[2014 EOYT] Italy vs Argentina

[Big Ewis]

Location: Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Genoa, Italy
Ref: Craig Joubert (Hell)
Date: November 15th 2014
​

 

[Hap]

Italy's biggest problem is keeping focus for two or more games in a row. I don't know if Pumas are going to recover from Murrayfield but, if they don't and Azzurri perform at least as Saturday well, nothing's impossible.

 

[Hap]

Anyway, this would be my starting XV:

1. Aguero
2. Ghiraldini
3. Chistolini
4. Geldenhuys
5. Minto
6. Zanni
7. Favaro
8. Parisse (c)
9. Gori
10. Allan
11. McLean/Masi
12. Morisi
13. Campagnaro
14. Sarto
15. Masi/McLean

16. Manici
17. De Marchi
18. Cittadini
19. Furno
20. Barbieri
21. Palazzani
22. Haimona
23. Toniolatti

I would start with Allan at 10, he deserves a chance to answer back to Haimona's last game performance. Nice competition inside the team.
Minto is a great player, fantastic work rate. He could play in second or third row. I mean, someone in Italy calls him "sand in the enemy's pants". Unfortunately he had a neck injury last year and he has been stopped for 1 year for insurance reasons too. No one, for months, took the responsibility to decide if he would be able to play or not. He trained alone for months due to that reason. In september he had green light from a legal-medical commission and now he's back, hope stronger thane ever.

 

[Big Ewis]

Samoa are a much improved side in the scrum and Italy had a mixed contest there, but Chistolini did look good. This is a real test though for Italy's front row, and I do see the Pumas getting ascendency there.
I don't think it's a time to get Allan back into the lineup, Italy's 10 play was good last week, no need to change that now, the Azzurri need wins now, not experimentation.

Hopefully we see Italy attacking harder and more efficiently, with much less unforced errors and more continuity. All in all, Italy showed quality last week in their game, they just need more precision in the quicker moments of the game.

Argentina needs to fly back to Buenos Aires and get their hunger. They forgot it at home. The rest should be fine for them, and hopefully for them they get captain Creevy back.

 

[marianodan]

Creevy won't play.

 

[Big Ewis]

Creevy won't play.

:/


Italy by 7.

 

[Jaguares]

:/


Italy by 7.

 

[marianodan]

:/


Italy by 7.

Thank you :dance3::dance3::dance3:

the mufa is not on our side this time.

 

[Every Time Ref]

I haven't seen the Italy game yet, but they must have played pretty well and fronted up. Argentina were pretty awful though, for me it's a question of whether the "real" Argentina turn up, because that wasn't them. Is it a case that after a strong showing in the RC and a first win they aren't really up for these, or did they just take Scotland lightly? Will they be a different beast psychologically this week - because I know they are good enough to beat Italy even with players out, but will they? I must say the Scotland game surprised me, I've been following Argentina ever since they got into the RC and although they've struggled against the big boys they've always been committed and always given 100% ... that Argentina looked wasn't the Argentina I know.

 

[Big Ewis]

@Every Time Ref I appreciate your eclecticism. It's very positive and encouraging to see someone post on various nations and fixtures threads rather than just focusing on their own nation exclusively...

I wasn't really serious about Italy by 7, just wanted to emphasize Creevy's absence and its impact. Again, no Creevy no Lobbe, lots of leadership lacking in this side. Argentina are still the better Rugby side and whether they will show up or not puts us predictors in a very unstable position. Italy are on a good dynamic right now and at home...they're still probably going to commit lots of handling mistakes amongst other negatives, while Argentina are a fundamentally sound, well oiled unit. They can really play through the phases and create tries, and that handling is pretty good and fluid.

Think I'm going to go with an Argie win based on: the redeem factor. Can't play two shiitty games in a row like that. Good fundamentals (scrum, handling, goal kicking, attacking continuity..). Italy's still very perfectible and will present flaws Argentina can exploit and turn into points. Wouldn't be surprised by a home side victory, but will go with the Pumas by about 6-8.

 

[TRF_Cymro]

See Italy taking this one too.

 

[Big Ewis]

See Italy taking this one too.

don't think anybody on this thread has picked Italy, brother !

