from where Italy started to where we are today.” As a team, they suffered a humiliating result, losing to New Zealand 96-17.
“Special moment”
Nevertheless, the Toulouse flyer claims that the World Cup was the high point of his career. “Even though it took a lot of energy physically and mentally, it was a special moment in my career and I have only fond memories,” Capozzo said. .
“This is a moment that will help us grow in our approach to the sport, in our preparation and in our motivation.” Italy’s new reality under new coach Gonzalo Quesada is off to an encouraging start as they face England in Rome. However, they lost 27-24 in the opening game of the Six Nations.
A less disappointing 36-0 result for Ireland in Dublin followed, and there was even more pressure in the France Test in Lille. Capozzo, who was born and raised in France and qualified for the Italian national team through the influence of his paternal grandparents, downplays the added pressure of playing for his “home country” and trying not to sing along to the Marseille team. ing. “I think we’re past the emotional stage. We’ve already played France twice in the Six Nations and the World Cup. Of course, even if I ticked that, and it’s always going to be a away game. Regardless, I value it as much as any other game right now.” — AFP