“A difficult moment”, the Toulon coach in support of Paolo Garbisi after his failure against France

Paolo Garbisi missed the winning penalty for Italy against France. EPA – TERESA SUAREZ

Italian opening half Paolo Garbisi, who missed the winning penalty during the Six Nations Tournament match against France (13-13) on Sunday, had a difficult moment for a goalscorer, according to his coach at Toulon Pierre Mignoni.

"It's always difficult for a goalscorer to experience something like that because he feels a part of responsibility and a sense of guilt", said the RCT manager on Thursday about the penalty missed by the former MHR player.

Major player in the Transalpines' draw against France, Paolo Garbisi (23 years old, 34 caps) missed the winning penalty 35 meters from the posts. After the ball fell off the tee, he was forced to quickly tap his kick to avoid exceeding the time limit imposed on scorers.

#SixNationsRugby | 🗣️ "Je m'excuse. Il faut que je sois à la hauteur, ça fait partie de mon job mais je ne l'ai pas assez bien fait à ce moment-là.", souligne Paolo Garbisi, qui a manqué la pénalité de la gagne. #FRAITA pic.twitter.com/ntK9nxyoE2

— francetvsport (@francetvsport) February 25, 2024

"He must bounce"

"We talked about it very simply and, beyond that, he had a very big match, he was very good. This combination of circumstances happened to him and he has to bounce back but he is doing well, he will have the opportunity to recover during Italy's next match" , he added about his 23-year-old opener, who arrived a few weeks ago from Montpellier.

Paolo Garbisi was selected among the 31 players who will face Perpignan on Saturday in the Top 14 and could make his big debut with the RCT. "I want let him take the temperature of the group and of a match at Mayol. To say that he will be on the scoresheet would perhaps be lying but he is there", detailed Mignoni.

Villière returns

French international winger Gabin Villière (28 years old, 16 selections) returns to the group after suffering a sprained right knee during the Champions Cup match against Glasgow on January 19 . "It's his first full week, he's doing pretty well, he needs to train and find his spark" , said the Var manager.

Scrum half Baptiste Serin is also getting closer to a return after his shoulder dislocation and should return to the Top 14 for the next block and the nineteenth day. Sick last week for the trip to Pau, Dan Biggar is absent again this week, despite his availability.