 

[iINDOMINUSxx]

I haven't seen the Italy game yet, but they must have played pretty well and fronted up. Argentina were pretty awful though, for me it's a question of whether the "real" Argentina turn up, because that wasn't them. Is it a case that after a strong showing in the RC and a first win they aren't really up for these, or did they just take Scotland lightly? Will they be a different beast psychologically this week - because I know they are good enough to beat Italy even with players out, but will they? I must say the Scotland game surprised me, I've been following Argentina ever since they got into the RC and although they've struggled against the big boys they've always been committed and always given 100% ... that Argentina looked wasn't the Argentina I know.

i dont see why argentina would take us lightly they lost to us before that game i think scotland actually step up in that game

 

[Hap]

Some bad news.
This week north-western Italy has been hit by very strong storms, a lot of rivers flood out, specially in Genoa area. Millions of euros in damages and a lot of people left their homes for precaution. Weather forecasts predict heavy rain over Genoa on Saturday afternoon and local authorities could maybe declare alert level 2, which would automatically delete the match.

Let's hope it won't get like has been yesterday and the day before, in first place for Genoa's and Liguria's people.

Anyway. Really can't take a position about the game. I see Argentina in slight advantage despite Italy's apparent good moment. If it'll rain and the game will be played anyway, the atmospheric situation would generate a very slow game and that could surely help Italy (which always suffers high pace games) keeping Pumas in the breakdown and not opening wide.

I can see Italy winning only if backrows, and forwards in general, will come out from Genoa with a standout performance and keeping a good discipline. Otherwise Argentina wins for sure.

 

[Hap]

This is Brunel's choice:

Italia: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Luke Mclean, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (capitano), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero
Riserve: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Francesco Minto, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Luciano Orquera, 23 Giulio Toniolatti.

Basically same team that defeated Samoa except for Castro back in n.3 and Minto on the bench.
Really don't know what's going on with Allan, out of 23 again.

Could someone who follows Perpignan tell me how's doing?

 

[Jaguares]

Some bad news.
This week north-western Italy has been hit by very strong storms, a lot of rivers flood out, specially in Genoa area. Millions of euros in damages and a lot of people left their homes for precaution. Weather forecasts predict heavy rain over Genoa on Saturday afternoon and local authorities could maybe declare alert level 2, which would automatically delete the match.

Let's hope it won't get like has been yesterday and the day before, in first place for Genoa's and Liguria's people.

Anyway. Really can't take a position about the game. I see Argentina in slight advantage despite Italy's apparent good moment. If it'll rain and the game will be played anyway, the atmospheric situation would generate a very slow game and that could surely help Italy (which always suffers high pace games) keeping Pumas in the breakdown and not opening wide.

I can see Italy winning only if backrows, and forwards in general, will come out from Genoa with a standout performance and keeping a good discipline. Otherwise Argentina wins for sure.

There is a rumor that the game could be advanced by one day to avoid severe storms, but I'm not sure

 

[Hap]

It's official, Saturday's match deleted. They're trying to find a solution, even on Sunday will not be possible to play.
Rumors say Friday (tomorrow) at 17 o'clock but its not sure.

 

[Ragey Erasmus]

This could be a close game. I think Argentina will edge it as they have the better of Italy historically in these fixtures, less than 7 points in it I recon.

EDIT hope they can do the match.

 

[Big Ewis]

This is Brunel's choice:

Italia: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Luke Mclean, 13 Michele Campagnaro, 12 Luca Morisi, 11 Leonardo Sarto, 10 Kelly Haimona, 9 Edoardo Gori, 8 Sergio Parisse (capitano), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Alessandro Zanni, 5 Joshua Furno, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Martin Castrogiovanni, 2 Leonardo Ghiraldini, 1 Matias Aguero
Riserve: 16 Andrea Manici, 17 Alberto De Marchi, 18 Dario Chistolini, 19 Marco Bortolami, 20 Francesco Minto, 21 Guglielmo Palazzani, 22 Luciano Orquera, 23 Giulio Toniolatti.

Basically same team that defeated Samoa except for Castro back in n.3 and Minto on the bench.
Really don't know what's going on with Allan, out of 23 again.

Could someone who follows Perpignan tell me how's doing?

nice team. Let's see what old Castro can still do at int'l level. And there's only one USAP Perpignan fan on these boards and he's almost never here. I'm not a big fan of Aguero though, and although De Marchi has shown signs of weakness lately I might prefer him over the former.

 

[Hap]

I think Castro could find a proud performance quite just because we are facing Pumas. Otherwise I can't see why not give jersey 3 to Chistolini. Castro will for sure be part of next year 6N and RWC Team, there's no need to prefer him now.

Aguero is an honest average prop, really nothing special, he's deserving n.1 just 'cause poor De Marchi's recent displays. Hope he gets back in form as 2013, we really need him both in tight and loose.