Paolo Garbisi has apologised to Italy fans and his team-mates after a last-gasp penalty miss denied the Azzurri arguably the biggest upset in Six Nations history against France.
Garbisi’s difficult conversion of Ange Capuozzo’s brilliant late try brought Italy level at 13-13 against below-par France, who played the entirety of the second half in Lille with 14 men after Jonathan Danty’s yellow card on the stroke of half-time for a high tackle with head-to-head contact on fellow centre Ignacio Brex was later upgraded to red following a bunker review.
The Montpellier fly-half then had the chance to seal Italy’s first-ever Six Nations win in France from 35 metres out after a penalty earned with the clock in the red, but he ended up striking a rushed effort against the post in agonising fashion after the ball had bobbled off the tee late in the shot clock, leaving him little time to regather it and reset before time ran out.
"I should have been up to the task of doing this job, I didn't do it well enough in this moment," Garbisi said after his heartbreaking miss on French TV.
"I didn't do (my job) properly. That's why I would like to say sorry to my team-mates and my country."
Speaking to ITV, Garbisi said: “I was thinking about trusting my process. It’s part of my job to put the kick over, so I take full responsibility for that.
“I’m sorry for the team because I thought they were amazing today, but also for all the Italian supporters. That’s my bad and I’ll work on it.”
Italy have still won only one Six Nations match since 2015, a last-gasp 22-21 victory over Wales in Cardiff in 2022, while they have not beaten France at all since 2013 and not won any game on French soil since 1997.
Though they came so agonisingly close to a historic win at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday, a hard-fought draw that ends their latest run of Six Nations losses and sequence of 14 consecutive defeats by a team that thrashed them 60-7 during the pool stages of the World Cup in the autumn is still overall a very positive result for Italy, who are showing clear signs of early progress under the guidance of new head coach Gonzalo Quesada.
The Azzurri also led at half-time against England in Rome on opening weekend before going on to lose by only three points, and there were even some positives to take from a 36-0 shutout by double Grand Slam-chasing Ireland in Dublin in round two.
"Of course it's a good result, but winning is better and we could have done," Garbisi added. "I take the responsibility and it will stay in my mind for a while."
Italy will hope to bounce back quickly from their crushing Lille disappointment but face a difficult test at home to Calcutta Cup winners Scotland in a fortnight’s time.
They finish the 2024 Six Nations away in Cardiff on March 16 - a fixture that once again would appear to represent their best chance of avoiding another bottom-place finish and familiar wooden spoon.
