It is rare indeed that New Zealand go into a Rugby World Cup game having checked their pool standings so intently. The All Blacks’ opening night loss to France has left them in the unfamiliar position of having to avoid defeat against Italy to stay afloat in the tournament and, for once, the Azzurri are approaching this fixture with a gleam in their eyes.
While their head coach Kieran Crowley’s brother and sister-in-law may live on the neighbouring farm to the Barrett family back in Taranaki, it is not going to stop Italy from trying to secure the mother of all World Cup shocks. “This is the dessert at the end of the meal and we want to put a cherry on top of the cake,” said their captain Michele Lamaro, whose team have taken maximum points from their opening two games against Namibia and Uruguay.
