RWC: Australia - Italy (11-09-2011, 15:30)

[TRF_Olyy]

North Harbour Stadium, Auckland (11-09-2011, 15:30)

North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
11/09/2011
15:30
Referee: Alain Rolland (IRE)

​

[TABLE="class: grid"]
<tbody>[TR]
[TD]Australia[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD]Italy
[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Kurtley Beale[/TD]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Adam Ashley-Cooper[/TD]
[TD]14[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Anthony Fainga'a[/TD]
[TD]13[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Pat McCabe[/TD]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Digby Ioane[/TD]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Quade Cooper[/TD]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Will Genia[/TD]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Radike Samo[/TD]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]David Pocock[/TD]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rocky Elsom[/TD]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]James Horwill (C)[/TD]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Dan Vickerman[/TD]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ben Alexander[/TD]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Stephen Moore[/TD]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Sekope Kepu[/TD]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Tatafu Polota-Nau[/TD]
[TD]16[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]James Slipper[/TD]
[TD]17[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Rob Simmons[/TD]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Ben McCalman[/TD]
[TD]19[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Scott Higginbotham[/TD]
[TD]20[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]Luke Burgess[/TD]
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]James O'Connor[/TD]
[TD]22[/TD]
[TD][/TD]
[/TR]
</tbody>[/TABLE]

 

[TRF_Ezequiel]

vBookie Wallabies - Italy

vBookie added

 

[Me 1]

Bet 5 on Italy by more than 7

Well, you never now, good scrum........

 

[Sam91]

Wobs by about 35-40

 

[beerholder]

I see the wallabies shutting the game to a standstill after 5 tries.

 

[ExcaLiBuR]

Wallabies to put almost full team on first 40mins, wining by +15 points then they put a test team out and win the game around 10+ points

 

[madflyhalf]

I hope Italy can produce some game. We must take on this match as a 3rd warm-up, high level, but only a warm up, to play with a good team, and creating some options for Ireland showdown.
I don't mind about winning, but we should stick with Bocchino at fly-half because he creates more than Orquera, and I like to see also Sgarbi and Benvenuti as pairing centres, because they played magnificently for Treviso in the last season, but Mallett (and the forthcoming Brunel alos) has other plans for Benvenuti (15 and maybe 10).
Also: I hope we will rest Castrogiovanni because he needed it, we can do good things there even without him, giving minutes to Citta and hoping to recover Perugini in time.

My XV:

15 Masi (McLean is terrible with kicking game and running, better one hard guy who doesn't kick at all!)
14 Toniolatti
13 Benvenuti
12 Sgarbi
11 Bergamasco Mi.
10 Bocchino
9 Gori
8 Parisse
7 Bergamasco Ma. (for 40', he needs to recover form, then Barbieri or Zanni)
6 Derbyshire (when teenagers I played against him in U.17 championship semi-final and I thought: he will go far! so happy for him, finally chosed!)
5 Del Fava
4 Geldenhuys (if fit)
3 Cittadini
2 Ghiraldini
1 Perugini (if fit).


But I think Mallett will go with Benvenuti on the right wing, McLean in 15 jersey, Sgarbi and Canale at centres. I only hope we won't play with Pratichetti.
He's always been shocking.

 

[TRF_stormer2010]

Hit them hard in defense while closing down Cooper and who knows, Italy might stay in touch. Scrum and Parrisse are plusses. Aussie defense is very good (especially if Faingaa starts alongside McCabe) so italy are going to have to rely on penalties and drop goals to keep the scoreboard ticking. Could turn into a slaughter very easily though if Italy loses concentration for a second.

 

[Co2en5]

i put 1000 v cash on wallabies by more than 7

will not be happy if italy do well

 

[Seaton]

i put 1000 v cash on wallabies by more than 7

will not be happy if italy do well

You're gonna get what, an extra 5 v cash? The stakes are definitely high.

Italy will need to put in a markedly improved performance from their outing against Scotland, otherwise they will get trounced ala 2007 vs the All Blacks

 

[calculon]

I hope Italy can produce some game. We must take on this match as a 3rd warm-up, high level, but only a warm up, to play with a good team, and creating some options for Ireland showdown.

