[November Tests 2016 EOYT] Italy vs. Tonga (26/11/2016)

[TRF_heineken]

Venue: Stadio Euganeo
Time: 16:00 CAT (SA, GMT+2)​

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

I would like to see OShea experiment a little with his selection here. Primarily with 12, if we have any other option out there following Garcia's retirement. Also hopefully young winger Buonono (wrong spelling!). It needs to have 10 or so starters as Tonga look good at Italy's main weakness, defence of broken play. Tonga could easily have been 25-0 up against the US inside 33mins, so must be respected. A definite banana skin if Italy think they are suddenly worldbeaters after one good result.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Italy: 15 Edoardo Padovani, 14 Giulio Bisegni, 13 Tommaso Benvenuti, 12 Luke McLean, 11 Giovanbattista Venditti, 10 Carlo Canna, 9 Giorgio Bronzini, 8 Sergio Parisse (c), 7 Simone Favaro, 6 Francesco Minto, 5 Marco Fuser, 4 Quintin Geldenhuys, 3 Lorenzo Cittadini, 2 Ornel Gega, 1 Sami Panico

Only one change for Italy, showing respect to Tonga to put out the same lineup as against South Africa. Hopefully we see something from the Italian backs in this one (other than the dependable Venditti and Benvenuti) as the Tongans play incredibly open. So there should be space to run into.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

7-3 to Italy who have knocked on twice at the try line and are stupidly refusing to kick easy points. Tonga coming into the match and the only team playing running rugby. They'll start the second half with 15-14 for ten minutes. An "upset" is entirely possible. A week is a long time in rugby.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Tonga in lead after no TMO for a clear knock-on / forward pass. 13-7. Then good old Tomasso Allan spares Italian blushes the next minute and makes it 14-13. This is anybody's.

 

[Tautahi]

Match was anyone's we Tonga played our opportunities, Italy I felt should have took the points on hand even if try was controversial you always play to the whistle.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Tonga win with a very accomplished and professional performance and a penalty in the last second. Well played and not such a surprise to me having watched a lot of then this last fortnight. Very hard to believe a team in transition can be so good in loose play and in structured territorial play. The future is bright for their new generation.

Italy showed next to nothing and this was almost as bad as their performance in Canada in June. I can't see Italy troubling the world's top 12 any time soon and they'll be in the fourth pool of RWC qualifiers. It's going to be a long road back to the top 10. Last week clearly was more about SA throwing their coach under the bus than it was about any sort of Italian revival.

- - - Updated - - -

Match was anyone's we Tonga played our opportunities, Italy I felt should have took the points on hand even if try was controversial you always play to the whistle.

Yes, absolutely no complaints on the try - that's rugby and the TMO and ref both missed the knock-on. Who is your coach and when did he start? He is doing an outstanding job.

 

[Tautahi]

Well Sergio Parisse was surely missed by Italy and yes you are right this new Tonga is looking promising 3 out 3 what a start.

 

[Makos]

Italy beat South Africa then lose to Tonga.. what

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

Pretty much identical Italian XV too. What O'Shea considers to be his first choice, full strength side.

 

[Tautahi]

Our current coach is Toutai Kefu ex wallaby and assistant Matt O'conner former Leinster coach. From the team played half of the players a semi professinals, other half professionals but a not regular starters at their respective clubs.They haven't played champenge rugby but they get their basicls right set pieces and they should be happy for a team in its building phase.

 

[Bruce_ma gooshvili]

So we just lost at home to a team with lots of semi-pros. Unbelievable. But what an achievement for Kefu. You've already overtsken Samoa in the rankings and are just behind Italy. I reckon by July you could be above them and chasing down Fiji and Georgia this time next year. Although Italy are toothless in attack so it is hard to gauge how solid you were defensively.

Surprised there don't seem to be Tongans picked from the professional Romanian Superliga, or at least, none I recognised. There are plenty Tongans as first choice for their team in that league and some of them are quite handy.