One goal at a time, Italy’s rugby is becoming something beautiful. A team that not only knows how to defend against stronger and more renowned opponents, but that has learned to do badly with the ball in hand. Today’s victory at the Olimpico (the first home win after 11 years of abstinence) over Scotland 31-29, with a final match for very strong hearts, is confirmation of this. The 2024 Six Nations, if it is not the best tournament ever in the history of Italrugby, is not far away. After the narrow defeat against England and the historic draw, with regrets, in France, the Azzurri finally achieved full spoils.
Video Six Nations, Giorgia Meloni with the Italian rugby team
Against the Highlanders it was the third clash in 12 months: after having lost at the end of time both in the 2023 Six Nations and in the test match in July before the World Cup in France, the Azzurri strongly desired the ninth success ever over the team (among those participants in the tournament) against whom Italy has most often prevailed. The victory over them had been missing since 2015 (at the Olimpico even since 2012), today that curse has been broken. The coach Gonzalo Quesada, who was recovering Negri in the third line, launched from the first minute the debutant Louis Lynagh, son of the Australian Michael, world champion in 1991. His rival (without Tuipulotu, who was injured) instead confirmed twelve fifteenths of the victorious team about England.
Encouraged by Mameli’s anthem performed by the Army Band and by an Olimpico team with no free seats left, Lamaro and his teammates broke the deadlock with Garbisi’s free kick after just a minute; however, in the next 11 minutes Scotland scored two tries with Fagerson and Steyn, both converted by Russell, whose foot would be a cross for Italy throughout the match. Italy does not give up on playing and showing that proactive attitude that the fans like so much: Garbisi and Brex close the gap, before Russell’s place and Schoeman’s try remind Italrugby of the Scottish potential and force them to play again to stalk.
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The disallowed try to Horne at the start of the second half galvanizes the Azzurri: first the young Lynagh scores his first five points in the national team, then Varney imitates him inspired by a great action by Vintcent. Ten points to which are added the three from Garbisi’s conversion: Italy is up 28-22 halfway through the second half, and also appears more solid in defense. Meanwhile, Quesada has shuffled the cards with five changes, including the returning Lorenzo Cannone, injured in February against England. The last quarter of an hour gave you goosebumps, with the Azzurri fighting tooth and nail and Scotland, poisoned, who thanks to Skinner and Russell went two points down (31-29).
However, the blue dam holds, and at the end of the match the captain, Michele Lamaro, can smile: “We are growing, we were coming off excellent matches against England and France – he began on Sky Sport -. Other times we would have dropped in performance, but not today: we have grown until the end, with composure and precision. It was an incredible match.” Lamaro congratulates everyone, and reminds that there is still Wales (“Fundamental match”) to face “to close the Six Nations in the best possible way”. Today Scotland were “even a bit lucky in the first 20 minutes”, he adds, “we should have put more pressure, but at the start of the second half we realized that by doing things well we could have won”. And so it was.
Video Rugby Italy Scotland, fans with bagpipes and kilts at the Olympic stadium
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2024-03-09 21:10:00
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