I'll be hoping the extra 2 days of rest and prep time after the Ireland-Russia game, together with you having to play the USA just before us, will make up for this issue. Ireland have no excuses in this group not to get 2nd. at least. Therefore Italy have no pressure. Italy v USA is your only pressure game really. It's a nice situation to be in. (& remember USA have a right to target the Italy game as much as you have a right to target the Ireland game). If USA and Italy both win 2 games, it will come down to who had the more positive play - who was looking for tries, and not letting themselves get beaten up too badly.

 

[TNT88]

I think this will be a pretty good game. Italy will surely have some tricks up their sleeve, and will be doing all they can to slow our ball down. It wont be until the wallaby re-enforcement's come on that we start pulling away (if we do at all).

 

[profitius]

If it a wet and windy day it might be closer than people think. The Italians will be targeting the scrum and trying to slow the game down. If that happens they'll keep the scores down.

I think the Aussies will be concentrating on the Irish match and that could keep Italy in it for a while.

 

[madflyhalf]

I think the Aussies will be concentrating on the Irish match and that could keep Italy in it for a while.

Totally disagree.
They can't afford that, they must be focused on every match, they won't matter of Italy or Ireland... they want to take 5 point from each match, or a good margin win at least.

 

[calculon]

Totally disagree.
They can't afford that, they must be focused on every match, they won't matter of Italy or Ireland... they want to take 5 point from each match, or a good margin win at least.

I agree! Pity they won't be getting any points off us!

 

[big ginger 8]

I just want Italy to go out to beat the **** out of Aus like they do for the first game of the 6n every year.

 

[madflyhalf]

I (sadly) think that Mallett will go with an experimental XV against Australia.

Something similar to the team seen against Japan, surely for the backs.

I fear Pratichetti at centre, though I'd like to see Gori and Bocchino again together, but Mallett should mix a balanced team with experience and fresh legs...
Really don't know what he has in mind, hopefully something sparkling!

 

[profitius]

I think he'll play their strongest team. They're not playing Ireland until the last game so they've 2 matches in between to experiment.

Totally disagree.
They can't afford that, they must be focused on every match, they won't matter of Italy or Ireland... they want to take 5 point from each match, or a good margin win at least.

I know they'll want to go all out for the 5 pts but they expect to win handy enough and will be more concerned with Ireland. Its human nature to not try as hard when expectd to win. I'm sure they know they'll be in a physical battle.

 

[madflyhalf]

Yes of course.
But we've seen that Australia 2nd string squad have some problems... some big problems. For this reason I think they will field their first XV (maybe Palu, Barnes and Mitchell there to regain fitness), but not a totally different team than the one seen in 3N.

Burgess played the entire match in Florence in November, now I think Genia will play 40', and maybe he will be the starting 9 also against us.


Not conceding them the bp, would be great for us... hard, but not impossible: in Florence they didn't play well, we put them under pressure and they made a lot of mistake.

But giving bp or not, I really hope that Italy can produce some game: I won't mind of 5 or 6 tries against, if we could score a couple of well managed, and 50-60' of intense test rugby.


About Italy's XV, I've heard some recent Mallett interviews and reports that impliy he won't field a full strenght XV, with some tired players (Castrogiovanni, Canale, Mirco Bergamasco) will be rested in place for some others that need to be fit again (Mauro Bergamasco and Perugini are big concerns now).

 

[Darwin]

Australian team to play Italy: Kurtley Beale, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Anthony Faingaa, Pat McCabe, Digby Ioane, Quade Cooper, Will Genia, Radike Samo, David Pocock, Rocky Elsom, James Horwill (capt), Dan Vickerman, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Sekope Kepu. Res: Tatafu Polota-Nau, James Slipper, Rob Simmons, Ben McCalman, Scott Higginbotham, Luke Burgess, James O'Connor.

Australia have named an unchanged starting XV from the team the beat the AB's in Brisbane. This means there is no room for James O'Connor or Drew Mitchell in the starting XV. There are three changes to the bench, with the Polota-Nau, James Slipper (both returning from injury) and James O'Connor (returning from team imposed suspension) replacing Faingaa, Ma'afu, and Horne respectively. Interesting to see that they have stuck with a 5/2 split on the bench...