Paolo Garbisi’s injury-time penalty hit the post as Italy were denied a first Six Nations victory in France.
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The fly-half looked set to seal the historic win until the ball fell off the tee, which resulted in a rushed attempt due to the shot clock.
However, due to French players attempting to charge down his penalty, the kick should have been retaken.
One fan wrote on Reddit: “According to World Rugby’s rules you can’t charge down a penalty kick and have to stand still with arms at your side. Clearly not what happened in game. Penalty should have been retaken 10m in front of where it was originally.”
A second said: “I’m not one of those people who says games are gifted by officials, but in this case when it was a draw and the earlier try from France should not have been given it’s different. That not one of the officials did nothing about the French players moving towards him during the kick is a huge failure considering it’s clearly stated in the laws. Italy will not get a chance like this potentially ever again.”
Another commented: “Are there any repercussions when referees make egregiously bad decisions? Like, I’m against players/coaches laying into refs and the media making a big show of them, but surely World Rugby should have a process for reviewing these situations? Also, how come the TMO and assistant referees kept quiet when the French players charged the kick? The ball didn’t go out right away. There was plenty of time for them to flag it with him.”
A fourth added: “Ref got caught in the headlights. First international game, right? Maybe unlucky for this to happen in your first game or maybe the French felt they could get away with it with him.”
The England team Steve Borthwick should play against Scotland
England made 24 handling errors and conceded 22 turnovers in a ragged display.
#1. Ollie Lawrence
Telegraph 4/10: “Perhaps unsurprisingly was not on the same page as Ford and Slade in both attack and defence in their first game together. Badly fell off a tackle on Redpath that led to Scotland’s third try.”
Planet Rugby 4/10: “Barely saw him in an attacking sense. A few carries, one bad pass, one dropped ball – although that was George Ford’s fault – but not the form we’ve seen in the Premiership.”
RUCK 5/10: “Not what the Bath centre would have wanted upon his return from injury. The powerhouse came alive with some clattering hits, yet threw a wayward pass into touch at 76 minutes that summed up his afternoon. So much more was wanted from England fans, who were excited to see him comeback.”
Replacement: Manu Tuilagi