Rugby, Italy-Chile 34-19 | Gazzetta.it

A so-so Italy beat Chile 34-19 in Genoa in the last match of the autumn international series. The Azzurri thus closed these series with a positive balance of two victories (Australia and Chile) and one defeat (South Africa): without shining in the simplest match, conditioned by many, too many individual errors, but with too much technical and physical superiority to think they could take risks.

inaccuracies

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Against an opponent who decides to play it openly, the Azzurri break the deadlock at the first opportunity, in the 12th minute: after a couple of quick rucks, Alessandro Garbisi with a short pass triggers the perfect insertion of Ange Capuozzo, who slips away from a tackle and closes under the posts. Giacomo Da Re transformed it, in the 24th minute he put in a central shot, but in the 31st minute he missed another, hitting the post. The Azzurri obviously have the game in hand and always try to run their legs and the ball, but too many inaccuracies prevent them from transforming possessions into scoring opportunities. It then takes a touch at 5 meters: Italy builds a perfect maul which ends with the goal of the hooker Tommaso Di Bartolomeo, the first for the blue. Which Da Re does not transform. Chile, however, reacts and closes the attack, besieging the blue goal line until breaking through right at the end with left prop Salvador Lules, who recently replaced Javier Carrasco. Tomas Salas (who replaced Santiago Videla at the start of the match) converted it for 15-7 which led to halftime.

pride

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One would expect to see a more determined Italy at the start of the second half, but instead the Azzurri conceded until the 47th minute, when they conceded a free kick which Salas however sent wide. On the following play, Ange Capuozzo had a sensational sleep, as he remained on the ground on the 22-line on the out and judged the ball to be out, but winger Nicolas Saab picked it up on the fly and went into gear and skidded all alone towards the goal, with Salas also making the difficult conversion for -1. The blow at least reawakens the Azzurri’s pride and in the 53rd minute the maul reply from the first half takes place, again from touchline at 5 meters and again scored by Di Bartolomeo, who then gives way to debutant Pablo Dimcheff. The technical gap is unquestionably enormous and especially in the static phases Chile is unable to defend itself: the scrum is overflowing, flanker Clemente Saavedra receives an inevitable yellow card. We stay at 5 meters and in the end, despite the imperfections, the superiority out wide is clear and Da Re can offer Monty Ioane a ball just to smash. The one that arrives in the 72nd minute is practically identical: a free kick taken quickly to the right, the ball passes quickly through the blue hands until Ioane is released again at the opposite flag. As a King he scores two out of three transformations. And also comes the debut for winger Edoardo Todaro and second line Enoch Opoku. Chile closes the attack and in the 80th minute they find their third try, scored by Clemente Saavedra: Saab is stopped right at the flag, the flanker arrives first, collects the ball from the ruck and reaches out to smash.