Rugby World Cup 2023 | Match Centre | Italy 52:8 Namibia

In his debut World Cup appearance, Ange Capuozzo displayed his prowess as a top-class finisher, contributing a fine solo try to Italy’s commanding 52-8 victory over Namibia in Pool A. Capuozzo, known for his speed, thrilled the Saint-Etienne crowd with his 55th-minute try. The Toulouse-based player exchanged passes with Monty Ioane before crossing the try line, seizing a rare opportunity to showcase his skills in Italy’s bonus-point win.

Although Namibia initially took the lead with a penalty from fly-half Tiaan Swanepoel at Stade Geoffroy Guichard, it did not signal a potential upset for the African nation. This scenario mirrored their World Cup clash in 2019 when Namibia scored first but eventually succumbed to a 47-22 defeat.

Italy responded swiftly, with Tommaso Allan converting a penalty and Lorenzo Cannone crashing over for a try after 12 minutes. Namibia’s Torsten van Jaarsveld was sin-binned, resulting in Italy capitalizing on a penalty to score their first of seven tries. Allan continued to shine with conversions, including Paolo Garbisi’s try after a poor line-out.

Namibia had a fleeting moment of joy when Gerswin Mouton raced over for a fantastic try, making it 17-8 to Italy at halftime. In the second half, Italy improved further, with Dino Lamb scoring a try and Capuozzo exchanging passes with Ioane to score his maiden World Cup try. With the bonus point secured, Italy played with greater freedom, with Epalahame Faiva, Manuel Zuliani, and Paolo Odogwu scoring late tries to launch their campaign with a strong performance as a tier-one nation.

Match Summary

Pool A | Italy 52:8 Namibia

Italy Scores:

TRIES Lorenzo Cannone (11′), Paolo Garbisi (15′), Dino Lamb (46′), Ange Capuozzo (55′), Hame Faiva (74′), Manuel Zuliani (78′), Paolo Odogwu (83′)
CONV Tommaso Allan (12′, 16′, 47′, 56′, 75′, 80′, 84′)
PENS Tommaso Allan (8′)

Namibia Scores:

Venue:

Stadium Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne

Referee:

Andrew Brace

Man of the match:

Lorenzo Cannone (Italy)

Highlights

For everything about the Rugby World Cup 2023 check out our guide here.