What Josh Adams and Ange Capuozzo actually said to each other as Italian reveals shock

The American football coach Vince Lombardi famously declared: “Winning isn’t everything; it’s the only thing.”

Well, OK.

The problem is there can be only one winner. That being the case, perhaps the next best thing is to lose with a bit of class.

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Step forward, Josh Adams. The wing's decision to hand over his man-of-the-match medal to an Italian opponent after the Azzurri’s victory over Wales in Cardiff was a feel-good moment amid the misery the 39-cap player must have felt at the time.

Adams had played well for pretty much the whole game, so his player-of-the-day gong seemed reasonable when it was made by Jonathan Davies in the 78th minute. But then the script went haywire.

A spot of dissent from the Wales No. 11 saw his team marched back 10 metres and there was also a missed tackle on Ange Capuozzo as the little full-back raced through the home defence en route to setting up the try of tournament. It was a score that allowed the visitors to stop a run of 36 Six Nations defeats.

What happened next, though, at least allowed the hosts to pluck a heart-warming moment from the ashes of defeat, with Adams seeking out Capuozzo on the pitch and presenting him with the man-of-the-match medal. The youngster in blue, who plays for his club rugby for Grenoble in Pro D2, French rugby’s second division, looked taken aback but his Welsh opponent was insistent.

In an interview published on the Rugbyrama website, Capuozzo said: “It was a moment of great class. His gesture was sublime. He has the lucidity to do it when they have just lost, which I find really strong. He offered me the man-of-the-match medal, telling me it had to come back to me.

“I thanked