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Six Nations sensation Capuozzo on why he signed for Toulouse

By Ian Cameron
Ange Capuozzo slices through the Welsh defence to set up a famous Italian score (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)

Italy’s Guinness Six Nations sensation Ange Capuozzo has explained why he has chosen to sign for Toulouse, a move confirmed this week by the French Top 14 giants.

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The youngster signed a three deal with Stade Toulousain that will keep him at the Stadium de Toulouse until 2025. Capuozzo has spent the last three seasons at Grenoble before bursting onto the Test scene in dramatic fashion earlier thus year.

The lithe outside back was a nightmare to defend against, his late match winner against Wales in the Principality Stadium the standout moment of Super Saturday back in March.

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Pita Pens & More French Wins | Le French Rugby Podcast | Episode 29

Toulouse centre Pita Ahki joins us to discuss the drama of the penalty shootout at the Aviva Stadium, whether he’d have fancied taking one, returning to Dublin to take on Leinster and much more. Plus, Benji reveals he was next in line to take a penalty when Leicester beat Cardiff in a shootout in 2009, we analyse all the European action, chat about the prospect of Eddie Jones moving to the Top 14 and pick our MEATER Moment of the Week…
Use the code FRENCHPOD20 at checkout for 20% off any full price item at Meater.com
Head over to daysbrewing.com and use the code RUGBYPASS15 to get 15% off a case of their 0.0% beers

“It was an easy decision to make,” the 23-yer-old told RMC in France.

“From a personal point of view, I’m coming to a time in my life when I need to put myself in difficulty, to leave and get out of my comfort zone. After these three years in Grenoble, it was the right time, at the right age, to see something else and discover another environment.”

“The fact of having spent these three years and having the possibility of marking the club with my imprint, it would also have been a dream. But this possibility touching the highest level in the world was even more of a dream. I have to give it a shot. I feel like I’m at the end of a process, my head freed .”

It seems he will in competition with new teammates Thomas Ramos and Melvyn Jaminet, although he could well play on the wing as well as at his preferred fullback. Despite have a frame more like that of a professional footballer, Capuozzo does fear putting himself in ‘danger’.

“I put myself in danger, I will have to question myself, that I work on my personal environment, that I do pay attention to all the little details of my life. It will make me grow. This competition does not scare me at all, on the contrary. I know it will be a very big challenge, but it will make me progress too.”

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J
Jon 9 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

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