Rugby World Cup: Italy-Namibia 52-8 – La Gazzetta dello Sport

Italy opened its Rugby World Cup by beating Namibia 52-8 in Saint-Etienne for Pool A. At the end of a match that could not have represented a danger, against an opponent who was too inferior both athletically and technically, but allowing as usual, a few too many unjustified mental breaks, coach Keran Crowley’s Azzurri also take home the bonus point. Curiously, Italy is at the top of the group with 5 points, +1 over France (who yesterday defeated the All Blacks 27-13). The Azzurri will return to the field on Wednesday 20th to challenge Uruguay in Nice, while Namibia will face the All Blacks on Friday 15th in Toulouse.

Pauses

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Namibia started better, dominating the first few minutes and earning the free kick with which Tiaan Swanepoel broke the deadlock. Italy reacts and in turn wins two free kicks: on the first they choose a touch which leads to nothing, on the second in the 8th minute Tommy Allan decides to place and equalises. In the 22nd minute, Italy steals a touch inside the opponents’ 22 and with the maul advances to the goal line, stopped by the irregular defense of hooker Toorsten van Jaarsfeld, who receives the yellow card. On the free kick the Azzurri go into touch 5 meters away, the throw is brought down the center by Dino Lamb, the maul advances easily and the honor of scoring the first try falls to Lorenzo Cannone. At 15′ another touch just outside the 22, this time the game opens quickly towards the center of the field, the ball goes to Paolo Garbisi who accelerates, pierces the first tackle and opens the highway towards the posts. Allan transforms them both. If it is true that Crowley’s Italy has been displaying a truly brilliant game for two years now, it is equally true that during matches the players take unjustifiable and inexplicable mental breaks, incapable of maintaining very high concentration from start to finish. end. And so it happens that in numerical superiority the Azzurri are absorbed by the breakthroughs under the posts of the African forwards, to grant an inconceivable space out wide which allows the winger Gerswin Moution to crush the flag despite the desperate defense of Monty Ioane. The unjustifiably lazy mental attitude of the Azzurri also pays off in attack, when Danilo Fischetti looks for a useless long pass in the 22 and gets intercepted, causing an interesting attack to fade away. We go to half-time at 17-8, the victory cannot be questioned, but the impression is terrible.

Bonuses

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Italy returns to the goal in the 46th minute: free kick earned from the scrum, touched 5 meters away, maul stopped a few centimeters from the goal, then after a few rejected attempts, Lamb breaks through from close range, with Allan converting for 24- 8. It’s not that Italy shines, but that the attitude has changed a bit can be seen in the 54th minute, when following a dangerous Namibian attack on the goal line, Manuel Zuliani (replaced Sebastian Negri) swoops in at the breakdown, steals from the ground the ball and wins the free kick. From the touch on 10 meters the attack of the fourth try then arises: break by Nacho Brex on the left, unloaded on Ange Capuozzo who exchanges with Ioane and flies to the flag for the bonus point (and Allan makes it 4/4). But it remains an isolated episode, in a game that has always been played poorly overall. With many free kicks and a lot of possession granted to the Namibians, who around 65′ find themselves throwing three touches at 5 metres: but the Italian defense holds up well, renders the opponent’s maul harmless and wins the ball back, coming out with a lot of pain but without any damage from a long siege. In the 74th minute, a beautiful long pass from Garbisi to Pierre Bruno (who replaced Luca Morisi at the start of the second half) allows the winger to dig a deep break to the right, then the Azzurri retain possession and get closer to the posts, until the substitute breaks through hooker Hame Faiva. In the 78th minute Zuliani finds deserved personal satisfaction: Martin Page-Relo (replaced Stephen Varney) on the right out line unloads inside for the flanker, who breaks a tackle and flies towards the goal. Three minutes after injury time, Paolo Odogwu’s goal also arrives, and with his opponents now on their knees, he finds himself a highway left up to the flag. Allan converts all three for the final 52-8.